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Northwestern University

First-Year Courses

Start exploring your options

Here’s the good news: most Weinberg students haven’t settled on a major when they start their first year and aren’t expected to declare one until the end of their sophomore year. Most students spend their first two years exploring the wealth of options available in the College.

One great way to begin exploring your options is to choose a department, any department, and use the information in the "First-Year Focus" section of their websites to get a sense of what majoring in that department would mean, whether or not you could apply any AP or IB credit you have earned toward the major, the best classes for you to take first, and even what kinds of careers students with that major tend to follow. You will also find the name and email address of someone to whom you can write with questions about courses in that department or program. Quick links to departmental First-Year Focus pages.

Fall quarter classes

Picking classes can seem daunting, but most students’ fall-quarter schedules look something like this:

Typical class schedule for pre-health students

Students who are considering a pre-health path have a little less flexibility when filling their two additional classes, as they generally take both Calculus and Chemistry starting in their first quarter. Learn more about the first year of a pre-health curriculum.

Whichever path you are planning to pursue, you will have plenty of time to discuss your options with an adviser before registering.

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