First-Year Seminars and Aggie Connections

I am incredibly jealous of my son. 

In two months, Trevor gets to start college at UC Davis. He'll be taking classes, joining clubs, and living in the dorms. I want to do these things. I want to take classes. I want to join clubs. I want to... ok, I don't really want to live in the dorms, unless I can carefully hand-pick the people who live with me and institute strict rules that allow me to sleep and occasionally have some privacy. But I do want to eat three meals a day in the Dining Commons, not have to clean my own bathroom, and live walking/biking distance to everything. I loved my college freshman experience, but there are so many more cool things that today's UCD freshmen have that I didn't in 1990. 

Today I want to focus on two: First-Year Seminars and First-Year Aggie Connections. 

First-Year Seminars are 14-student classes that "offer first-year UC Davis students the opportunity to connect with faculty over unique interests and a shared sense of curiosity." The topics are interactive and hands-on, and allow instructors to test new course ideas, explore interests, or otherwise share topics they're passionate about with a small group of freshmen. Each course is 1-2 units; some are graded, but most are Pass/No Pass.  

Trevor is most interested in one of these for Fall Quarter:

I would love to take any of these, but particularly the nature one. I hope Trevor is able to get in. With only 14 slots in each, his chances aren't good, particularly since his college is the fourth (of 4) to enroll. Presumably, they'll be first in Winter or Spring, each of which has a bunch of interesting options as well. 

First-Year Aggie Connections are made up of 25 students. Some Connections are associated with for-credit seminars, while others are based on academic or extra-curricular interests. They're a great way to meet people and connect with other freshmen who have shared interests. 

The Nature RX seminar is also offered as a Connection, which is really exciting. I haven't heard from Trevor which Connections most interest him, but I would totally sign up for one (or both) of these:

I could easily find a dozen other Connections that I would love to join. Alas, I am not enrolled and not a freshman. But I do live within driving distance of UC Davis. Do you suppose they'd notice if a 52-year old woman skulked behind their group each week, darting between trees, trying to overhear their discussions about Aggie Traditions or the Language of Food? They'd definitely notice when the traditional snacks lured me from my hiding spots. Darn. 

The best I can hope for is that Trevor participates, takes photos, and tells me all about it. I am so excited for him and everything he can experience during this academic year!