New Course Alert!!

Hey First-Years!

We have exciting news... More courses have been added to the July registration course list!! There's one brand new Art History class that we'd particularly like to highlight! Not only because it satisfies multiple core requirements, but also because it is an amazing opportunity for all of you. So without further ado... Drum roll please... Introducing:

AHIS 1590  New York City, taught by Prof. Anne Higonnet, on Monday/Wednesday 5:40-6:55, and Fulfills Arts & Humanities and the Mode of Thinking Locally-NYC 

New York City is our greatest metropolitan legend.  Capital of dreams, it soars to the skies, gathers immigrants from around the globe, and governs world finance. The scale of its swagger is matched only by the misery of its mistakes.  Here is your chance to get to know the epic place you chose for college. 

The course is team-taught, by professors, teaching assistants, and all its students.  Lectures are held twice a week. A third weekly session is devoted to small-group forums in which students present to each other on assigned field work themes. The first half of the course studies the relationships between urban design, immigration, and finance in three lecture units; the second half of the course explores a variety of municipal subjects such as: the many languages spoken in NYC, literature about NYC, journalism, music, dance, theater, food, fashion, politics, transportation, public monuments, museums, or vermin.

The course is designed to introduce students, especially Barnard first-year students, to their new home city, as well as to the fundamental intellectual skills of comparative reading, writing which considers competing points of view, reporting on local facts, and public speaking in real time.

What's that I hear? You're heading straight to Vergil to plan this class ASAP? That's what we thought...To reiterate, this is not the only course that's been recently added to the "Barnard Classes for FY Registration Fall 2025" spreadsheet! So definitely check out that spreadsheet when you get a chance :)

As always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to us at first-year@barnard.edu!

Best,
The First Year Team

2025 Department Meeting recordings now available!

Hello First-Years!

Below is the compiled list of recordings from the department meetings held this week, June 23rd–27th. These general advising sessions were a valuable opportunity to ask questions about major and minor requirements, Fall semester course offerings, and to connect directly with department heads. We hope you were able to participate and found the sessions helpful!

If you were unable to attend, you can now view the recordings at your convenience. We've also included a directory of faculty and staff from each department along with their contact information, should you have any follow-up questions or wish to reach out!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Department(s)	Faculty/Staff	Recording
Psychology, Neuroscience, & Cognitive Science	Michael Wheaton (mwheaton@barnard.edu) Peter Balsam (pbalsam@barnard.edu) Ann Senghas (asenghas@barnard.edu)	Link
Pre-Health	Amanda Dye (amdye@barnard.edu)	Link
Math & Economics	Daniela De Silva (ddesilva@barnard.edu) Homa Zarghamee (hzargham@barnard.edu)	Link
Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Urban Studies, Political Science)	Xiaobo Lu (xl29@columbia.edu) Taylor Doran (tdoran@barnard.edu) Debbie Becher (dbecher@barnard.edu) Debra Minkoff dminkoff@barnard.edu) Aaron Passell (apassell@barnard.edu) Mara Green (egreen@barnard.edu)	Link
Humanities (Philosophy, English, Art History, Music, Spanish/Latin American Cultures)	Karen Lewis (klewis@barnard.edu) Patricia Denison (pdenison@barnard.edu) Gail Archer (garcher@barnard.edu) Elizabeth Hutchinson (ehutchin@barnard.edu) Maria Lozano (mlozano@barnard.edu)	Link
First-Year Experience (FYE)	Vrinda Condillac (vcondill@barnard.edu) Pam Cobrin (pcobrin@barnard.edu)	Link
Computer Science	Rebecca Wright (rwright@barnard.edu) Smaranda Muresan (smuresan@barnard.edu) Lucy Simko (lsimko@barnard.edu) Corey Toler-Franklin (ctolerfr@barnard.edu)	Link Powerpoint slides
Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)	Angela Paoletta (apaolett@barnard.edu) Andrew Crowther (acrowthe@barnard.edu) Liz Bauer (ebauer@barnard.edu) Stiliana Savin (santonov@barnard.edu)	Link

Summer Registration 2025 Survival Guide: July Course Selection FAQs

  

Hi First Years!

Today we’re tackling all your questions about course selection. Before you register for classes, you need to know which classes you want to take. And guess who decides what classes you take? YOU.

Remember: Between July 21-25, you'll only register for FYE, P.E., and select Barnard courses; this post reviews that but also explains how you'll build the rest of your schedule and select other classes. 

Let’s go over some of your most asked questions about your first registration cycle, scheduled for the week of July 21st, as well as course selection in general:

Where can I find courses?

For July Registration, students will only be allowed to register for a limited number of courses. This includes FYE, P.E., and a select number of classes that are recommended for first years by academic departments. First-years will receive a list of courses to choose from closer to the July registration period. In the meantime, to find all the details (such as times/dates, instructor, enrollment, etc.) about your FYE and PE classes, hit up the Vergil. Department websites are another great place if you’re interested in a specific major.

What is the P.E. requirement? Where can I find P.E. classes? What classes fulfill the P.E. requirement?

All first-years need to take a P.E. (Physical Education) class within their first year at Barnard (unless you’re a JTS/Barnard Double Degree student; then you have until the end of junior year). This year, the class will be divided into the people who are taking P.E. in the Fall and Spring. By now, everyone has completed the Physical Education Requirement - Preference Form (due 6/13). You will soon receive an email letting you know which semester you’ve been assigned to.

If you go to the Vergil and use the filter, you can see all the courses that the Barnard P.E. Department offers. You can take either a Barnard P.E. course, a dance class, or play a varsity sport to fulfill the P.E. requirement. If you would like to receive P.E. credit for a varsity sport, you'll be able to do so during the NSOP registration period in August.

How many credits can I register for?

During July registration, the maximum number of credits you may be enrolled in is 16. You will not be allowed to go over this credit limit until the following registration cycles in August and September. Make sure that you are registered for either FYW or FYS, and P.E. if you are assigned to take it in the fall.

What if the FYS/FYW class I want is full?

We recommend having a healthy number of planned FYS/FYW courses in the event that your first choice is full when you register.

What will the list of select courses for July Registration include?

This will be a diverse list of courses that are recommended and/or reserving spots for first-years. This can include introductory courses in various departments for students to delve into academic interests as well as language courses. If any of these classes catch your attention, it may be in your best interest to register for them during this July period, as it’s not guaranteed that you will be able to register for these classes come Fall registration, since spots will fill up quickly.

And...that's a wrap! Please reach out to our office at first-year@barnard.edu for any questions! :)

June 2025 Timeline

Hi First-Years,

Below you'll find a timeline graphic of all important dates and deadlines June 2025! This will also be included in the upcoming Volume 2, so lookout for that!

Best,

The First-Year Team

June 23-27 2025 Department Meetings

 Hey First Years!

What class do I take for my major in the Fall? Do I major or do I minor? What is a major concentration? How can I meet people who are involved with my prospective major? What do I choose? Who do I talk to? 

If these sound like any questions you currently have in regards to what to do with your interests at Barnard, you're in luck! June 23-27, Barnard is hosting multiple general advising Department meetings on Zoom to inform you with what's going on Fall 2025 and provide guidance on what you can do as a First-Year. Department chairs/directors will give a presentation of department planning and offerings, and then usually hold space for Q&As! We HIGHLY recommend attending at least one of these meetings as it is a great way to familiarize yourself with academics at Barnard before the academic year officially begins! Here is a table of all the department meetings:

Department(s)	Meeting Date and Time	Meeting link
Psychology, Neuroscience, & Cognitive Science	Monday, June 23 10-11 AM ET	Link
Pre-Health	Monday, June 23 11AM-12 PM ET	Link
Math & Economics	Monday, June 23  12-1 PM ET	Link
Social Sciences (sociology, anthropology, urban studies, political science)	Tuesday, June 24 10-11 AM ET	Link
Humanities (philosophy, english, art history, music, spanish)	Wednesday, June 25 11-12 PM ET	Link
First-Year Experience	Thursday, June 26  10-11 AM ET	Link
Computer Science	Friday, June 27 10-11 AM ET	Link
Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics)	Friday, June 27 11-12 PM ET	Link

This information will also be included in Volume 2, so stay tuned!

Best,

The First-Year Team

How do I drop a Columbia Summer Class and can I get my money back?

How do I drop a summer Columbia class?

If you are dropping a Columbia Summer class but not all of your summer CU classes, you may drop via Vergil.  If Vergil does not cooperate, please reach out to sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu and your class dean.  

What are the deadlines to drop a summer class and receive a full tuition refund? 

Summer A Session 

June 2 is the deadline to drop a summer session A class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session A as late as June 23, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Full-Term Summer Session (Summer X)

June 2 is the deadline to drop a summer session X class and receive a full refund.  
You may drop a summer session X class as late as July 21, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Summer B Session 

July 11 is the deadline to drop a summer session B class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session B class from your schedule as late as August 4, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.   

This information is also available on the CU Summer Session website. 

Can I take my summer class for PDF grading? 

In theory, yes, but because Columbia summer courses are considered transfer credit, you will only be able to transfer your Columbia summer courses to Barnard if you take them for a letter grade and earn at least a C-.

If, knowing all that, you still want to take a Columbia summer class p/d/f, the deadline to change your grading option for Summer A courses is June 23. For Summer B courses it is August 4.   For Summer X courses it is July 21.  

I want to drop all of my summer classes (even if all=1); how do I do that?  

In order to drop all of your CU summer courses, thereby withdrawing from the summer term entirely:

1. Consult with your Barnard Class Dean
2. Barnard Class Dean signs Approval to Withdraw form.
3. Student fills out Summer Non-SPS Withdrawal Request Student Form and uploads signed approval.
4. Student receives confirmation from sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu approximately 3–4 weeks after submission, once the withdrawal is finalized.  Students should continue to watch Vergil and SSOL to see adjustments to their schedule and account details.

Please refer to the CU Summer Academic Calendar and to this page, which includes more details about refunds and drop and withdrawal processes.  If you have questions about your refund, please reach out to sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu if you have any questions at all. 

This information and forms are also available on the CU Summer Session website.

I heard that this takes three weeks to process! Should I be concerned? 

Refunds, drops and transcript notations should be based on the date of form submission, not the date the form is processed -- please be in touch with the Columbia Summer School (sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu) with any questions.  

Additional reason not to worry: Unlike summer 2021, this year as in all previous years, Columbia Summer courses are considered transfer credit, so only completed CU summer courses that you pass with at least a C- and for which you have also submitted an approved Summer Course Approval Form will appear on your Barnard transcript.