LIKE IT or not, the focus of college is on the classes you take. This column is meant to help out incoming first years in the College make it through their first year or two as painless as possible.
As you may have noticed, the College has an absurd amount of required courses. Unless you are one of the chosen few who are Echols Scholars, you have to get these requirements out of the way.
The worst is the foreign language requirement. Although students are supposed to be proficient in a foreign language to graduate, most can barely hold a conversation by that time, let alone be fluent in one. While you must take four semesters of a foreign language, you can test out of certain sections. If you are interested in languages and you actually want to learn one, then congratulations. But for most of us who don't feel they are good at foreign languages, it's best to choose one of the easier languages or what we've studied in high school. The romance languages, especially Spanish, are usually considered less difficult than other languages. Additionally, Spanish is the most useful language you can use because of its prominence in this country. Start taking a foreign language your first semester; even if you have to wake up at eight in the morning, it's best to get it over with.
The required courses don't stop there, though. To complete the first writing requirement, you must take an ENWR course, unless you can pass out of it because of AP scores or SAT II scores. Like the foreign language requirement, it's best to finish the writing requirement your first year as well. Everyone has to deal with the second writing requirement, but this is relatively easy. Because of the amount of writing needed, some courses will qualify for the second writing requirement even if they aren't in the English Department. A list of these classes is available in Garrett Hall or in the Course Offering Directory.
The science and math requirement of 12 credits may strike fears into those who dreaded high school calculus and biology labs, but certain courses can ease the burden of this requirement. The two easiest science subjects are environmental science and astronomy - and many students take these to go toward this requirement. One caveat to environmental science is to be careful of the course. EVSC 101 is a popular class, but stay away from EVSC 202 - the dreaded E-school elective.
The social sciences requirement is probably the most easily met, because many subjects in the College are included in it. You can fill the humanities requirement with an English course - different from the one which satisfied your first writing requirement. Art, drama, music, dance, philosophy and religion courses fill this requirement. The historical studies requirement is fairly painless, because the College has a good history department. The non-western perspectives requirement can be met a number of ways. You can take a non-Eurpoean or non-American history course, or take a non-western religion class (for instance, Buddhism).
One thing that you should notice by now is that you can combine courses to meet requirements. The History of Brazil could knock off you non-western perspectives requirement, as well as your historical one, and if you are lucky it might even meet the second writing requirement.
Last, but not least, it's important to look into economics classes. Many people in the College will take one at one time or another. Some economics classes are requirements for the Comm School and economics is a useful subject to know. From personal experience, I would say to take the big class. Each semester, usually Economics 201 - microeconomics, and Economics 202 - macroeconomics (first and second semesters respectively) are taught by professors who will have a huge class in the Chemistry auditorium, and a few other professors will teach smaller classes. There is a reason that the University trusts some professors with large numbers of students, and the larger classes tend to be more consistent and easier than the smaller classes.
Unfortunately, by the time you read this column, you already will know what classes you are taking your first semester. But this advice can be used for second semester, second year or even this upcoming semester if you need to drop or add any classes.
This advice has been based on my own personal experience. It is quite possible that your experiences will differ from mine. But it's always good to know what other students thought, before you enroll in classes. The Cavalier Daily Online course evaluation site (www.cavalierdaily.com/evals/home.asp) as well as the Echols Scholars Web site both give course evaluations and are valuable resources which you should consult. Good luck!
(Harris Freier is a Cavalier Daily columnist. He can be reached at hfreier@cavalierdaily.com.)
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