Dean of Freshmen

• Academic Information
• Registration
• Freshman Writing Seminars
• Departments
• Forms

Registration for Courses

The Registration Process

To pre-register for your fall 2008 classes, you will complete the electronic pre-registration form which can be found at congrats2012.vassar.edu. In order to complete this form, you will need to consult the 2008/09 catalogue (mailed to you earlier by the Office of Admission), this handbook, and the electronic schedule of classes found at congrats2012.vassar.edu. Submit the pre-registration form electronically as soon as possible (no later than July 23). Please be sure to pay careful attention to the information given on the first several pages of the schedule of classes. You should bring the catalogue and handbook with you to campus. The enclosed Statement of Academic Interests (which must also be returned by July 23) will be used by the dean of freshmen to assign your pre-major advisor and by your advisor to assist you in your curricular planning.

The procedures for enrolling in your fall semester classes are as follows:

1. Summer Pre-registration. In Part I of the pre-registration form, list your first choice Freshman Writing Seminar, as well as two alternate Freshman Writing Seminars in case your first choice is unavailable. Please choose only courses being offered in the fall. In Part II, list other courses you would like to take, in order of preference. You may list as many courses as you like in this section. The Office of the Registrar will, in random order, attempt to enroll the first-choice course of the entire class before proceeding to choice #2 and so on, up to a maximum of 4.5 units. Since Vassar's curriculum is designed to provide close contact between students and instructors, many classes are limited in size; as a result, demand for a particular course or section may exceed the limit. Your final roster of fall courses may differ from your summer pre-registration list for several reasons: a) the particular sections you have indicated have been filled; b) after consultation with a department or your advisor, you decide to change your course selection; or c) you are interested in taking a course for which you must first obtain permission from the department (i.e., any intermediate level course not included in the online schedule of classes). The list of courses in which you have been pre-registered will be sent to your pre-major advisor for distribution during your initial meeting on Thursday morning, August 28.
2. Registration during Orientation. As indicated on the orientation schedule, there are a number of events planned to help you decide on your courses. On the afternoon of Thursday, August 28, faculty will make research presentations and departments will hold open houses. Also on Thursday, you will be able to consult with any department or program about appropriate course selections or special permission; there will be special sessions devoted to advanced placement, pre-professional, teacher certification, English, art, math, and science advising. Friday morning, August 29, has been set aside for you to meet individually with your faculty advisor. After gathering the necessary information and making appropriate revisions to your course selections, all freshmen will officially register for fall courses on Friday afternoon, August 29. Freshmen who were pre-registered for few or no courses will be permitted to register first, and so on.
3. Add Period (through September 15). You may continue to add courses (up to a maximum of 5 units) to your schedule until Monday, September 15. All students must be registered for the minimum of 3.5 units by September 15. Students may drop courses (but not below 3.5 units) with their advisor's approval until Friday, October 17 (the end of the drop period). Any change in your registration must be approved by your faculty advisor. A copy of your final registration will be available online at Vassar's website via Ask Banner for your viewing after October 17. Be sure to review it carefully and report any errors to the Registrar's Office immediately. You will be held responsible for all courses listed on this schedule and will not receive credit for any course or section in which you are not officially enrolled.

Guidelines for Course Selection

Freshmen are strongly encouraged to take 4 or 4.5 units in their first semester (full time enrollment is 3.5 to 5.0 units). Please keep these three specific requirements in mind when selecting your first-year courses:

1. Freshman Writing Seminar Requirement. All freshmen must successfully complete a Freshman Writing Seminar during the freshman year; please consult the section on Freshman Writing Seminars in this handbook for the 2008/09 offerings. Courses are offered in both a and b terms, with the greatest number in the a term.

2. Quantitative Analysis Requirement. All students are required before the beginning of their third year to complete a full-unit course requiring the learning and practice of a significant amount of quantitative analysis through the semester. Exemption from this requirement is limited to students who have completed equivalent course work at another college or university as certified by the dean of studies. Courses that satisfy this requirement are designated "QA" in the schedule of classes; the offerings for fall 2008 are:

   • Astronomy 101: Solar System Astronomy
   • Astronomy 150: Life in the Universe
   • Biology 106: Introduction to Biological Investigation
   • Chemistry 108: General Chemistry
   • Chemistry 244: Organic Chemistry
   • Computer Science 101: Computer Science I
   • Computer Science 102: Computer Science II
   • Computer Science 125: Topics in Computer Science
   • Cognitive Science 100: Introduction to Cognitive Science
   • Earth Science 151: Earth, Environment, and Humanity
   • Earth Science 220: Cartography
   • Economics 100: Introduction to Macroeconomics
   • Economics 101: Introduction to Microeconomics
   • Economics 209: Probability and Statistics
   • Geography 151: Earth, Environment and Humanity
   • Geography 220: Cartography
   • Mathematics 102: Topics in Calculus
   • Mathematics 121: Single Variable Calculus
   • Mathematics 125: Topics/Single Variable Calculus
   • Mathematics 131: Numbers, Shape, Chance, and Change
   • Mathematics 221: Linear Algebra
   • Mathematics 222: Multivariable Calculus
   • Physics 113: Fundamentals of Physics I
   • Psychology 105: Introduction to Psychology: A Survey
   • Psychology 106: Introduction to Psychology: Special Topic

   For descriptions of these courses, consult the relevant pages of the catalogue. For section numbers and meeting times, see the schedule of classes.

3. Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement. This requirement applies to all entering freshmen whose first language is English; if your first language is not English, once you are on campus you will need to apply to the Office of the Dean of Studies to confirm your exemption. Many freshmen will have already demonstrated proficiency by reporting a score of 4 or 5 on an AP exam or of 600-800 on an SAT II Test in a foreign language. For the rest of you: although this is a graduation requirement, we strongly recommend that you complete it early in your Vassar career. "Proficiency" at Vassar is the level achieved at the completion of the elementary course. Consequently, you must successfully complete a full year at the introductory level or a semester at the intermediate level to demonstrate proficiency. (Please note that if you are considering applying to a non-English-speaking country for junior year abroad, you will need to have completed, by the end of your sophomore year, at least a full year at the intermediate level of the appropriate foreign language.) Proficiency can also be demonstrated by passing an exam prepared by Vassar faculty; proficiency exams in Ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish will be given on the first day of classes in the fall semester. Students who are continuing a language studied prior to Vassar are placed at the level appropriate to their previous training. To identify the appropriate level for you, please consult the guidelines given by the various language departments in the section on Departments of Instruction in this handbook. Additional placement advising will be given by the foreign language faculty during Orientation. Incidentally, freshmen are not encouraged to take two elementary level foreign languages.

   To summarize: All students whose first language is English are required before graduation to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by one of the following six ways:

   1. SAT II achievement test score of 600 or above in a foreign language (this may not apply to Chinese);
   2. advanced placement score of 4 or 5 in a foreign language (this may not apply to Chinese);
   3. passing a proficiency examination administered by one of the foreign language departments, the Self-Instructional Language Program, or, for languages not in the Vassar curriculum, by the Office of the Dean of Studies;
   4. successful completion of one year of introductory foreign language study (105-106) or one semester beyond the introductory course at Vassar;
   5. the equivalent of d) at an approved summer school or academic leave program (which may include languages not taught at Vassar); or
   6. completion of both Old English and Beowulf (English 235 and 236).

   The departmental proficiency examinations will be given in the afternoon on the first day of classes in the fall semester; the exact time and locations will be listed in the New Student Orientation schedule.

   Vassar offers a limited number of half-credit courses, usually in the departments of music and physical education. You will need to read the schedule of classes for a thorough listing of these and the few half-credit academic courses offered this semester. The elementary language courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Russian grant 1.5 units per semester. If you are unsure exactly which four courses you will end up with, you may wish to start the term with five courses. However, for the summer pre-registration you may attempt to enroll in a maximum of 4.5 units. You may list courses that total fewer than 4.5 units, especially if you are seeking permission to enroll in an intermediate-level course and must wait until New Student Orientation to do so.

To Prospective Science Majors

Some students worry that taking two science courses in the first semester may be too challenging or produce an unbalanced course load. Any student who is considering a major in one of the natural sciences or who wants pre-medical preparation should probably elect two science courses in the first semester. Unlike most departments in the humanities and social sciences, several natural science departments require work outside the department in order to complete the major. For example, a major in biology requires Chemistry 108/109 or Chemistry 125, and 244; a major in chemistry requires Math 121/122 or 125 and Physics 113/114; a major in earth science recommends Chemistry 108/109, Physics 113/114 and Math 101/102; some physics courses have math prerequisites. Not all introductory courses in the natural sciences have laboratory components; consult the course descriptions in the catalogue.

Year-long Courses

Most courses open to freshmen are semester-long classes. (As you will have noticed, "a" courses are offered in the fall, "b" courses in the spring.) All elementary foreign language courses, however, are year-long (for example, French 105a-106b, Latin 105a-106b, Japanese 106a-107b). As with all "hyphen" courses, you must successfully complete the second semester to receive credit for the first. Other year-long courses open to freshmen are Art 102a-103b and 105a-106b, and Mathematics 100a-101b. The following "slash" courses are year-long sequences; while you must take the first semester to qualify for the second, you do not need to take the second to receive credit for the first: Chemistry 108a/109b, Mathematics 121a/122b, and Music 105a/106b. Students who fail the first semester of a "slash" course may not enroll in the second semester without permission from the department chair.

Provisional grading: Please note that some year-long courses are "provisionally graded." This means, in the words of the catalogue, that "the final grade received at the end of the year automatically becomes the grade that will be recorded on the student's transcript for both the first and the second semester." Italian 105-106, for example, is provisionally graded; if a student receives a C in the first semester and an A in the second, two credits of A will appear on that student's transcript at the end of the first year.

About Grades

Final grades are released to students electronically by the Office of the Registrar at the conclusion of each semester. Copies of the student's transcripts are made available to the student's faculty advisor (to assist with advising) and the Dean of Studies Office. Any other request to see a student's grades must be accompanied by written permission of the student.

Pre-matriculation work completed at another institution (including AP credit) and accepted for application towards the Vassar degree is recorded only as units of credit; that is, the grades do not transfer for calculation in the Vassar grade point average. All post-matriculation transfer credit will be listed on the Vassar transcript along with the grades earned at the home institution. However, in all cases, only Vassar work will be computed into the Vassar cumulative grade point average. There are two types of nongraded Vassar work: 1) courses which the faculty has designated as ungraded (grades are Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory or—for independent work—Distinction); and 2) courses that are normally graded but which the student elects to take under the non-recorded option. For an explanation of the non-recorded option (NRO), please see General Academic Regulations and Information in the catalogue. The schedule of classes indicates which courses may be taken NRO. The total number of NRO units may not exceed 4. For transfer students, this limit is reduced by 1 unit for each year of advanced standing awarded to the student. The total number of ungraded units may not exceed 5. For transfer students, this limit is reduced by 1 unit for each year of advanced standing awarded to the student. This ungraded limit does not apply to any units taken in excess of the 34 unit minimum required for graduation.

The non-recorded option has been approved by the faculty to permit students to elect courses that may be outside their primary fields of interest without penalty of a low grade. Since freshmen are in the process of defining their principal fields of interest or expertise, faculty advisors often recommend that students not take courses NRO during their first year. All NRO elections must be approved by the faculty advisor and filed with the registrar by the end of the first six weeks of classes (in the fall, October 17, the same date as the drop deadline). Although official grade reports are issued only at the completion of each semester, instructors are encouraged to notify the Dean of Studies Office of any students who are performing below satisfactory (C) level at any point during the semester. Class deans and advisors may request a conference with these students to discuss their academic progress.

At the end of each semester, the Committee on Student Records reviews the performance of all students with an unsatisfactory record (i.e., one F, two Ds, or a grade point average for the term, or cumulatively, below 2.0). These students are placed on academic probation and the college reserves the right to require a leave of absence or withdrawal for any student whose academic performance falls below its standards. A student remains in good academic standing (and is eligible to apply for financial aid) as long as he or she is matriculated at Vassar and is considered by the committee to be making satisfactory progress towards the degree.

The principal causes of unsatisfactory performance at Vassar are irregular class attendance and the late submission of written work. Although there is no college-wide attendance policy, individual instructors and departments have instituted attendance policies, and these policies can directly affect a student's grade.

Now It's Up to You!

You are now ready to begin to complete the summer pre-registration form. The electronic schedule of classes lists all the fall semester courses which are open to freshmen without special permission—that is, all 100-level courses plus those 200-level courses in the foreign languages, mathematics, and physical education in which you can place yourself based on your high school background or athletic training in these fields. When you get to campus, a complete schedule of classes listing all courses scheduled to be taught in the fall semester will be available. At the end of the electronic schedule of classes, you will find a weekly time sheet to help you organize your choices according to time slots, so as to prevent time conflicts. If you have any questions about completing the pre-registration form, you may call the Office of the Dean of Freshmen (845-437-5258) weekdays during office hours (8:30am – 4:30pm, EST).