First-Year Courses

Generally speaking, first-year schedules fall into one of two categories: (a) pre-med (also for students considering a career in another health profession, e.g., dentist or veterinarian, or a major in Biological Sciences or Chemistry) and (b) not pre-med.

Most students who are not following a pre-med track spend their first year strategically fulfilling Weinberg College graduation requirements and exploring possible majors. If you are like most Weinberg students, your first-year schedule will look something like this (students considering a pre-med track or major in Biological Sciences or Chemistry will have a different schedule):

Fall Quarter

• Freshman Seminar. All Weinberg students except those in the Honors Program in Medical Education, the Integrated Sciences Program, or Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences take the first of their two required Freshman Seminars in their fall quarter. The list of seminars being offered this fall and the web form for submitting your preferences are elsewhere on this site. Seminar preferences must be submitted between July 15 and July 31, after you have completed your first-year dossier.
• A Foreign Language. Weinberg students are required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (measured by successful completion of the third quarter of the second year in a language sequence). Most students take a foreign language in the first quarter of their first year. Our best advice is to continue studying a language you studied in high school, even if your AP scores satisfy the requirement, but those who have satisfied the requirement may certainly explore a new language instead. Please see the Placement and Credit page for more information on language placement.
• Fulfill a Distribution Requirement and Explore a Possible Major. Most students choose a third course that will both fulfill one of their Distribution Requirements and help them explore an area they're considering as a major. If you're thinking about Economics, for example, you might want to take either Math 220, Differential Calculus, (which counts toward the Area II Formal Studies distribution requirement), or Economics 201, Introduction to Macroeconomics, which counts toward the Area III Social and Behavioral Science distribution requirement. If you're considering a major in English, you might take English 210 or 271, English or American Literary Traditions or English 213, Introduction to Fiction. Not only do these courses all count toward the English major, but they also count toward the Area VI Literature and Fine Arts distribution requirement. The Registrar's Office includes a list of all Weinberg distribution courses in each quarter's Class Schedule.
• Fulfill a Distribution Requirement in an Area You've Never Explored. Most fall-quarter students choose fourth courses from a distribution area in which they are unlikely to major. If they find that it appeals to them enough to continue in that area, so much the better!

Winter and Spring Quarters

The basic pattern holds in winter and spring, but with almost infinite variation as students make choices based not only on the requirements they have to fulfill but also on the classes they've already taken.

• Approximately half the first-year class will take a second freshman seminar in the winter. The other half will take a second seminar in the spring. (This information will be posted in your First-Year Dossier.)
• Most students will take language classes in both the winter and spring quarters.
• That leaves five classes in which you might either explore possible majors, fulfill Distribution Requirements, or both. If you took Econ 201 in the fall and enjoyed it, you might want to take Econ 202 in the winter and Statistics 210 in the spring. If you took English 210 or 271 in the fall and did well, you might want to take another English class. Be sure to discus your choices with your freshman adviser.