C.Crawford.17

At what point do incoming freshmen register for classes in the fall? I understand that we get our basic coursebook on August 1 -- are students able to begin the registration process at this point? Or must we wait until freshmen orientation? Is there any risk that classes could get filled if we are not quick to act during the shopping time at the beginning of each term?

svalbardlutefisk

You can't sign-up for classes until shopping period begins except for pre-registration for certain seminars. Classes that can fill up are (usually) not filled up by people signing up before you, but by the professor deciding who to allow in the class (though sometimes you may need to register for a section fairly early). The time at which you turn in your completed schedule has no bearing on what classes you can take, assuming it's turned in on time, and most people don't turn in their schedules until the day they're due.

C.Crawford.17

Is there a specific time when students will register for freshmen seminars? Is the seminar information provided in the coursebook we will receive in August? (Thanks for the great info. by the way!)

svalbardlutefisk

Freshmen seminars will be listed in the Blue Book - you can distinguish them from the fact that they will have a course number of less than 100. Check out the Yale freshman website (particularly this link Freshman Seminars | Special Academic Programs | Welcome | Class of 2012 | Yale College, for more)

siriusaboutyale

you'll find that all your advisers / frocos / even upperclassmen will be very helpful when it comes to picking classes
there will be opportunities for bluebooking parties (where people get together and sit around sifting through courses, getting advice from people who have already had said courses and professors, and throwing around class ideas)
there will also be plenty of explanation of how to do everything
they make it very simple, and it's one of the best course selection processes there can be, because usually you aren't excluded from a course because of time-sensitive registration and usually if you're prepared for the class, you can talk to the professor and they may let you in
(sometimes they won't, especially if it's a junior/senior seminar, but it's ALWAYS worth a shot)
so hold your worries on registration until you get to yale and just focus now on picking out interesting classes and be prepared to make sure you pay attention to the dates of preregistration and academic fair and placement tests of the first week or so at school