Information for First Year Students

Course Registration

  • Browse through the course catalog to see all English courses being offered this year.
  • For information on how courses are numbered and which ones are right for you, see The Major.

Information regarding 100 Level English Classes

Here is a summary of departmental policies regarding 100 level English Classes:

Basic Rules

  1.  First preference goes to first-year students who have not received a 5 on the LITERATURE portion of the AP exam taken during senior year of high school or a 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate.
  2.  Second preference goes to second semester first years and sophomores who enrolled in a 100 level course during one of the previous two semesters but ended up getting dropped. They are given second preference as long as they do not have an AP5 or IB 6 or 7 and did not take another 100 level English course after having been dropped. All students wishing to take advantage of this priority must pre-register for their first choice 100 level English class during pre-registration period.  Please be aware that this priority will only apply to Primary 100 level English classes.  It does not apply if you are dropped from a cross listed course (COMP 111/ENGL 120 is a cross listed course).
  3. Third preference goes to first-year students who placed out with an AP5 or IB 6 or 7 but who nonetheless want to take a 100-level course.
  4. Fourth preference goes to upper class students.
Important note about who makes the enrollment decisions for 100-levels: demand for our 100-level courses is always very high, so to make the enrollment process both fairer and more efficient, decisions about who gets into our 100-levels are made not by the profs who teach a given course, but by our academic assistant, Pat Malanga. Pat will use the policies outlined above to finalize the rosters for each 100-level course, and she will also do her best to help those who are dropped find an alternative 100-level. This means that there is no reason to email a prof who is teaching a 100-level course you’d like to get into. Emails expressing interest in a course can sometimes help you get into upper-level English courses, but they will have no impact on whether or not you get into a 100-level course, since the decisions will not be made by the prof.

Implementation of the Rules and Clearing Up Some Confusion

Enrollment decisions are made only after a class becomes over-enrolled. If a 100 level never becomes overenrolled these policies are not implemented. Sometimes a class will become over enrolled by 50 students or more, causing first year students and students without high AP scores to also be dropped from the class. This usually happens early in the process, giving those students time to find another spot.

What should you do if you are dropped from a 100 level English class?

The first thing to do is not panic. Many students who are placed on wait lists find their way, either back into the class they originally signed up for, or are placed in another course. If you receive an email from the registrar which notifies you that you have been dropped from your class, please contact Pat Malanga. Ms. Malanga is very good at finding a way to help. Contact with her will be the best place to start if you find you are dropped from one of our more popular courses.

Advanced Placement

A 100-level course is required for admission to most upper-level English courses, except in the case of students who have placed out of the introductory courses by receiving a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement examination in English Literature or of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate.

If you are such a student the English Department encourages you to select a Gateway course in either the fall or spring semester of your first year. You are also encouraged to look at other 200 and even some of our 300 level offerings for courses that interest you.

Students who receive advanced placement may still register for our 100 level offerings but be aware that you will be given a lower priority for those courses and you may be dropped if the course becomes over enrolled.

Pat Malanga, the department Academic Assistant, can advise you on which 100 level courses that many advanced placement students take. If you are having trouble finding a suitable English Course, do not hesitate to contact Pat Malanga.