Choosing Courses
Essential dates
Classes begin on Wednesday, August 29, in the fall term and on Monday, January 14, in the spring term.
Your fall-term course schedule with your adviser's signature is due in your college dean's office by September 11. Your spring-term schedule is due January 24.
"Sophomore year is the last time to really explore. As a sophomore you can just enjoy your classes and at the same time think about which direction you might want to go in life."
"It's OK if you don't have your entire life planned by now. Most will change their minds anyway."
"Look ahead to junior and senior years because there are some provisions like studying abroad and class load in senior year that should be taken into account."
"Every year plot out a schedule for the next year."
Placement
The departments and programs in the list below require a placement test, preregistration for a specific section of a large course, or consultation with a placement officer. Additional information can be found on the freshman Web site under Programs of Study, in the Freshman Handbook, and in Yale College Programs of Study. You may direct your questions to residential college deans, faculty advisers, directors of undergraduate studies, or departmental advisers. You may also consult departmental representatives at the Academic Fair on Tuesday, August 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. in William L. Harkness Hall and Linsly-Chittenden Hall. Refer to the Calendar for the Opening Days of College for more information.
African Languages
Applied Physics
Undergraduate Major in Art
Chemistry
Classics
Computer Science
Computing and the Arts
East Asian Languages and Literatures
Economics
Engineering
English
Environmental Studies
French
Germanic Languages and Literatures
Italian
Mathematics
Department of Music
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Physics
Spanish and Portuguese
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Southeast Asian Language Studies
Spanish and Portuguese
Seminars
It's a good idea to choose some small classes so that you have chances to express your ideas and respond to others'. In 2012–2013, seminars limited or with preference given to sophomores and freshmen include:
*ENGL 246, Introduction to Verse Writing
*MATH 101, Geometry of Nature
*MCDB 109, Immunity and Contagion
*PHYS 101, Movie Physics
*PLSC 169, Classics of World Politics
*PLSC 282, The Idea of Power
*PSYC 129, Statistics as a Way of Knowing
*SCIE 141, Science and Pseudoscience
*SOCY 121, The Sociological Imagination
Although places in many upper-level seminars are often given first to students in the major, don't hesitate to try for a place in a seminar that interests you. Just keep in mind as you plan your course schedule that you cannot count on finding a place in a seminar. Make sure you have a backup plan.
Some departments have a fall-term deadline to register for seminars in the spring and a spring-term deadline to register for seminars in the fall. Check with the office of the DUS or the departmental Web site for deadlines.
Course Selection Period ("Shopping Period")
Online course selection is available at the Registrar's Office Web site.
Reminder: Classes conducted during the first two weeks of the term are regular classes with readings and homework. Be prepared to complete assignments and to participate in each class that you "shop."
Be courteous during course selection period. Don't enter or leave a classroom after class has started or before it has ended. If you must do either, it is polite to discuss your need at the beginning of class with the instructor.
Information about Courses
In addition to the information in Yale College Programs of Study, updated course information and many course syllabi are accessible through Yale BlueBook (requires login) and the Online Course Information system. Once you begin choosing courses, you will be able to look at course evaluations for some of the classes you are considering.
