The UPC PreFrosh Class Guide: April 22-23

Among the hundreds of things that prospective Princeton students can do when they visit campus, sitting in on real classes--with real professors and real, live Princeton students!--is up there with finding free food and oversigning yourself on club email lists.But what if the class listed turns out to be a snooze-fest? (You missed ice-cream for this!) What if there's some cool, super secret seminar that isn't listed?The Ink has identified its top recommendations of classes to drop into for this Welcome Week. Some might be listed on prefrosh brochures-- others are not. But first, let's lay some ground rules:

Prefrosh Classroom Etiquette 101

• Don't raise your hand to interrupt a lecture larger than 20 people.
• Do reserve your questions for students and professors for after class.
• Don't attempt to argue with a professor. Don't be that prefrosh. Just don't.
• Do (at least pretend to) be engaged.
• Don't walk in late because you were coming in from another lecture, lest you incur the prof's wrath, NYU-style.
• For smaller seminars, do ask the professor beforehand if it's okay for you to sit in. Small seminars are often better for participating.
• Don't feel overwhelmed!

Top Picks For Pre-Frosh Week Courses:

COS 333: Advanced Programming TechniquesInstructor: Brian KernighanDetails: Tues, 11am-12:20pm, Room: Peyton 145Reason to go: Kernighan is an absolute legend in the programming world; he's also very receptive to pre-frosh, so try and stick around after class if you can. See the Student Course Reviews: (1) "Must take before graduation especially if you're planning on going into industry." (2) "You owe it to yourself to take this class and learn about computer science from the legendary and truly delightful Brian Kernighan." (3) "This class is amazing, it really is. The lectures are always stimulating and interesting. You'll learn a lot throughout the semester. And Professor Kernighan brings a lot of interesting stories to the class."Warning: Knowledge of Computer Science required.

ECO 100: Introduction to MicroeconomicsInstructor: Harvey S. RosenDetails: Tues, 2:30pm-3:20pm, McCosh 50Reason to go: Harvey Rosen is a huge deal both as an economist and as a professor -- he was Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors for George H.W. Bush, worked at the US Treasury, and taught Greg Mankiw (author of a popular intro econ textbook and professor at that one really old school in Cambridge, MA) "how to be an economist." He's a legendary lecturer, and ECO 100 is highly accessible to all, econ-inclined or otherwise.Warning: Rosen is a very snarky lecturer -- it's both part of what makes him great and also what scares some students away. If you're called on or singled out, don't take it personally or too seriously! He gibes because he cares.ECO 332: Economics of Health and Health CareInstructor: Uwe E. ReinhardtDetails: Monday and Wednesday, 1:30-2:50pm, Robertson Hall 100Reason to go: Student Course Reviews: (1) "Take this course. If you're American, take this course." (2) "As I have told other students before, 'If Uwe Reinhardt is teaching, ART 106: Watching Paint Dry, I'd take it! If Reinhardt is teaching a class, TAKE IT!" (3) "If you're not an econ major be prepared to do extra reading on the side or rely on your econ friends to explain some of the economic concepts in the problem sets." (4) "Overall only take it if you're looking for a more relaxed course."Warning (not really): If anything, Reinhardt remains one of the most quotable professors on campus. For instance, on behavioral economics: "I'm a very risk averse person. I wear a belt...and suspenders."AMS 101: America, Then and NowInstructors: Anne A. Cheng, Rachael Z. DeLue, Hendrik A. HartogDetails: Tuesday, 11:00 am - 12:20 pm, McCosh 50Reason to go: You get to hear the perspectives of three professors from different disciplines all talking about the same subject, America. For any patriotic Americans out there, this is the class for you. There's also a lot of discussion about the evolution of American art, so also a great choice for artists.Warning: It's sometimes hard to understand one of the professors and there are often technical difficulties with slideshows.

JRN 440: The Literature of Fact: Narrative WritingInstructor: Evan ThomasDetails: Tuesday, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm, Henry House 16

Reasons to go: As journalists, we may be biased, but journalism classes  are consistently among the highest rated at Princeton. Plus, Evan Thomas is a former Editor-at-Large of Newsweek (aka a complete boss) and a great instructor.Warning: This is a 16-person class so there's a chance you may not be able to sit in on this class. Write him a email beforehand or go to class early and ask Professor Thomas for permission to sit in.ECO 363: Corporate Finance and Financial InstitutionsInstructor: Yuliy V. SannikovDetails: Tues, 11am-12:20pm, Frist 302Reason to go: Preparation for your investment banking summer internship. Student Course Reviews: (1) "If you're in any way interested in finance (as an academic or want to go to Wall St.), take this course. You will come out with a powerful, practical knowledge of the financial services industry, helpful for interviews, making money yourself, or just impressing people." (2) "Overall you learn a lot about finance, capital structuring, options, valuation, and you should take it if you are at all interested. (3) "This course should really be offered BEFORE finance interviews, as you'll know quite a bit of it already if you prepared well for said interviews beforehand. Having said that, it's a great introduction to corporate finance."Warning: (4) "There are better courses you could be taking at Princeton."

Other popular Princeton courses include:PHI 306: Nietzsche on Tuesday, 1:30-2:20pm, McCosh 28POL 240: International Relations on Monday/Wednesday, 11:00-11:50am, Roberston 100

HIS 362: The Soviet Empire on Tuesday, 10:00-10:50am, Peyton 145HIS 393: Race, Drugs, and Drug Policy in America on Tuesday, 10am-10:50, Guyot 10SOC 250: The Western Way of War on Monday/Wednesday, 11:o0am-11:50am, Frist Center 302Happy Prefrosh Week!