Course Selection in Freshman Year

Freshman year is a time of transition and experimentation. You have tremendous freedom to choose courses that appeal to you, and you have hundreds of options to choose from. Exercising this freedom well, however, requires reflection, exploration, and wise planning. Yale provides a basic educational blueprint in the form of distributional and major requirements, as well as many advisers to offer guidance, but it is up to you to put together a coherent plan of study that corresponds to your particular interests and abilities. Develop some long-range academic goals and discuss them with other people; plan ahead, but remain open to unexpected discoveries. If at any point you feel lost, ask for advice. Beginning with your freshman counselor and residential college dean, Yale has many resources to support and assist you.

General Principles to Keep in Mind
Choosing Courses at the Proper Level
Thinking Ahead about a Major