The SayBrook Blog: Education, Scholarship, Reference Blog

Archive for Freshman Advice

How to Navigate Freshmen Year at Yale

by admin / August 21st 2009 / No Comment   

Welcome to the Saybrook Blog’s guide on How to Navigate Freshman Year at Yale. On the page below

you’ll find a series of freshmen advice articles written to help Saybrook freshmen through their first year at Yale. Finding WLH on a map and figuring out what classes fitness to shop when there are hundreds to choose from can be difficult, if not impossible as a freshman (WLH isn’t even on the map). This series intends to guide you along and tell you all the do’s and don’t of freshman year.

We here at the Saybrook Blog were all once freshmen too and we would love to prevent you from making the same mistakes we did. In the coming days, we will be updating this list daily, so make sure to keep checking back for more articles.

Best of luck Saybrook freshmen!

Freshman Advice

Academics

  1. How to Choose the Perfect Freshman Schedule
  2. What Freshmen Should Be Doing Right Now
  3. What to Expect from Introductory Science Classes at Yale
  4. Fulfilling Distributional Requirements
  5. The Case for Directed Studies
  6. A Very Cynical Look at Directed Suicide

Student Life

  1. Getting Mail at Yale
  2. Why L-Dub is Really the Best Freshman Dorm
  3. Where to Eat in New Haven
  4. Getting mail at Yale
  5. 21 Websites Every Yalies Should Know

Coming soon!

Want more? In the coming days, we’ll be publishing more articles about navigating your freshman Magazine Summary year including: advice on how to manage Camp Yale, what to do during shopping period, what you need to do freshman year, how to show your Saybrook pride, and ten things you should do before you graduate. Keep on checking back, so you don’t miss out. Feel free to comment on this post! Comments are welcome and appreciated.

more »

Incoming search terms:

in Freshman Advice      tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Read More »

What to Expect from Introductory Science Classes at Yale

by admin / August 21st 2009 / No Comment   

Hello again Saybrook Freshmen!

This post is principally for all the pre-meds, prospective science majors, and prospective engineering majors out there, though people looking to satisfy their science distributional requirements may also find it useful.

I list the most common science courses that Freshmen take, and give my opinions on them. I have not taken all these courses myself, and my opinion for courses other than the ones I have taken is based on what my friends in these courses have told me. So that you can get more accurate information about these courses, I list the Saybrugians I know who have taken these courses. Note that my opinions may not necessarily be based on conversations with these Saybrugians only. As usual, feel free to take what you want.

When contacting the Saybrugians mentioned, please remember to remain respectful and cordial. I have not taken permission from the people listed here, and having their inbox inundated with frantic emails during move-in time would be the last thing they want. I am sure, however, that if contacted properly, all of them would be willing to speak with you. And to all of the people I mention here: please understand my sentiment is only to give advice to the newbies. I am not judging anyone here (I am too small for such a thing), and I truly love you all.

Lastly, I would like to mention that a lot more Saybrugians have taken these courses; however, I am only mentioning the ones that I can pull off of my memory bank at this moment.

Chemistry—Most introductory courses are heavy pre-med courses:

Freshman Organic Chemistry (125)– The course is taught through power-point presentations. The first part of this yearlong course (which is what you will be studying in the fall) will be extremely heavy on physical chemistry. The course is theoretical. You either hate this course or you love it. Technically, it has one more exam than sophomore organic chemistry (below), and is known for tough exams.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Elaine Zhou, Chris Ell, Andrew Maleki, Alison Altman, John Greenwalt (better known as Greeno), Martin Keil, Sophie Liu

Sophomore Organic Chemistry (220)—The course is taught through a textbook, and chalkboards if you will. It is definitely more application based than freshman orgo. You get to meet a lot of sophomores and that provides a new, different class environment.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Meena Shivaram, Nimit Jain

Chem 118—Similar to AP Chemistry though with a few additional details.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Cleo Handler, Allison Bauer (better known as Alli Bauer), Sam Beckenstein, Marc Beck

Chem 112—The course to take if you have little background in chemistry, or are not interested and just want to satisfy the pre-med requirement

Saybrugians to the rescue: Jamar Bromley, Brandon Rapp (better known as B Rapp)

You can get information about the corresponding labs from these Saybrugians as well.

Physics:

Physics 150—Pre-med heavy and extremely competitive class; basic physics though. Take it only if you hate physics and want to be done with the requirement.

Physics 180—AP Physics C with some other concepts (such as waves etc.)

Physics 200—AP Physics C on steroids (special relativity is taught in this course).

Saybrugian to the rescue: Lucila Dunnington

Physics 260—High level physics. You need a strong math and physics background for this course. General relativity and quantum mechanics are taught in this one.

Saybrugian to the rescue: Nabeem Hashem

Math and ENAS

Math 120—One thing I can say about this course is that it is unnecessarily hard. I have heard that the professors are not that great, and that the exams are tough. It is much more theoretical than ENAS 151 (see below).

Saybrugians to the rescue: Uyen Phan, Anusha Raja, Shana Berwick, Lucila Dunnington, Greeno, James Luo

ENAS 151—A more practical way to go about Math 120. It teaches the applications of the concepts of multivariable calculus to engineering. The professor is awesome (google Robert Grober). The exams are pretty straightforward but you cover the same material as Math 120 (you learn the same stuff…I taught some students in Math 120!). I highly recommend this course. If you are, however, doing this as a pre-requisite for pre-med or a major which only says Math 120, double check on whether this course would be applicable.

Saybrugian to the rescue: Nimit Jain

Math 112—Calculus for you! Saybrugian to the rescue: J-L Mosley

Math 115—Calculus and infinite series for you!

Saybrugians to the rescue: J-L Mosley, Chidi Akusobi

ENAS 194—Good light course on differential equations. I do not know much about the math counterpart for this course. ENAS 194 is a mechanical course and teaches you how to solve different differential equations.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Nimit Jain, Sebastian Serra

Math 222—Nice, smooth, mechanical math course.

Saybrugian to the rescue: Andrew Maleki

Math 230—Requires a strong background in math. Heavy proof-based math. The exams and problem sets are hard. I am not sure about who you could talk to for this but you could try Nabeem Hashem or Ray Xi.

Biology—MCDB 120

One of the three professors is awesome (John Carlson). Everybody loves him. If you have taken AP Bio, you may want to skip this though some concepts of developmental biology are covered in 120 (absent in AP). The exams are straightforward. This is a pre-med course. If you want to learn more than what you are required to, you can definitely help yourself to the fantastic textbook. The course also lays a good foundation if you took AP Bio long ago.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Nimit Jain, Ben Robbins, Regina de Luna, Peter Tian

The lab for this course is simple but very time consuming. Do not take it if you are open to more advanced labs.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Kate Penziner, Nimit Jain

Perspectives on Science and Engineering

Perspectives is a great way to meet science kids from other residential colleges. You have a lot of fun doing the summer research in the Have. Some lectures will be interesting, others not so much. The lectures are dominated by the life sciences.

Saybrugians to the rescue: Nimit Jain, Sophie Liu

Computer Science

112—Introduction to Programming. Akanksha Bajaj and Bryan Kam took this course. I think both found it rigorous.

201—Introduction to Computer Science. This requires some previous knowledge of programming and is usually taken by prospective majors. Saybrugian to the rescue: David Chen

Psychology-110

Extremely interesting course. Just make sure you don’t have claustrophobia: hundreds of people take this course icon smile What to Expect from Introductory Science Classes at Yale

Saybrugian to the rescue: Kirill Miniaev

Cognitive Sciences-110

Do not know much about this. I will leave it to Cleo Handler to do the talking.

Looking forward to meeting you all now

Nimit

Incoming search terms:

in Freshman Advice      tags: , , , , , ,
Read More »

How to Choose the Perfect Freshman Schedule

by admin / August 19th 2009 / No Comment   

Hello Saybrook Freshmen!

Here are my two cents about course schedules for first semester (caution: this is just advice to consider…feel free to take what you want):

1. Whatever you do, don’t take more than 4.5 credits first semester.

If you do decide to take more than 4.5, keep your mind open towards dropping courses (Never make this an ego issue. Competition will really take a new meaning for you once you are at Yale.)

2. Science labs are godawful.

They consume a lot of time. Here are some guidelines:

a) Try and keep labs in the later part of the week (but not Friday)– Everyone has a tendency of pushing lab work to the weekend. If you have a Monday or Tuesday lab, its large workload builds a lot of pressure on the weekend. But if you have a Wednesday or Thursday lab, you still have Monday and Tuesday to finish off any tidbits of lab work that may be remaining.

b) Avoid taking two labs in the same semester. I did this first semester and it was not pleasant. The work load becomes overwhelming. If you do take two labs, space them by at least a day. And say good bye to your week-ends!

3. Choose classes of varying sizes

Different class sizes provide different learning environments, and this adds to your learning experience. So take lecture courses but also take small humanities classes and labs.

 

4. Pack classes as closely as possible.

An ideal Monday schedule would be:
Morning class from 9:25-10:15
Second class from 10:30-11:15
Lunch
Class from 11:35-12:50
You do end up wasting a lot of the time in between classes in just walking around campus, and packing classes helps you prevent this.
Do remember though that walking takes time. And so, you should be aware of the building locations for your classes before you draw out such a schedule.
Packing gives you another advantage:

5. Make free days

Especially Fridays because everybody is in a party mood this day. I have done this with my course schedule every time, and it helps. Its almost like having half a weekend in the middle of the week.
What this boils down to is signing heavily either for Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes or for Tuesday, Thursday classes. This gives you a lot of time off on your lighter days. Just a morning class at 9:00 for the entire day is also a good feeling.
By the way, for LOR fans: the Tuesday-Thursday heavy schedule is referred to as the Twin Tower course schedule. A lot of humanities’ students have such a schedule. And believe me, its awesome!

6. Choose diverse subject areas

This makes you feel much more enriched at the end of the semester. It also helps you in finishing work because it becomes easy to switch to the work of another course when you are bored with the work of one course.

7. Make a list of subjects you’d like to explore.

Go to OCI and start reading the ‘Program/subject’ section. Create a word document with a list of areas you may be interested in.

8. Take at least one or two advanced courses in the subjects you are familiar with.

Take the other courses after shopping classes from the subjects listed in (1), and talking to professors who teach these classes.

9. Have a look at your finals’ schedule!

Try and get no more than three final exams. Also try and keep finals in the beginning of finals’ week. Believe me: you don’t need more than a day to study for a final. And it is annoying to see all of your friends leave campus after their finals when you haven’t even started finals; and its snowing outside!

I’m Nimit by the way.  I am extremely fond of advising (especially academic advising). Ever want to talk about anything related to course schedules…or want help with calculus, organic chemistry, or with directions in a humanities paper at 12 at night. Always remember the front door of SY E44 (more on this lovely suite to follow soon), and I will be there to help How to Choose the Perfect Freshman Schedule

Alright, I am going to stop now! But there is a lot more to this, and if you need more help, always remember the front door of SY E44, or the ice-cream at Ashley’s, or the manwich at the Squiche!

Say What!

Incoming search terms:

in Freshman Advice      tags: , , , , ,
Read More »

What Freshmen Should be Doing Right Now

by admin / August 15th 2009 / No Comment   

Welcome Saybrook Freshmen! Congratulations on making it into the best residential college Yale has to offer. Here’s some simple tasks you can accomplish before school begins:

Start choosing your classes! Go to Yale’s Online Course Information (OCI) and browse through the courses being offered this semester.

Although the Blue Book is great, OCI is far superior. OCI has up-to-date information on classes, while the Blue Book often contains outdated and inaccurate information. More importantly, OCI has the invaluable Course Evaluations. With its class assessment graphs and student comments, Course Evaluations are a must for creating the optimum freshman schedule.

Think of it this way: Spending just one minute looking at course evaluations can save you from getting stuck with a terrible course for an entire semester (similar to how visiting Harvard for just one minute has saved countless Yalies from ever going there).

Once you figure out which classes you intend to take, order the textbook! Though you certainly won’t know all your classes until after shopping them, there are usually one or two classes you know you’re going to take beforehand. To do so, all you need to do is email the professor ahead of time to find out what textbooks you’ll need. Ordering these books online is absolutely recommended and can save you over $500 per semester. Websites to be sure to check out include Amazon, Abe Books, Yale Station, and Barnes and Noble.

If you wait until you arrive at Yale to order your books, be warned that you can run into problems. The New Haven post office inevitably gets backlogged with books orders, which causes your books to arrive a week or two late. Don’t make the same mistake I did and receive your textbook in the mail the day before your first test.

Whatever you do, don’t take five classes your first semester. Don’t even think about it. Take my word for it. Friends don’t let friends take five classes their first semester. You may falsely trick yourself into thinking its “cool” or “impressive” to take five classes first semester. But it’s not. If you would like a visual, taking five classes first semester is the equivalent of eating batteries.

Lastly, get pumped for Yale! Camp Yale is a blast and may well be the highlight of your first semester. Boola Boola!

in Campus Watch, Freshman Advice      tags: , , , , , ,
Read More »

Why L-Dub is Really the Best Freshman Dorm

by admin / July 6th 2009 / No Comment   

ldub bedroom Why L Dub is Really the Best Freshman DormOur freshmen live in the smallest dorms on campus. This is an undeniable, indisputable, universally acknowledged fact. The building itself hasn’t been renovated in years. Bunking is not a choice, but a necessity. And even after bunking, the distance from the bed to any wall is less than five feet.

After taking two dressers into account, each bedroom has about 20 square feet of open floor space. And if you do manage to squeeze a desk into a bedroom, you’re down to 15.

Since the bedrooms are so small, two or three desks end up in the common room, cutting down space in a common room that is already smaller than most others. The walls are old and brittle, and the wooden floors are cracked and dirty. And in most cases, eleven people share a small bathroom with two sinks, two stalls, and two showers, all of which could break down any day of the week.

FML, right?

Truthfully, it’s not nearly as bad as it seems. As bad a rap as L-Dub gets, I haven’t met one person negatively affected by the L-Dub experience. In fact, people tend to come out of freshmen year with a fond attachment to their old, small, awful dorm. Ask me if there’s any other dorm I’d rather have lived in, and I’ll reply with a definitive “no.” Except maybe the two-story princess suites in Welch—but those are reserved for only girls.

So why all the love for a dorm that on the surface is clearly inferior to all other freshman housing? Well, here are my reasons:

  1. ldub common room2 Why L Dub is Really the Best Freshman DormWe have common rooms! (Except for the 5th floor, but they have bigger bedrooms.) Yes the bedrooms are tiny, but the common rooms are spacious, with more than enough room to chill, hang out, and have parties (even if our common rooms are a tad smaller than most others). Truthfully, nearly all other college freshmen across the country would be jealous of L-Dub. It’s just that Yale housing is so amazing that L-Dub just seems tiny compared to everywhere else.
  2. Since the bedrooms are so small, you’re essentially forced to spend nearly all your time in your common room. Why is this a good thing? Because it creates a much more social atmosphere. Rather than being holed up at your desk in your large bedroom, you work, talk, and hang out in your common room all the time. People are constantly popping in and out of your room, stopping by to chat, asking if you want to go on a late night food run to A1 or Yorkside. Whereas people in other colleges rarely see each other on weekdays, we’re forced (even if we don’t want to) to see our suitemates and friends. While this may imply more time-wasting and less productivity, we end up forming tighter relationships. There’s a reason why Saybrook is always the tightest college on campus.
  3. L-Dub is RIGHT next to Sabyrook.  As in, right across the street. As in, so close that I’m willing to bum my lazy butt from L-Dub to Saybrook just to grab ice from the ice machine. You don’t understand how convenient this is.
  4. It’s right above the post office. This didn’t really matter for me since I’m not cool enough to get much mail, but for the cool kids that do, it’s a plus.
  5. L-Dub has the best location on Old Campus. It’s the closest dorm to the gym, to the libraries, to the classrooms, and, well, basically to everything. If you’re lazy like me and don’t like walking long distances to do things, this is a big deal.
  6. ldub courtyard Why L Dub is Really the Best Freshman DormWe have a COURTYARD! The only courtyard on Old Campus (besides Vandy, but nobody ever hangs out there). So on the like 10 days of good weather in New Haven, you can sit and hang out on the benches in our courtyard. Plus, the courtyard becomes the hub of Old Campus on Friday and Saturday nights.  It’s where everyone gathers before they go out, and where everyone wanders/stumbles back to after a successful night.
  7. It’s cozy. You’ll hear this reason a lot, but it’s true. There’s something about sleeping on top of each other that brings people closer together. Err, sleeping on bunk beds on top of each other. When you’re all living in tight quarters, when you all have the same thing to commiserate about, you tend to grow closer as a community. And in the end, that’s the most important aspect about freshman year, getting to know the people you’ll be living with for the next four years of your life.

(For the incoming freshmen, if you have any questions at all about L-Dub or housing in general or if you want to know about any other aspect of Yale life, please leave a comment. I need some more ideas for blog posts.)

1042 300x225 Why L Dub is Really the Best Freshman Dorm

 

 

Incoming search terms:

in Freshman Advice, Saybrook General      tags: , , , , , , ,
Read More »

Sa(y)ving the Best for First

by admin / July 1st 2009 / No Comment   

Last year, Saybrook was the first residential college to send out assignments. I vividly remember answering my cell phone in Vegas (2013 speechies and debaters, I might have seen you there!). My excited mother proclaimed that I had been anointed a “Say-bruguh-ee-an?”

She was excited because it was more physical evidence that I had actually gotten into Yale (we don’t really trust technology at my house). I was excited because I had heard that Saybrook had a DDR machine, and now I had the opportunity to sharpen my skillz (like skills, but for cool people). [Editor's Note: Ted is not, never was, and never will be cool.]

A year later, my mom has mastered the soft “g”, I’ve realized I am terrible at stepping on brightly colored video game arrows in rhythm, and an email slip-up unwittingly notified the most worthy of the class of 2013 of their college status. First, again.

You would think it gets tiring always being first, the best, the be-all-end-all. But then the freshmen get to rub it in Pierson’s face when everyone trudges back to L-Dub after dinner.

Example: You walk a block to an imposing, gorgeous Gothic castle. They walk through what is generously known as the “ass crack” to what amounts to little more than a Southern plantation.

Example: You are more attractive, have more spacious rooms and dominate the lion’s share of L-Dub. They are cramped into entryways D-F, are less intelligent and have bedbugs.

Example: Your cheer is pithy, powerful and unimpeachable. Theirs is lengthy, monotonous and mind-numbingly lifeless.

So, to every incoming Saybrugian who stumbles upon this blog, welcome to the best four years of your life. I promise they will be better than everyone else’s.

Remember: Our group of randomly assigned students is better than yours.

in Freshman Advice, Saybrook General, Summer Updates      tags: , , , , , , ,
Read More »

Free subscriptions For You!! if you want receive our news update about scholarship, education, training, college and university please enter your email below. The articles will be sent to your email at no cost.