New York University

Gallatin School of Individualized Study

• June Orientation
• August Orientation
• Convocation
• AP Credit / Placement Exams
• Advising
• First-Year Program
• Mandatory Advising Questionnaire
• New Student Academic Resource Guide
• Albert, NetID, and NYUHome
• Course Selection & Registration
•    Building an Academic
     Program
•    Taking Classes at
     Other NYU Schools
•    Finding Available Classes
     Using Albert
•    Adviser Approval &
     Registration Clearance
•    Registering for Classes
     Using Albert
• Tuition & Financial Matters
• Student Life
• Welcome Week
• If You Have Questions

Building an Academic Program
What should you keep in mind as you choose courses for the coming term? The ideal semester will be different for every Gallatin student, but here is some general advice.

• Speak to your adviser. Building an academic program requires an act of translation. In order for your interests to become courses, they will need to be framed in the idiom of NYU. Students interested in literature, for example, need to learn that NYU has a number of different departments where courses in writing and literature are offered: English, Comparative Literature, Dramatic Writing, Social and Cultural Analysis, all of the foreign language departments and, of course, Gallatin itself. Similarly, your adviser will also want to get to know your native idiom in order to help you develop your instincts, passions and ideas.
  
  
• Think in terms of making a beginning towards a goal that will become visible over time. No one expects you to know during your first term—or first year—exactly what you will do over the next four years. Find courses that seem interesting to you now, and let those courses teach you more about those interests. College happens in sequential terms and honors the fact that you learn as you go. So for the beginning, think one term at a time.
  
  
• Choose courses that require different kinds of learning and different kinds of work. Avoid too much of a good thing. Taking four courses that demand a lot of reading and writing can make for a term that seems repetitive and exhausting. Think about taking a course in Art, Music or Math—or whatever might stretch your mind and change your routine.
  
  
• Consider taking introductory and pre-requisite courses, particularly in departments where you hope to take upper-level seminars. Many of the departments in the College of Arts and Sciences require foundation courses, among them Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology and Fine Arts. These introductory courses are useful on their own terms, and because they are typically large lectures they usually have space available at all times of year.
  
  
• Keep in mind your Gallatin requirements and any other requirements you might need to fulfill. As a Gallatin student, your goal is to create a plan of study that will help you develop your interests and build a concentration, while making sure that you fulfill the liberal arts requirement and K-credit requirement. But you have plenty of room in your schedule for exploration. One important note: if you are considering attending medical school or veterinary school, your program may require more careful planning, so please visit the Pre-health Program website for more advice. You can also contact the Gallatin Office of Advising at (212) 998-7320 with any questions you might have about this information or other general concerns.