FAQ

In response to COVID19 and remote learning, Lafayette will look to host virtual advising sessions for students held by academic departments to assist in the process of selecting courses. Please check your Lafayette email and Firstyear.lafayette.edu for updates.

Although you will not be assigned an official academic advisor until mid summer, the Office of Advising, the Registar’s Office,  and Department Heads for all academic majors are available to assist with course preferences throughout the summer.

Yes. As part of the Common Course of Study requirements, all first-semester students enroll in a First-Year Seminar (FYS). You will be asked to provide us with your top five choices. Read FYS course descriptions carefully and make selections that will expand your academic horizons.

First-Year Seminars are a critical part of the Common Course of Study, a co-requisite for other courses taken by students in their first semester, and a prerequisite for subsequent courses.

First Year Seminars are limited to around 16 students per section, the First-Year Seminar includes significant reading, writing, discussion, and presentation and is affiliated with the College Writing Program. Students in First-Year Seminars are introduced to the use of the library for research.

First-year students take four courses per semester. In addition, students may also take up to two music performance courses (e.g., music lessons, choir).

Absolutely not. Although you might have an academic program in mind and should follow course selection recommendations provided through the registration website, the Lafayette College Faculty has designed the curriculum to ensure that all students have an opportunity to study the liberal arts broadly, regardless of their intended major(s). Students are not asked to declare an academic major until the spring semester sophomore year.

There are online placement tests in three areas: chemistry, foreign languages, and mathematics. Regardless of academic area of interest, all students are encouraged by the mathematics department to take a math placement test. Similarly, all students planning to take chemistry must take a placement test. Language placement tests are also are required for students who have studied French, German, or Spanish for two years in high school. Full details and instructions are available here.

• Elementary (101-102) and Intermediate (111-112) courses are a two-semester, year-long sequence. In most languages offered at Lafayette, it is recommended that students complete the first part of the sequence before enrolling in the second part. Exceptions are made based on the student’s past language experience, placement exam scores or assessment by qualified members of the FLL faculty. French and Spanish offer a one-semester elementary course for high beginners (103), which is equivalent in level to 102.

Yes, the choices you will make online are not final. Course selections can be changed after the selection preference period. There will be an open add/drop for students during the summer. More information to come.

Course schedules are finalized around August before you arrive to campus. The Registrar’s Office will notify you once your schedule is complete.