<p>Perhaps this is a way too specific question. I’m looking at all the classes I could take next year (I’m in the class of 2014) and Harold Bloom is teaching two classes. Now, I won’t say this man is THE reason I applied, but he was up there. For his classes, there no prerequisite, but it says “permission of instructor required”… does that mean a meager freshmen has no hopes of being able to take it? I can only imagine it comes down to seniority, as he’s a rather popular figure on campus. </p>
<p>As you have mentioned, he is a very big figure on campus, and if it is a small class, then you’ll most likely be on the bottom of the waiting list as a freshman. </p>
<p>But you should ask around… and never give up.</p>
<p>From what I can tell, the first meeting of every class he teaches is basically you writing an essay on why he should take you for his seminar. So yes, it is possible for a freshman to get in if you make a good impression on him.</p>
<p>You can try, but it is EXTREMELY unlikely. I had one friend get in as a sophomore, and that was a pretty big deal. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to show up, but the odds of getting in as a freshman are extremely low. Honestly, I’d recommend using those time slots to shop other classes. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!</p>
<p>One thing that most freshmen don’t know: If the Blue Book says “permission of instructor required” for a class, it is an upperclass seminar (unless it also says “enrollment limited to freshmen,” in which case it’s a freshman seminar). The odds of your getting in as a freshman will be very low, and honestly, the workload will probably be a bit more than you can handle.</p>
<p>I took a seminar requiring permission of the instructor as a freshman, and while I was lucky to get in (the professor was a first year professor, which helped), I found the workload more than manageable. Seminars are generally not painful academic experiences assuming you have some work ethic and good writing abilities.</p>
<p>Its creepy but true. Although if you want my opinion, he likely just uses that criteria because its the easiest way to select fourteen students from a typical Yale population.</p>
<p>Bloom has a long history of creepy behavior towards attractive undergraduate women. One who later spoke out publicly about the experience is Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth and other books. [Sex</a> and Silence at Yale](<a href=“http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_9932/]Sex”>Sex and Silence at Yale - Nymag) Even back then, however, it was merely creepy and sad, not actually threatening, although it was rare for young women to be very good at dealing with it and deflecting it. As a result, while good-looking women may have had an easier time getting into Bloom’s classes, it was very hard for any undergraduate women to sustain a relationship with him over time.</p>
<p>Anyway, Bloom IS old and sick. (And brilliant, and weird, and creepy, and sweet, and greedy. Really the whole package.) Don’t count on his having a big effect on your education at Yale. Do try to talk yourself into his course if you want, although you would probably do a better job of that if you waited a year, assuming he is still teaching in a year.</p>