Dear new Cornellians,
We are eager to welcome you into the First-Year Writing Seminar program, whether in person or online!
We recognize that as individuals you may have varying priorities. Even though virtually all Cornellians engage with First-Year Writing Seminars, not all do so in exactly the same way. You might consider different approaches to your Fall 2020 enrollment depending on your interests, your program, or your college. Keep in mind that each college sets its own writing requirements and policies for AP waivers.
What follows is not direct advice about your Fall 2020 enrollment. Only your college’s advising office can reliably give that. Still, we want to help you make the best choices for yourself by providing some realistic contextual information.
You will see from the University Registrar’s communications that your enrollment process will occur in two quickly successive stages:
Most regular introductory-level courses are 4 credits, plus possibly a lab or discussion section of one or two credits. All First-Year Writing Seminars are, by definition, 3 credits.
Therefore, in Round One, you will not be able to enroll both in a FWS and in some other required, prerequisite, or simply desired 4 credit course. In other words, in Round One, it is EITHER:
- a 4-credit course that is required or desired, with perhaps a lab/discussion section—plus perhaps a 1-credit PE class or, if you are in the College of Arts and Sciences, your 1-credit Advising Seminar,
OR:
- a 3-credit First-Year Writing Seminar, plus whatever other enrollments (such as another 3 credit course, or PE) that might add up to 6 and are compatible with your overall schedule.
And then, you will seek the remaining credits up to your maximum in Round Two, which will itself flow directly into open enrollment and Add-Drop, on the first day of classes.
These choices do not inevitably interfere with one another: students might very well find their desires met through both “rounds.” We are not urging that your FWS is more important than other courses, such as distribution, major, or language requirements in your college. We only point out that you should be aware of the potentially competing priorities. The best and most updated source of information about the enrollment process is not the Knight Institute but rather the Office of the University Registrar, and all students should consult about their enrollment choices with their college advisors.
Regarding their FWS requirement, some students are more constrained, some less, according to their incoming status, their program, or their college. Those who face no specific FWS requirement whatsoever (such as students in CALS), or a limited one (such as students in Architecture or Hotel Administration), might take this relative freedom into account as they plan their two-stage enrollment for Fall 2020, whereas those who are most restricted might think differently. Any such decision should be taken in consultation with appropriate advisors.
Here is a picture of plausible situations for incoming first-year students, from most to least constrained:
We wish you all the best for the upcoming academic year. Welcome to Cornell, wherever you happen to be!
Sincerely yours,
The faculty and staff of the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines
