I need advice!

Colleges & Universities Tulane University
1

<p>I’ve always been a person of planning. I’m currently on my JYA year and have been thinking about my senior schedule, and would like advice on my plan.</p>

<p>First, let me state the things that will come outside of the allotted class time: Fencing, Orchestra, Preparing/sending applications for graduate schools (MFA), the final community service requirement, Taking the GRE general test and GRE Literature test. Obviously, aside from Fencing/Orchestra, this is all in the <em>first</em> semester. I plan to study in advance for the tests (I’m starting now), and the application sample for my graduates schools will come out of a senior thesis.</p>

<p>I’m wondering if sixteen credits is too much with all these extras. Here’s the “crazy” sketch of my classes:</p>

<p>Creative Thesis-3
German with community service-4
Ballet-2
Russian Music-2
Beginning Latin-4</p>

<p>Creative Thesis-3
German-4
Creative Poetry-3
Intermediate Latin-4
Ballet-2 </p>

<p>The good thing about sixteen credits: if I drop a class, I won’t lose my scholarship. The bad thing about sixteen credits: it’s sixteen credits. </p>

<p>Ballet relaxes me, so I’d like to keep those classes. The Russian music, thesis, and German are musts, because I want to take them. The “throw in class” at this point, are the Latin classes, and the poetry class. I’ve taken poetry before, loved the professor, but didn’t get as much out of the class as I have other creative writing classes, mainly because the critiques weren’t harsh enough, in my opinion, and the workshop was filled with several “assignments/papers of the week” that became monotonous and not very helpful to my poetry. I’m retaking it (I’m ashamed to admit this) because it makes me write poetry and allows me at least some input on its success or failure. </p>

<p>I’d love opinions on what to do here. Parents with seniors in the past or currently, how does this sixteen credit schedule, with the extras, line up? </p>

<p>The only alternate I can really come up with is this, which is looking rather nice:</p>

<p>Creative Thesis-3
German with community service-4
Ballet-2
Beginning Latin-3</p>

<p>Creative Thesis-3
German-4
Intermediate Latin-3
Ballet-2
Russian music-3</p>

<p>Thanks a billion!</p>

2

<p>Why not take the Creative Poetry Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, what we used to call Pass/Fail? Here is the policy from the latest catalog:</p>

<p>

Assuming you have not used your limit here yet, this seems like a good alternative, and you will still be in compliance for your scholarship. If you think the workload for Poetry will be the same regardless of taking it for a grade or not, maybe Latin would make more sense for the S/U option. That way you could work hard enough to pass fairly easily, without having to bust your ass to make an “A”.</p>

3

<p>That sounds like a possible option, but I worry about how graduate schools will see a “pass/fail” grade on a transcript. Most students (from what I have seen) take pass/fail because they are worried about the class and don’t think they can score a high grade in it, or don’t want to put the effort into the class that they normally would put into other classes. This means no offense to any parents reading this, whose children have taken pass/fail–I’m aware there are other reasons. </p>

<p>That’s a nice option, though–maybe I can audit Latin? My main concern is that I’ll have so much planned that, when I need to edit my thesis to make it presentable for applications, etc, I’ll need to do other things that won’t matter in the long run. Applying to graduate schools is relatively important.</p>

4

<p>I got into a top 5 chem grad school and had a couple of P/F my senior year. Of course I was taking the equivalent of 21 hours, writing a thesis and in 3 music groups, but that is another, long story. I don’t think they look down on it at all, especially if there are just one or two P/F courses. Remember, they won’t even see your second semester grades until after they have accepted you. Schools understand you are there to enjoy learning for the sake of learning sometimes, especially senior year when you would be most involved in activities and, as you say, writing a thesis. They will see that as well. They won’t attribute any less than positive motives to it, especially for a good student like yourself. Auditing is certainly a good option as well, especially if Latin is not something that really makes a difference for grad school for you. It just requires a bit more self-motivation.</p>

5

<p>Grad schools care much more about one’s undergraduate research and recommendations than they do about GPA or if there is a P on one’s transcript.</p>

6

<p>I can’t really offer any advice because I’m only a sophomore, but I’m big on planning too, I have an excel document with my “theoretical” schedule planned for every semester I have left at TU, but don’t tell anyone…</p>

<p>HOWEVER, which German are you planning to take, 305 or 203? If 305, I can tell you from experience that it is not difficult (read: time/effort consuming) and might be some ‘easy’ credits. I didn’t take 203 at tulane (ap credit) but if 305 wasn’t bad I can’t imagine 203 would be …?</p>

<p>Well anyway best of luck and I hope your year abroad is great.</p>