Phy108

UPDATES 

18 Jan 2025

Current enrollment stands at 88 + 12 seats promised (juniors) last December during enrollment week .  These promised seats will be enrolled officially once add/drop begin next week on Tuesday January 21st. If not all of these students end up enrolling or additional seats become available, these seats will go to a waitlist lottery, probably on Wednesday or Thursday. I will be in contact via email if this happens.

04 Dec 2024  

9:30am   I have received several emails and am collating them now. Around 10am I will send out a confirmation email to everyone who emailed me. After this, folks who got locked out last year and again this year will start to be manually enrolled. This will take a few hours - keep an eye on your email.

1pm  Still compiling a list of folks who got locked out last year from the 70 emails received. Also waiting for the registrar to return my call so I can open the seats.

2pm  

• Until enrollment support is available from the registrar & dept admin, class enrollment has been locked, meaning no section switching is possible at this time. These details can be revisited in January so no worries if you need to change sections.  

• At this point, there are 19 promised seats from last year and around 17 available if I push the enrollment limits. Sadly, all reserved sophomore seats must be used for this purpose (sorry, sophomores). The course cap will be increased to a very cozy number (~100).  There is no option for more sections this year.

• Based on these numbers, the class should be further expanded next year. If you were locked out this year and received and email from me, you are on the list for next year if you decide to enroll then.

• Because of the crazy compressed enrollment day, a few seats will likely be available come January open enrollment. I will maintain the waitlist and use this for a lottery. There is no need to email me to confirm being on the waitlist if you already received an email from me.

• Lastly, if you are on the phy108 waitlist but are preparing for the MCAT or need another class for a departmental requirement, I strongly suggest you enroll in Phy102 if that is an option. 

Welcome to the 2025 run of  PHY108! This is the 10th anniversary of the first offering! 🎉   Enrollment will remain at the expanded level set last spring: there are 3 sections of ~30 each. We have a new faculty member who will join Team 108!  Note that there still needs to be enrollment caps on each section due to limited seats and resources. If you can't get into a section you want, I will still be managing a waitlist and try to arrange for section swapping as was done in the past.  

Hopefully, your other questions are answered below, but if not, please contact puchalla@princeton.edu any time. I am looking forward to seeing folks this spring.  

 Cheers, JP

FAQ

03 Nov 2024  (pre-enrollment note)

Spring enrollment is around the corner. If you were locked out last year and arranged with me to be waitlisted for this year, you do not need to confirm anything or email me before enrollment day. On your enrollment day, you should attempt to enroll early in the morning. You will likely get in, but if not, email me. I've kept all the email exchanges from last year and will be able to confirm you are on the waitlist for this year. 

**Note: The waitlist can't be used to circumvent the registrar's enrollment process, and the process only works if all students try to enroll in the usual way.

Previously on Phy108 FAQ ...

1. Why are there reserved seats and are the numbers fixed? Most life science majors end up taking physics in their junior year.  The class expanded enrollment to ~90-100 to accommodate more students and added a new instructor. So, the reserved seats help give all years some representation in the course. I love it when first years and sophomores take the class! Waiting until the spring of your senior year to take physics tends to be a poor learning experience and is highly discouraged. Note that unless you were promised a seat after being locked out the year before (see below), waiting to enroll until your senior year doesn't guarantee a seat in this class! So, the main effect of the reserved seats is that when enrolling, class seats may still be available (<90) but reserved for other classes. The reserve seat numbers will change during the enrollment period to meet various situations that arise - it's a registrar thing. In any case, I promise I will keep you looped in as much as possible during this process. Apologies for the extra hassle :( 

2. What happens if I am not able to enroll due to the cap? Email me your name, year, and major as soon as possible. I will respond within a day, add you to the wait list and do my best to get you enrolled during the enrollment window. In some cases, we will need to wait until the open enrollment period in January to make enrollment changes. If you are not able to enroll this year and are willing to forgo the wait list this year, I will promise (as described above) to work with you the following year if you like. Send me an email with that request. In that case, you would enroll in the usual fashion the following year and if you are again locked out, just send me an email that day: I will then do my best to manually enroll you.  Again, this is not an enrollment promise since it depends on overall seat availability that year and the number of students who are locked out again.

3. Why is the course capped at 90? Will more sections be added? Currently, there is limited instructor support for this class. In addition, the class is taught in a specific room that supports the in-class demos. There is limited equipment and seating in the room.  For 2025, the class will continue to be capped at 90 with three MWF sections and three lab sections on WTh.

4. Can I switch lab/class sections after enrollment? If you find someone else in a different section who is willing to swap with you, changing sections is allowed in the first week. I will help maintain a google swap list to help. This has always worked out for students eventually.

5. Why are Makeup labs so tricky? Because of the way the class is taught, the lab is run in the same room as the class - lots of setup/take-down is involved. For this reason, the primary way to make up a lab is to plan ahead and switch between W and Th sections. Please check your schedules (religious, athletic, other classes, family) as soon as possible. When unexpected valid conflicts occur and swapping isn't an option, a single lab may be excused at discretion of instructor. Valid excuses only include University approved conflicts (i.e. not extracurriculars like clubs, optional family travel, etc).  If you participate in any of the PU athletic events where travel will regularly conflict with your lab, you should instead enroll in an alternate physics class. If your schedule is unclear, a note from your team coach will be required once the schedule is known. Missing a lab for non-university-approved reasons that are not pre-arranged with the instructor will result in a loss of lab credit. Missing a second lab in a similar way will mean not passing the course. Please note that despite popular belief, PHY108 is still an elective alternative class and not a required core course. Supporting resources and accommodations are limited.

Welcome to the 2024 run of  PHY108!  The class has been expanded this spring: there are 3 sections of 30 each. This extra section will be taught by another faculty member that will join Team 108! Hopefully, this will mean the perennial wait-listing will be a thing of the past! :)  Note that there still needs to be enrollment caps on each section due to limited seats and resources. If you can't get into a section you want, I will still be managing a wait list and try to arrange for section swapping as was done in the past.  

Hopefully, your other questions are answered below but if not, feel free to contact puchalla@princeton.edu any time. Looking forward to seeing folks this spring.  If you are looking for more logistical details about enrolling, see below. If you still have questions, send me an email.  Cheers, JP

FAQ

28 Jan 2024 UPDATE

Lotto occurred, and 3 seats were offered for 11am class that had 28 enrolled.  After the dust settles on Monday 29th, I'll revisit enrollment stats and see if more can be enrolled.

25 Jan 2024 

I will fit in as many as possible this year, and there are 2 or 3 seats available for the lottery but ONLY for a specific class+lab section pair:  

11am class AND the 9am Th morning lab 

If you are still interested and are able to enroll in those two slots, please fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/d6R2vPK3QvoQkQu78

If selected, I’ll be in contact again later tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.  

22 Jan 2024 

Now that add/drop has opened, I’m handling the remaining few promised seats and waiting to see how many section swap requests appear.  By Wednesday, I should be in a better position to know how many/if any seats are available for the lottery.  

If you are trying to swap sections, please see the Canvas course announcement from today.

30 Nov 2023 (12:22am):

1. All students who were locked out a second time (S2023 and S2024) have been offered a seat. I am still reviewing emails received today.

2. Due the volume of juniors who tried to enroll this year, the volume of email received, and the registrar's unfortunately short 1-day/class enrollment window, I decided to remove all reserved seat limits at 5pm yesterday to allow as many juniors as possible to enroll rather than have a large number of seats locked up until the January open enrollment period and students uncertain about seat status.

3. The class is now fully enrolled meaning if you are a sophomore who hoped to enroll, send me an email and I'll add you to a waitlist.

4. Any seats that become available (general a few do) will be offered via lottery in late January to students on the waitlist. 

5. I will continue to look through emails received today for cases that require special consideration. Please note that more that 50% of those on the waitlist are premed/preparing for the MCAT. I understand some students may have restrictions that prevent enrolling next year. Contact me if this is the case. 

6. Any requests for sections changes will need to be handled in January during open enrollment. 

06 November 2023: 

1. There are three class sections shown on TigerHub: C01  at 9am, 10am and C02 at 11am on MWF.  You can think of these as precepts for the same class. The registrar just lists it like this because there is no large lecture for this class. Each class section has a limit of 30 (that's all the room holds). In total then, the course is capped at 90.  There are three lab sections: B01 W night, B02 Th afternoon. 

2. Ignore the reservation caps shown for now. The numbers will be updated soon and will change some during the enrollment period. Alas, I'm stuck with this method. Sry.

3. It is not possible to "reserve" a 2024 or 2025 seat for this class. The registrar doesn't allow this - it would circumvent the university enrollment process and wouldn't be equitable. All students must enroll in the usual way through TigerHub. If you get locked out this year, contact me via email and I’ll place you on a waitlist. If, after all the shuffling about in January, you are still without a seat, I will promise priority seating next year (2025). Then, when you enroll in 2025 and IF get locked out again, I'll find a seat for you. Note, this promise isn't really a waitlist as such since these folks go through enrollment in 2025 and typically get in anyway.  {some of this info is repeated below}

Previously on Phy108 FAQ ...

1. Why are there reserved seats and are the numbers fixed? Most life science majors end up taking physics in their junior year.  I'd love to expand the class but see below. So, the reserved seats help give all years some representation in the course. I love it when first years and sophomores take the class! Waiting until the spring of your senior year to take physics tends to be a poor learning experience and is highly discouraged. Note that unless you were promised a seat after being locked out the year before (see below), waiting to enroll until your senior year doesn't guarantee a seat in this class! So, the main effect of the reserved seats is that when enrolling, class seats may still be available (<90) but reserved for other classes. The reserve seat numbers will change during the enrollment period to meet various situations that arise - it's a registrar thing. In any case, I promise I will keep you looped in as much as possible during this process. Apologies for the extra hassle :( 

2. What happens if I am not able to enroll due to the cap? Email me your name, year, and major as soon as possible. I will respond within a day, add you to the wait list and do my best to get you enrolled during the enrollment window. In some cases, we will need to wait until the open enrollment period in January to make enrollment changes. If you are not able to enroll this year and are willing to forgo the wait list this year, I will promise (as described above) to work with you the following year if you like. Send me an email with that request. In that case, you would enroll in the usual fashion the following year and if you are again locked out, just send me an email that day: I will then manually enroll you. 

3. Why is the course capped at 90? Will more sections be added? Currently, there is limited instructor support for this class. In addition, the class is taught in a specific room that supports the in-class demos. There is limited equipment and seating in the room.  For 2024, the class will continue to be capped at 90 with three MWF sections and three lab sections on WTh.

4. Can I switch lab/class sections after enrollment? If you find someone else in a different section who is willing to swap with you, changing sections is allowed in the first week. I will help maintain a google swap list to help. This has always worked out for students eventually.

5. Why are Makeup labs so tricky? Because of the way the class is taught, the lab is run in the same room as the class - lots of setup/take-down is involved. For this reason, the primary way to make up a lab is to plan ahead and switch between W and Th sections. Please check your schedules (religious, athletic, other classes, family) as soon as possible. When unexpected valid conflicts occur and swapping isn't an option, a single lab may be excused at discretion of instructor. Valid excuses only include University approved conflicts (i.e. not extracurriculars like clubs, optional family travel, etc).  If you participate in any of the PU athletic events where travel will regularly conflict with your lab, you should instead enroll in an alternate physics class. If your schedule is unclear, a note from your team coach will be required once the schedule is known. Missing a lab for non-university-approved reasons that are not pre-arranged with the instructor will result in a loss of lab credit. Missing a second lab in a similar way will mean not passing the course. Please note that despite popular belief, PHY108 is still an elective class and not a required core course. Supporting resources and accommodations are limited.

Welcome to the 2023 run of  PHY108!  Hopefully, your questions are answered below but if not, feel free to contact puchalla@princeton.edu any time. Looking forward to seeing folks this spring.  If you are looking for more logistical details about enrolling, see below. If you still have questions, send me an email.  Cheers, JP

FAQ

05 Feb 2023 UPDATE:

Enrollment is still at the cap at this time. Looks like no additional course enrollments will be possible this term.

25 Jan 2023  UPDATE:

There two students in dire need of swapping lab section from Th into Wednesday. If you are able to swap your lab section
to help them, please sign up here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X0nnuEyAQJzbuDiF4K4bXWUKgSP_KrjBYWDYZ2pCEjw/edit?usp=sharing

So far, no additional seats have opened up.  At this point, ifg any seats become available it will likely be after classes start next week.

23 Jan 2023  UPDATE:

Open enrollment has begun and students promised seats last December are being enrolled. Once this process is complete (~midday Tuesday?), we can start processing section swapping requests and adding from the waitlist. I anticipate a few seats will be open by Wednesday this week.

****If you are already enrolled in the class and wish to swap sections, please see this google sheet to try to match with others. Once you have a swap match, send me an email (phy108@princeton.edu). 

03 November 2022 UPDATE: 

1. There are two class sections shown on TigerHub: C01  at 10am and C02 at 11am on MWF.  You can think of these as precepts for the same class. The registrar just lists it like this because there is no large lecture for this class. Each class section has a limit of 30 (that's all the room holds). In total then, the course is capped at 60.  There are two lab sections: B01 W night, B02 Th afternoon. 

2. Ignore the reservation caps shown for now. The numbers will be updated soon and will change some during the enrollment period. Alas, I'm stuck with this method. Sry.

3. It is not possible to reserve a 2023 seat for this class. The registrar doesn't allow this - it would circumvent the university enrollment process and wouldn't be equitable. All students must enroll in the usual way through TigerHub. If you get locked out this year, contact me via email and I’ll place you on a waitlist. If, after all the shuffling about in January, you are still without a seat, I will promise you a seat next year (2024). Then, should you try to enroll and get locked out again, I'll arrange for a seat. Note, this promise isn't really a waitlist as such since these folks go through enrollment in 2024 and typically get in anyway.  {some of this info is repeated below}

Previously on FAQ ...

1. Why are there reserved seats and are the numbers fixed? Most life science majors end up taking physics in their junior year.  I'd love to expand the class but see below. So, the reserved seats help give all years some representation in the course. I love it when first years and sophomores take the class! Waiting until the spring of your senior year to take physics tends to be a poor learning experience and is highly discouraged. Note that unless you were promised a seat after being locked out the year before (see below), waiting to enroll until your senior year doesn't guarantee a seat in this class! So, the main effect of the reserved seats is that when enrolling, class seats may still be available (<60) but reserved for other classes. The reserve seat numbers will change during the enrolment period to meet various situations that arise - it's a registrar thing. In any case, I promise I will keep you looped in as much as possible during this process. Apologies for the extra hassle :( 

2. What happens if I am not able to enroll due to the cap? Email me your name, year, and major as soon as possible. I will respond within a day, add you to the waitlist and do my best to get you enrolled during the enrollment window. In some cases, we will need to wait until the open enrollment period in January to make enrollment changes. If you are not able to enroll this year and are willing to forgo the waitlist this year, I will promise you a seat the following year if you like. Send me an email with that request. In that case, you would enroll in the usual fashion the following year and if you are again locked out, just send me an email that day: I will then manually enroll you. 

3. Why is the course capped at 60? Will more sections be added? Currently, there is limited instructor support for this class. In addition, the class is taught in a specific room that supports the in-class demos. There is limited equipment and seating in the room.  For 2023, I expect the class will continue to be capped at 60 with two MWF sections and two lab sections on WTh.

4. Can I switch lab/class sections after enrollment? If you find someone else in a different section who is willing to swap with you, changing sections is allowed in the first week. I will help maintain a google swap list to help. This has always worked out for students eventually.

5. Why are Makeup labs so tricky? Because of the way the class is taught, the lab is run in the same room as the class - lots of setup/take-down is involved. For this reason, the primary way to make up a lab is to plan ahead and switch between W and Th sections. Please check your schedules (religious, athletic, other classes, family) as soon as possible. When unexpected valid conflicts occur and swapping isn't an option, a single lab may be excused with credit and will not include lab experience. Valid excuses only include University approved conflicts (i.e. not extracurriculars like clubs, optional family travel, etc).  If you participate in any of the PU athletic events where travel will regularly conflict with your lab, you should instead enroll in an alternate physics class. If your schedule is unclear, a note from your team coach will be required once the schedule is known. Missing a lab for non-university-approved reasons that are not pre-arranged with the instructor will result in a loss of lab credit. Missing a second lab in a similar way will mean not passing the course. Please note PHY108 is not a required course so supporting resources and accommodations are limited.

Welcome to the Phy108 (Physics for the Life Sciences) public information page! Information about the 2022 offering will be posted here. Contact me via email with any questions.

19 Jan 2022 (9:30 am)

Currently all 60 seats are enrolled or promised to those locked out last year. Any seats (specifc sections) that are not officially filled by 6pm tonight will go to lotto after accounting for the current requested section changes. A general email will be sent out tonight to let folks know about the lotto status and any available seats.

03 Dec 2021 (11:30am)

Lotto completed and email sent. If contacted and you wish to enroll, reply to the email today if possible. Actual enrollment will occur in January during open enrollment. We'll be in touch then. An unclaimed lotto seat will go back to lotto.

02 Dec 2021 (11:30am)

Overall, enrollment volume has been rather overwhelming this year (deferrals? increased university enrollment?)! In any case, a rearrangement of the class limits was needed to accommodate Juniors who are more constrained academically (apologies to sophomores).  

Status:

0. There is currently an open seat available for the 11am class and Th lab. Contact me asap if both times work for you - I will do a lotto using the waitlist this afternoon. 

1.Both sections are now closed. The remaining open seats are reserved to handle a few pending cases that can't be resolved until later.

2.Requests for section changes (lab or class time) need to be handled in  January during open enrollment. Because the course is full, the process requires finding someone else enrolled to swap sections. I'll send out a class email in January to help facilitate this process. Nothing guaranteed but this has worked out in the past.

3.Lab and class enrollment numbers can't be bumped up due to limitations in equipment, room size, and staffing. No additional sections can/will be added.

Enrollment Options:

1.If you took phy101, enroll in phy102. The course has more resources, sections, and staffing and is acceptable for all departmental requirements.

2.If you were locked out of phy108 this year but can take it in S2023 or S2024, I can place you on a guaranteed enrollment list so you need not go through this again. Send me an email to be added. Hopefully, this will make your future life a bit easier to plan.

3.Should seats open up in January during open enrollment, folks on the waitlist will be selected in a lottery-like fashion and notified of the open section time.

General info:

1.Contact HPA for more information related to med-school applications, requirements, and taking the MCAT. They are can be very help assisting premeds navigate these topics. Note that even if you take PHY108 (or PHY101/102) I strongly suggest you independently review MCAT prep books and existing only study materials. These are much more tuned to the MCAT experience.

2.Contact your department DUS if you have specific questions about you department requirements. Often there is more than one pathway and some flexibility about exact course timing.

If you have other questions, please send me an email. I will try to respond the same day.  -JP

01 Dec 2021

Thanks to all who for contacted me early today. If you did, you should have received an email about enrollment status. Because of registrar restrictions, we need to do this manually, one at a time, and with input from the registrar.  Here are the main points:

1. There some seats locked up for seniors that are available and these are first being released to those promised a seat last year.

2. If you were promised a seat last year after being locked out, I will get you enrolled this year and ideally during today’s Junior enrollment window. 

3. If you are new to this (didn’t try last year), I will place you on the waitlist for this year and can promise you a seat for next year if you like. More on that later as needed. Because of the 1 day class window this year, most likely any of these enrollments will need to be during the open enrollment period in Jaunary.  It's just a registrar thing we can't work around.

I’ll try to sort this as fast as possible and get info back to everyone who contacted me later today. I’m very sorry this is such a hassle. Alas, due to both room size and available equipment/staff, the course does need to be capped at 60 this year. Should we happen to go virtual :( , I will remove the cap again.

Best,

JP

15 Nov 2021

TigerHub now fixed :) 

14 Nov 2021

!!!!   Currently, only one section of Phy108 for S2022 is active on TigerHub  :0  . There will be a C01 10am section and a C02 11am section. I have contacted the registrar's office to try to get this updated ASAP. Please let me know if you run into other TigerHub issues (puchalla@princeton.edu).

B01    W, 7:30 pm – 10:20 pm, 7:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m., Room assignment TBD   Limit: 30

B02   Th, 1:30 pm – 4:20 pm, 1:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m., Room assignment TBD    Limit: 30

C01    M W F, 10:00 am – 10:50 am, 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., Room assignment TBD  Limit: 30

C02    M W F, 11:00 am – 11:50 am, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., Room assignment TBD   Limit: 30