There’s a lot more you need to know than what’s on this page in order to survive Stony Brook relatively unscathed. As a ‘commuter student mentor’, I told my charges they should read the first eighty pages of the undergraduate bulletin (pick one up from Admissions). You’re thinking ‘80?’, but it’s seriously worth it. You’ll find stuff in there to avoid as well as answers to questions you never thought you had (e.g., you can’t get a cum-laude if you transferred in and didn’ t take at least 55 credits here, no matter your GPA). Here’s a link to one of the many pages of the online bulletin; it’s got some good info but I don't think it's got it all. Your best bet is a paper copy.

http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/CAS/ubinfo2.nsf/pages/degree

THE 39-CREDIT UPPER DIVISION REQUIREMENT (a.k.a. "What, I can’t graduate?). Please see my comments on this under ‘DEC K’, below.

WATCH OUT for ‘P’ and maybe also ‘S’ grades ‘cause you need a set number of real grades to graduate (check the bulletin/academic advising).

DECs: BAIN OF YOUR UNDERGRADUATE EXISTENCE: Truth is, it doesn't have to be that way; with some careful planning, that medicine you're being force-fed might turn out to taste ok. I can’t speak much for some (B, C, and G) as I filled them with transfer credit, but I’ve noticed from board-post after board-post that people tend to have most trouble with H-K, so here goes. I found each of these courses easy (by that I mean ‘A’) AND (most importantly) fun, but that’s just me. As with ‘Weight Watchers’, your experience may vary. Also, CHECK WITH YOUR MAJOR: YOU CAN LIKELY KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, and if you're a comp-sci major or otherwise engineering affiliated you may be able to skip out of some of these altogether (check the bulletin).

DEC A, Writing Competence: I could write very well indeed, thank you, before I got to Stony Brook so this (like many other things) was a total waste of time. You will note that it is impossible to place out of this DEC, though you can fill half of it with AP credit (again, your best bet is to check the bulletin link above under "Category A") or just by taking the placement exam. I filled the other half with Aisha (‘Awesome’) Tinnermon’s WRT 102 (just try to be punctual). Get it over with, they've made sure there's no way out. 

DEC B: Can't help you. Filled it with transfer credit! Cha-ching!

DEC C, Math: See my comments for DEC B. Make sure you get a ‘C’ or better yet place out by examination.

DEC D, Fine and Performing Arts: again, I transferred this one in, but a friend took ‘Acting I’ and said it was ok.

DEC E: Natural Sciences: I'd recommend AST (Astronomy) 101 and GEO (Geology) 102 (or 103). ‘A’s all the way, but I was a geosciences major so your results may vary. Stay away from the Chemistry department’s 100-level courses if you can (though I have to say I took CHE 300 Physical Chemistry and it was cool).

DEG F, Social and Behavioral Sciences: I took SSI 327 'Middle Childhood & Adolescent Development' and Fouron's SSI 350 'History of the American Educational System', which are designed for future teachers. No papers, just multiple choice tests, but SSI 350’s tests weren’t terribly easy. Fouron's class is a blast though -- people walked out when he compared Manifest Destiny to Hitler's Lebensraum. It was awesome!

DEC G: See my comments for DEC B.

DEC H, Science and Technology in Society: Scott McLennan is my favourite Canadian, and his GEO 304 ‘Energy, Resources & Environment’ class is a ‘bbl’ of neat information. Don’t just toe the party line in the energy debate – take this class and actually get an idea of what you’re talking about.

DEC I, European Traditions: Gotta go with Gallya Lahav's POL 309, ‘The Politics of the European Union’, or its ECO equivalent. Having already paid my dues in classtime to classicism, I was dreading the prospect of having to sit through a course on classical art or mythology to fill this DEC. I was really pleased when I found out that instead I could be learning about what makes one of the world’s future powerhouses tick. Rock on, EU! (disclaimer: I’m a European myself so maybe this is a little biased).

DEC J, The World Beyond European Traditions: Take Robert Hoberman’s LIN 345, ‘Writing Systems of the World’. Who knew alphabets could be so much fun?

DEC K, American Pluralism: Normally, I’d advise against taking any course numbered lower than 300 if you can avoid it. Every Stony Brook course numbered 300 or higher helps you knock off some of the 39 "upper division" credits that you’ll need in order to graduate (you may yet even be able to tank up on the 475/6-numbered undergrad ‘Teaching Practicum" courses, or a 300 level gym class if you’re really stuck, but best to check on this). Pre-requisites schmrequisites, I say – you just need to convince your professors otherwise. If the system won’t let you in, have the prof sign you in.

In spite of what I said about classes numbered 299 and below, I’m going to recommend Kamal Sridhar’s LIN 200, ‘Language in the USA’. Show up, read the website, get an A.