Choosing Courses
Essential dates
Classes begin on Wednesday, September 2, in the fall and on Monday, January 11, in the spring term.
Your fall-term course schedule with your adviser's signature is due in your college dean's office by September 15. Your spring-term schedule is due January 21.
"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
Listed below are departments and programs that 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 and in the Freshman Handbook. You may direct your questions to residential college deans, freshman faculty advisers, directors of undergraduate studies, or departmental advisers. You may also consult departmental representatives at the Academic Fair on Tuesday, September 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. in William L. Harkness Hall. Refer to the Calendar for the Opening Days of College for more information.
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 2009–2010, seminars limited to sophomores and freshmen include:
*E&EB 171a, The Collections of the Peabody Museum
*MCDB 107a, Human Biology
*PSYC 129a, Statistics as a Way of Knowing
*MATH 101b, Geometry of Nature
*MCDB 109b, Immunology and Microorganisms
*MCDB 135b, How the Brain Works
*PHYS 101b, Movie Physics
Although places in many 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 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 the Yale College Programs of Study, updated course information and many course syllabi are accessible through 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.
