General Principles to Keep in Mind

Selecting four or five courses from among Yale's many offerings for your first term can be at once exhilarating and overwhelming. Below is a list of points you may want to keep in mind as you consider your selection of courses.

Reflect on the courses that you particularly enjoyed in high school. Why did you like them? Was it the subject matter, the method of inquiry, the nature of the assignments? Your answers might guide your course selection in freshman year and beyond.
Think about your favorite extracurricular activities. What inspires you to devote time to them? Look for courses that would allow you to develop a broader perspective on these interests or to strengthen skills useful to your pursuit of them.
Consider what major you might be interested in completing, and take a course to explore that interest and perhaps to fulfill prerequisites for the major.
Keep in mind the need to complete the distributional requirements, as well as other practical considerations such as requirements for medical school.
If you plan to major in a science or complete the requirements for medical school, consider the special advice you need to reach those goals. Opportunities for guidance about meeting the premedical requirements are outlined in appendix B, Information for Premedical Students. For information on majoring in the sciences, consult the program descriptions of those majors and in Yale College Programs of Study (YCPS) after it is mailed to you in August. Be aware than many courses in the sciences must be taken sequentially, and prospective science majors ordinarily start the sequence in freshman year.

Course Selection
in Freshman Year

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Choose courses for which you have appropriate preparation. To assist you, there are advising sessions and placement examinations after you arrive on campus, and DUSes can talk to you about suitable placement (see "Choosing Courses at the Proper Level" and descriptions of individual departments).
Try to take at least one small class that will offer you the chance to participate in discussions and get to know a faculty member.
Keep in mind that freshman year is a time of great transition and uncertain expectations. Although there are many enticing courses from which to choose, we recommend that you enroll for no more than four or four and one-half course credits in your first term.

When you arrive on campus, many people will be happy to answer your questions. During the summer you will undoubtedly begin to contemplate which courses you want to take, but we encourage you to keep an open mind. As you focus on your first term, remember that your Yale education consists of eight terms. Leave your course schedule open, therefore, to exploration and discovery as you seek and encounter intellectual interests to engage.

General Principles to Keep in Mind

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