Advice to First Years from SAMS

Student Academic Mentors (SAMs) have shared some advice to first years:

One SAM says: "Here are a few tips I tell my freshmen:...

• Take courses in your potential majors now, but don't become overly focused too early on--take advantage of your opportunity to take classes in subjects you may never have explored before: linguistics, art history, soc/anth. You never know what might interest you that you never would have thought of before.
• Try to take at least one first-year seminar if you can.
• Don't enroll for five credits your freshman spring--it's your first graded semester. Take four, concentrate on them. Remember, if you take five, you'll be more overextended, and won't be able to concentrate as intensely on each class.
• Consider continuing with or beginning a new foreign language if you'd like to go abroad or think it will be important to your course of study/overall educational objectives. The easiest time to work on a language in some ways is freshman year, when you're pass/fail and still in the routine of foreign language learning from high school. Plus, if you're continuing a language, it will be fresh in your head.
• Take advantage of office hours. Keep your professor updated on how you are, what you're doing.

Another SAM says:

• Think balance. Find a mixture of humanity, social science, and natural science courses so you won't be heavy-sided on just essays, or problem sets.
• Take at most two lab courses per semester (unless you're a Chem major and you've been advised to do this).
• Leave at least one or two course slots in your schedule per semester to explore your major interests, leaving the rest for your personal enjoyment and for your distribution/W requirement.
• If you're planning to double major, seriously plan out your future semesters as well as your current to ensure its feasibility.
• Ask other students for courses they recommend or don't recommend, but realize you're getting others opinions which may or may not agree with yours.

And another says:

• ALWAYS ask around about professors - my two favorites classes freshman year were with professors who had terrific reputations, and now I'm majoring in a discipline I never expected because I had such a great prof!
• If you're trying to decide whether to drop a class during add/drop, pay close attention to the first week's reading and think about whether the reading for this class will demand close reading or if it seems that skimming will be sufficient - this makes a big difference in how much time you'll need to spend on the class.
• If you're trying to decide whether to take a course, go talk to the professor! Not only can the professor give you a good sense of how much work it will be and what topics it will focus on, if the course is lotteried your likelihood of getting in may be increased because you showed interest. Also, when you've already talked to the professor one-on-one, it will be easier to ask for help or clarification later on.
• Don't spend too much time on reading if the professor always gives a detailed summary of the reading in lecture. Only read as much as you need to fill in the outline you got in class. Try to use your time on reading you will need for class discussion or to write papers!
• Five credits is STRESSFUL. Only do it if A) you have to for your major requirements, B) you cannot live without taking all five courses THIS semester (as in, they will not be offered any other time that will fit with your schedule over the remainder of your time at Swat), or C) you are comfortable skimming and/or skipping reading but still managing to keep up in class. And make sure to use your pass/fail option during a five-credit semester - you'll be glad you did!
• Don't skip class unless you're in a desperate situation. Always coming to class is the easiest way to get on the professor's good side, which makes it easier to get help, due date extensions, and good grades!