<p>Yes, that’s the study. I thought I read somewhere it would be implemented and that advice would no longer be given. Guess I was hoping for too much. Must be in a review group somewhere. I did email SOAR but no response yet. Guess they don’t like cranky emails. They will like my cranky phone call even less. I’ve just been too busy at work to track down the right person. But i will.</p>
<p>OK, I actually got a response from the SOAR Director–actually the Director of the First Year Experience which is over SOAR I think. She was very nice despite by obvious crankiness and we had a very nice phone chat. Her group actually ordered the study on course loading and she was very familar with it. Her group took the results to all the colleges on campus to share with them about how they might change advising in the future at SOAR. Apprarently each college sends their own advisor group to SOAR. Many were convinced and planned to advise kids to take the higher loads but some others were unconvinced and continued to issue the old advice of a reduced load.
That is a key weakness of decentralization in an organization. Very hard to get all the groups to make a change at once as there is no one advising czar on campus. They are doing a follow-up to see how many credits people did take first semester so they can judge the impacts.</p>
<p>On other issues from last year, all new students are now considered “first time undergrad students” no matter how many credits they enter with so they are not excluded from any freshmen only classes, etc.
I have not heard any complaints on this this summer so I assume it’s working.</p>
<p>To be of help that has to apply to their second semester as AP credits don’t change status, ie aren’t awarded, until after the end of freshman first semester. It is second semester where status can change.</p>
<p>It is a new status category–first year of enrollment in college no matter what the credits.</p>
<p>First YEAR status- that should help, still won’t know until next semester.</p>
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<p>Does the “etc.” include do anything about being able to take classes not listed as open to freshmen? Because as it stands, there are very few classes open to first years in the math department. According to the catalog, first years can’t even register for a class (234) that I’d enter with credit for!</p>
<p>Edit: After looking at it some more, it seems like even someone that just took BC Calc would have trouble finding courses to take if they majored in math or even just wanted to take any further math courses that year for a related major. Even AB would lead to problems after the first semester. About the only course more advanced than Calc 2 listed as open to first years is linear algebra, which seems to require 234 anyway.</p>
<p>You probably need to contact the Math department directly to get permission to enroll if a class is listed as not open to Freshmen. I know a student (graduated from high school this May, so a new freshman) who took 234 this summer which was before his AP Calc (BC) test results were even available. (He aced 234).</p>
<p>No, because they would still possibly have soph standing either now or second semester and that counts too. First year just means that–first time in college–it can be with soph standing.</p>
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<p>I’m glad to know it isn’t as set in stone as it appeared at first.</p>
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<p>So, to be clear, the “Open to First Year Students: No” applies only to students that enter without enough credits to have sophomore or higher standing?</p>
<p>It does not say open to first year–it says open to freshmen–there is a difference. If you have soph standing you are not a freshmen by this definition. But you are a first year and can take classes marked freshmen only.</p>
<p>How many credits are you coming in with? Do you have soph standing already? Most rules can be bent if you can show a good reason.</p>
<p>I wasn’t referring to freshman-only classes. I understand that any and all problems with those have been fixed. I meant the places in the course catalog where, underneath the credit type, there either is or isn’t the phrase “Open to 1st Year,” with a corresponding “Open to First Year Students: Yes” or “Open to First Year Students: No” shown after selecting the course to view additional detail. </p>
<p>I’m still in my senior year of high school currently, but I would enter with at least sophomore standing, yes. I am glad most rules can be bent with good reason, my current interest lies with this specific rule excluding first year students from certain courses. I can assume from Madison85’s post that either this rule applies only to those without at least sophomore standing, in which case my concerns are addressed, or the student in the example provided by Madison85 was able to provide good reason, which leaves open the question of what constitutes good reason. </p>
<p>So my question is, unless the rule is known to be based on credits obtained, how many courses and of what level would I likely be able to take in a semester, despite the courses not being labeled as “Open to 1st Years”? That is, if the rule would apply, how far can the rules generally be bent?</p>
<p>I looked at the course guide which does not use the term First Year at all–it uses Freshmen which is an official status based on having no college credits–or few. It is more up to date than the college catalogue which only comes out every two years. </p>
<p><a href=“Guide < University of Wisconsin-Madison”>Guide < University of Wisconsin-Madison;
<p>Regardless of the number of AP credits a student will have upon entering UW those credits do not get put on the transcript until after first semester ends- all students entering from HS will have freshman status their first semester. However, all new students go through SOAR and discuss courses with an advisor, there should be no problems taking courses the computer says are not open to freshmen. The human factor trumps the computer. The information online is useful, not etched in stone- most current students can tell you of exceptions made for someone at some time or other. The main reason for restrictions is so students do not get in over their heads by attempting courses for which they are not prepared. The “not open to freshmen” is a warning flag- if the course is appropriate the advisor will agree with taking it.</p>
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<p>Both when I searched for the University of Wisconsin course guide and when I followed your link I ended up at what I have been calling the course catalog, which is, as it turns out, the course guide despite my mislabeling it. It remains the same, on my end, as the previous times I have looked at it. First Years is still the term used.</p>
<p>Despite the above confusion, from wis75’s post and the earlier one by Madison85 it seems that my question has been answered as thoroughly as it can be and with a fairly positive consensus. Thanks.</p>
<p>Edit: Aha! Open to Fr. (probably abbreviates Freshmen) is listed in the prerequisites sections of Open to 1st year courses, seemingly interchangeably with first years as used elsewhere in the course guide. Also, the Public Class Search, distinct from the Public Course Guide, uses only the term freshmen and not first year students. If this is not the source of the disconnect between my posts and barrons’s then I don’t know what caused it, but it may explain some of the confusion.</p>