Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I really have as much free time as my schedule indicates?

You will probably find that the number of hours you spend in the classroom in college will be fewer than in high school. Even if you have many unscheduled hours each day, you will still need to dedicate a number of them to keeping up with the work in your courses. The shift from classroom work to self-scheduled study is one of the key adjustments to college life. No one expects you to spend every possible moment in the library or at your desk, but it is essential that you budget your time and keep up with your work.

2. Should I take four or five courses during the fall term of freshman year?

The standard course load during the fall term of freshman year is four courses. Although many students may see that they have open class hours and could schedule the class meetings of a fifth course, our experience has been that it is better to get used to the rigor and pace of studies at Princeton in four courses for one term before attempting to take on an extra course. Even if the class hours are free, most students find that they have more than enough work to do in four courses, especially at the end of the term and during reading period. Moreover, there is more to college than classroom study, and you should explore the range of activities that are available to Princeton students. If you feel that there are sound educational reasons for taking five courses, you should discuss the matter with your adviser; be aware, though, that only in very unusual cases will a five-course first semester be approved.

3. Do I need to take a language placement test?

All A.B. candidates who have not fulfilled the language requirement on the basis of advanced placement must study a language at Princeton. If you wish to continue studying a language that you have previously studied in high school, you will need to take a placement test. Placement tests in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish should be taken online between July 15 and August 15. You may access the test by way of the Class of 2012 website, which will provide detailed instructions and access information. Placement tests in Hebrew, Latin, and Russian will be administered during orientation. Information on placement in other languages will be available during course registration at Friend Center.

If you would like to study a new language at Princeton, you may simply register for the first course in the language sequence (normally 101).

4. Should I start a foreign language right away?

If you are taking a language course to meet the A.B. language requirement, it is advisable to get started as soon as possible. Beginning language courses (French 101, Spanish 101, Chinese 101, for example) are not offered in the spring term, so if you are starting from the 101 level and choose not to take a language course in your first semester, you will have to wait until the fall of your sophomore year. This, in turn, means that you would be completing the language requirement during your junior year, along with junior independent work and departmental courses. If you are entering a language at the 105 or 108 level, you risk forgetting what you know if you wait until sophomore year to fulfill the requirement. The best advice is to complete the language requirement without delay. Remember that a 101-level language course will not count toward your degree unless you take the 102-level course as well.

5. Can I switch between A.B. candidacy and B.S.E. candidacy (or vice versa)?

Every year some students enter Princeton as candidates for the A.B. degree but decide that they are really interested in engineering. Permission is granted for such changes on a case-by-case basis. Students who wish to change from A.B. to B.S.E. must plan their academic programs carefully, for there are basic requirements for the B.S.E. degree that must be met prior to the sophomore year, especially in physics and math. Similarly, some students who enter as candidates for the B.S.E. degree decide that they prefer to study in the A.B. program instead. Again, changes are possible. A major consideration in changing from B.S.E. to A.B. candidacy is the A.B. language requirement. A student who wishes to change degree candidacy should consult first with the associate dean for undergraduate affairs: C 207, 258-4554 in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and then with his or her residential college dean or director of studies.

6. I want to run for class office, work on the Daily Princetonian, do community service work, manage a student agency, and play water polo. How will I ever find time for my studies?

In high school many Princeton students were accustomed to doing it all—activities, clubs, and sports—and still doing very well in their studies. College is different. First, and most apparent, is the fact that the academic work is more rigorous and moves at a quicker pace. Second, the activities are also much more demanding in the expectations and responsibilities placed on those who do them seriously. The best advice is not to spread yourself too thin among too many extracurriculars, but to take part in only one or two at any one moment. Remember also that extracurriculars are just that—extra—and that they must not take precedence over your academic work. Know when to back off on your involvement in extracurriculars when you feel your studies slipping.

7. Should I buy a computer? What kind?

The University does not require that you own a computer. However, more than 95 percent of last year’s freshman class owned computers connected to Dormnet, the in-room network connection service. If you do not elect to own a computer, you may make use of shared University computing resources for writing papers, accessing the Web, and communicating electronically with faculty, family, other Princeton students, and friends at other schools.

The University, working with strategic computer vendors, offers its students the opportunity to purchase computer hardware and software at competitive prices. There are many benefits to purchasing computer systems through the University. The computers have been tested in the Princeton environment and are supported by the Office of Information Technology’s Help Desk and hardware repair center. The computers arrive with specially configured networking and information access software, allowing students to make immediate use of their network connections.

For more information about computers available for purchase through the University, please see the Student Computer Initiative home page at www.princeton.edu/sci. For more information about network service and student access to the Internet, please see the Dormnet home page at www.princeton.edu/dormnet.

8. What if I have trouble with my computer?

You can consult one of your Residential Computing Consultants, fellow students the University has hired to make your computing life easier. The OIT Help Desk is available around the clock, seven days a week for consultation via telephone, e-mail, and interactive chat (258-HELP, helpdesk@princeton.edu, www.princeton.edu/helpdesk). The OIT Solutions Center at the Frist Campus Center can help with all your computing needs, from problem diagnosis to computer software and accessory purchases; see www.princeton.edu/solutionscenter. For complete information about the resources available to you, see the OIT home page (www.princeton.edu/oit).

9. Do I need to attend all my classes?

Lectures and precepts not only provide factual and critical information but also are extremely important in indicating approaches to further study of the material on your own. Be sure to take notes. It is true that in many cases your presence at a large lecture might not be missed, while in a precept your absence is much more apparent. Nonetheless, all academic exercises are important parts of the curriculum. Borrowing someone’s lecture notes, besides being an imposition, can be risky. The person from whom you borrow notes may not have caught the main points of the lecture, and you certainly will miss altogether the subtle asides from the lecture that add depth to the material. Lecture notes from others do not capture slides or other visual aids used by professors either. If you have to miss a class or precept due to a University-sponsored activity, notify your instructor ahead of time. If your absence is due to illness, contact your instructors or ask your residential college dean or director of studies to do so. In no case should you miss classes or precepts without an explanation. In many courses, attendance, particularly in precepts, is weighed heavily in assigning a grade.

10. My faculty adviser is not in my main field of interest. How can he or she help me?

Each year an effort is made to recruit approximately 90 faculty advisers from a broad range of departments. The faculty advisers are distributed among the residential colleges and then matched, as far as possible, with first-year students whose interests appear to be in the same general area. With an entering class as diverse as that which enters Princeton each year, it is not always possible to match advisers with advisees’ interests specifically. A faculty adviser’s role is to help you plan a sound program of study for your first two years. Advisers have a feel for balancing work loads, exploring new areas, and fulfilling requirements. Most important, you can bounce ideas off your adviser, for most advising is actually listening. Your adviser probably does not know the specific requirements for many fields of concentration, nor should he or she be expected to do so. That is the role of faculty members in those departments, particularly the departmental representative (see question 25).

11. Will AP credit reduce the number of courses required for graduation?

AP credit does not reduce the number of courses required for graduation (31 for the A.B. degree, 36 for the B.S.E.) unless a student has sufficient AP credit and is granted advanced standing. It also cannot be used to fulfill the writing or distribution requirements. AP credit can be used to begin study in fields that have different levels of introductory courses or sequences of several introductory courses at a level that takes into consideration your previous work. In other words, you can avoid having to repeat what you have already learned and can advance to new material. You can also use AP credit to satisfy the A.B. foreign language requirement and parts of the B.S.E. math, science, and computer requirements.

12. Is it difficult to change courses?

Changing courses during the first two weeks of the term is a relatively simple matter. First, reflect on why you want to change and decide, in consultation with your adviser, which new course is appropriate. It is generally a good idea to attend a lecture and get a syllabus in the new course rather than decide on it sight unseen. During the first two weeks of classes, there is no charge for changing your course selection. After the first two weeks of classes, changing courses is generally not permitted, especially if you have not attended classes in the course you wish to add. In general, remember that courses move quickly and that missing even a few classes may put you at a serious disadvantage. See your residential college dean or director of studies if you have a sound educational reason for wanting to change courses after the second week of classes.

13. When should I take a course on a pass/D/fail basis?

This is not an easy question to answer. The purpose of the pass/D/fail option is to allow students to explore new areas in which they may not have an extensive background without the risk of receiving a poor grade. It is not intended to be a way of lessening your overall work load or of allowing you to put just enough effort into a course to escape with a weak grade. Although you should consult on this matter with your adviser, dean, or director of studies, it is very difficult to “advise” on whether or not you should take a course on a pass/D/fail basis, for much depends on the fit between your expectations of the course and the expectations of the instructor. You should weigh a decision to take a course on a pass/D/fail basis carefully and especially check if the course is to be used as a prerequisite or a departmental course. Many students find pass/D/fail to be a very useful option in allowing them to take courses that they otherwise would not have attempted.

14. What should I be taking if I’m interested in medical school?

The usual premed requirements are four terms of chemistry (two of which are organic chemistry) with lab, two terms of biology with lab, two terms of physics with lab, two terms of math, and two terms of English or literature in translation. Clearly, chemistry occupies the largest portion of these requirements. A “standard” premed program of study includes chemistry and math in the freshman year, organic chemistry and biology in the sophomore year, and physics during the junior year. Some premeds elect to take biochemistry as well, since many medical schools now suggest it. Being premed does not mean that you have to major in a life science. In fact, many successful applicants to medical school from Princeton have

majored in the social sciences and humanities. Only in the case of math is AP accepted as a substitute for the premed requirement. The AP situation differs among the other required sciences, so you should consult the health professions advisers, your residential college dean or director of studies, or your adviser if you have entered college with AP in biology, chemistry, and/or physics. Make sure to read the course work section of the Health Professions Advising website at www.princeton.edu/hpa.

15. What should I be taking if I want to go to law school?

Unlike the premed requirements, there is no set program of study for law school applicants. Law schools look for applicants who have done well in a diverse range of courses that emphasize critical thinking and both oral communication and writing skills. Your major should be one that engages you intellectually and gives you room to develop. A major in history, politics, or the Woodrow Wilson School does not give you a discernible advantage.

16. Why are my courses so hard?

Even when students are placed in appropriate courses, they often find them to be much more challenging than courses they have taken in the past. There are two main reasons for this. First, courses at Princeton often move very quickly, particularly in the sciences. Not much time is spent at the start on review and consolidation of earlier material; instead, new concepts and approaches are discussed immediately. This fast pace often comes as a surprise even to students who took very rigorous courses in high school. Time management becomes very important. Second, exams are often viewed as learning tools that elicit further thinking about concepts rather than simply straightforward measures of whether or not the basic material was understood. In high school, knowing the right formula was often a large piece of a correct answer. Now, knowing the right formula is simply expected, and the correct answer consists of deriving further conclusions from the basic material. In most cases, students adjust to the faster-paced instruction and the different expectations on exams after a while, but you’re not unusual if you find it tough at the start.

17. Where can I get extra help?

There’s nothing wrong with asking for some extra help if you find that you are having difficulty with a course or with a particular topic or problem. The first person to turn to is the instructor, either in the form of your preceptor or the individual in charge of the course. He or she will usually be pleased that a student is concerned enough to ask for clarification or further explanation of a concept or for a diagnosis of problems that arise on tests and papers. Additional resources are available if help is needed over a longer term. The McGraw study halls at Frist offer help with first-year math, physics, economics, and chemistry. The Writing Center offers consultation on expository writing. Tutors are available in a variety of courses, especially math, science, and language courses, for students having difficulty, and residential colleges may offer review sessions in various courses. Counseling and Psychological Services in McCosh Health Center offers help with personal problems. If you have any questions, your RCA, dean, director of studies, or director of student life can steer you toward the appropriate sources of help.

18. How can I find what I need in Princeton’s decentralized University Library?

Firestone Library is the center of a multibranched library system and one of the largest open-stack libraries in the world. The library’s home page at http://library.princeton.edu provides easy access to basic information (locations, hours, names, and numbers) and to thousands of electronic journals, databases, and digital collections. The Main Catalog, which is linked from the home page, lists materials in all of Princeton’s libraries, including books, journals, videos, musical scores, sound recordings, rare materials, and electronic resources. Stop by the Reference Desk in the Trustee Reading Room on the first floor of Firestone and meet the friendly reference librarians. You can also contact reference by e-mail (refdesk@princeton.edu), by phone at (609) 258-5964, or by chatting live with a libarian (IM “LIBCHATPUL”).

19. What happens if I fail a course?

An isolated failing grade, particularly if your other grades are good, is an unfortunate circumstance but not a tragedy in itself. You should first and foremost reflect on the circumstances that caused the failing grade and take steps to avert them in the future. It is crucial that you do this, for a pattern of low and failing grades can jeopardize your academic standing. A failed course does not count toward the number of courses required for graduation and therefore must be made up either by an extra course at Princeton or by a preapproved course at another institution. However, even after you make up the course you failed, the F you earned will not be removed from your transcript. It remains a permanent part of your record.

20. How do I “bank” a course?

“Banking” a course means successfully completing an extra course, which you may use to reduce your course load in future terms. The most common method of banking a course is to take a fifth course, one in excess of the normal course load, if your schedule permits it. For instance, an A.B. student who has taken eight courses in the first year and five in the fall and in the spring of sophomore year will enter the junior year with 18 courses, one course ahead of the minimum expected progress. You may also bank preapproved courses taken at other schools under certain conditions. You may not use a banked course to reduce your senior-year course load to fewer than six courses.

21. Can I get credit for courses taken at other schools?

After matriculation at Princeton, A.B. students can count up to three, B.S.E. students up to four, courses taken at other schools toward their course requirements (fewer if you elect to take a year of advanced standing or foreign study). Non-Princeton courses must be preapproved by your residential college dean or director of studies and a representative of the relevant Princeton department. Such courses can be used to remove a course deficiency or can be “banked” to offset future deficiencies. They can also be used for prerequisites in certain departments or for partial fulfillment of certain distribution areas, with a limit of one course in each of two of the following areas: literature and the arts, social analysis, or science and technology with laboratory (see pages 13–17). A summer course taken elsewhere must be offered by a four-year institution, meet for a minimum of four weeks and 30 hours or more, be a course that a department at Princeton could offer, and be completed with a grade of C or better. (Please note, some courses require 60 class hours.) After the course is over, you should have an official transcript sent to Princeton in order to receive credit. You may not, under any circumstances, use outside courses to substitute for a term of study at Princeton. The University writing requirement and the B.S.E. computer science requirement cannot be satisfied by courses taken elsewhere. Only one lower-level foreign language course can be counted for degree credit, provided you take the placement test in that language upon returning to Princeton and score high enough to place out of the language requirement in that language.

22. When do I have to choose a major?

Students normally choose a major officially at the end of their sophomore year, although there is the option of becoming an early concentrator a term earlier. Many students will have decided on a major during their first year, while others continue to weigh possible options up to the last minute. At the beginning of their first term at Princeton, most students have no firm plans about a major and are open to exploring a variety of fields. Many of those who have already made firm decisions will end up changing their minds after being engaged by new fields of study that they had not previously encountered.

23. I know that I want to major in politics (physics, or other subject); therefore I want to take two politics (physics, or other subject) courses in my first term.

Sorry, but this is not permitted in the first term, nor is it sensible. First, you need to get started on general University requirements: language, writing, distribution. Second, you should broaden your horizons and sample a variety of fields, which very well might lead you to change your mind about a major.

24. What about prerequisites for departments?

Most departments have prerequisites that must be satisfactorily completed prior to junior year. Usually these involve taking one, more often two, courses or even a specific course or set of courses. You should consult the departmental listings in the Undergraduate Announcement for detailed information.

25. What is a departmental representative?

Departmental representatives (commonly called “dep reps”) are faculty members who are largely responsible for advising departmental juniors and seniors and approving their programs of study. In addition, departmental representatives provide information about courses, requirements, programs, and opportunities in the department. You should seek the advice of a departmental representative if you have questions about departmental prerequisites and graduation requirements, need approval for courses taken elsewhere, or simply want to know what majoring in a particular department is like. Departmental representatives are listed in the back of this guide and in the Undergraduate Announcement under departmental headings; the department office can also point you in the direction of the dep rep.

26. Where are my grades sent?

All course instructors submit final grades to the registrar; in addition, instructors of 100- and 200-level courses report midterm grades. You receive midterm grades when you receive your course cards for the following semester, but you will probably learn them from your instructors when they return midterm exams and papers. If your grades are such that you would be on academic probation or required to withdraw at the end of the semester or if you are failing a course in an introductory-level language sequence, a copy of a letter of concern from your dean or director of studies is sent home. Final grade reports are produced by the registrar within three weeks after the end of exams. Fall grades are sent to your campus address, and spring grades are sent to you at home. A copy of the final grade report is also sent to the parental address listed on your records.

27. What information is on a Princeton transcript?

The Princeton transcript is the official record of your work at Princeton and is released only with your authorization. It contains a listing of your courses, with abbreviated titles, and their grades. ALL courses that you complete are shown on the transcript. It is not possible to retake a course and erase from your transcript a low or failing grade in an earlier term. The transcript also lists the number of terms of advanced placement credit that you were awarded at entrance. Later on, it will show your major, any interdepartmental programs in which you participated, and other significant information, such as foreign study or field study. Notations of departures and returns to the University are also made on the transcript. The final entry is the date of the awarding of your degree.

28. What are the most important deadlines I need to remember?

It seems that there is always a deadline for something at Princeton! Your instructors will set deadlines for the submission of work during the semester, which you should take very seriously. If you have a compelling reason, such as illness, to request extra time to complete an assignment, speak with your instructor before the deadline. If you need help with this, see your residential college dean or director of studies. Over the course of the semester, the University also sets some important deadlines. Among them are the deadline for changing grading options (from and to pass/D/fail), which is the Friday before midterms; the deadline for dropping courses, which is the end of the ninth week of classes; and the deadline for the submission of papers and written work other than take-home exams, which is the last day of reading period. These are three very firm deadlines!

Students who have already elected a course pass/D/fail by the end of the fifth week may change the grading option back to “graded” if they do so before the end of the ninth week of classes. You might consider doing this if, based on your experience and feedback in the course, you now wish your work to be assessed by a letter grade. Please bear in mind that any course converted from pass/D/fail to graded between the end of the fifth and the end of the ninth week of the term will be counted among the total four pass/D/fail elections you are permitted during your career at Princeton.