I took a full load my first semester, but decided to focus on subjects that were outside of what I'd studied already, so I ended up with classes in Philosophy (to see if I really liked the subject or just liked thinkin'), Latin (because it felt like something I should know), Figure Drawing (why not try it?), and Freshman English (to get one prerequisite out of the way). I knew that a large part of my learning that first semester would be outside the classroom, so I thought I should just accept that and not try to aim to high. I did OK in my classes my first semester, but they were definitely not the primary focus. In the end I dropped Figure Drawing half way through — I wasn't good at it and didn't enjoy it, but I was glad I tried it and knew for sure.

Even though I was a freshman, the classes that I had were not of the 'large impersonal lecture by a TA' type. Instead, they were small classes where I could get to know the teachers and students and had plenty of opportunity for one-on-one interaction. Aside from the Drawing class that I dropped, I passed all my other classes my first year.