First-Year Seminar Program
FYSP isn't exactly a "program" so much as it a bunch of classes. The idea is that first-years should be able to take small discussion classes. This is a little bit funny because class size is generally quite reasonable at Oberlin, and small classes are not necessarily discussion classes.
On the one hand, these classes can be neat ways to get introduced to a field, meet other first-years, and have a relaxing academic experience, instead of one where you're frantically scribbling down notes while some PhD drones on for 50 minutes. On the other hand, very few Oberlin professors are actually so bad as to drone, you can meet other first years all over the place (they comprise approximately 25% of the total campus population), and FYSP courses generally don't count towards any major, unless they fill a distribution requirement. Also, in general, FYSP courses are designed not to be very demanding, which has an obvious good side, but a downside in the sense that for the same amount of tuition, maybe you could have learned more and enjoyed yourself just as much taking a real class, taught by a good professor (good professors abound at Oberlin).
[edit] Opinions
Just adding my two cents here. I took two first year seminars my freshman year and the first one was definitely challenging and the second wasn't a pushover either (not to say that you shouldn't take them because they'll be too hard. I'm just saying that in my opinion you shouldn't NOT take them for fear that they'll be too easy). But since there's such a wide range of professors and classes, I guess it would depend. --24.62.56.19 (6 August 2005)
