Whether you are a junior just beginning to research colleges or a senior trying to decide among many acceptances, you should be taking a close look at the requirements of the colleges under consideration. Requirements vary by college and it is important to understand the differences.
Core Curriculum: Most colleges and universities have abandoned the concept of having a set of courses that all students must take. However, a few still maintain this expectation including Columbia University and St. John's College in Maryland and New Mexico. The idea behind the core is the belief that there is a baseline of knowledge that is essential to beginning to understand and question human experience. The St. John's College core encompasses all four years starting with readings in freshman year by Greek authors such as Homer and Euclid through the senior year's look at the 19th and 20th century through writers such as Faulkner, Dubois and Nietzsche.
One concern about core curriculum is that it is often taught by adjunct faculty who are less available to students on campus than full-time tenured professors. Another criticism is that colleges with a core focus on the Western canon at the expense of exposing students to non-western cultures, which many in higher education see as essential in our increasingly global economy.
Distribution or General Education Requirements: With the belief that students need a set of courses that will ensure a broad foundation in the liberal arts, many colleges have opted for distribution or general education requirements by which students are asked to select courses from a wide range of choices in major areas such as humanities and fine arts, sciences, and social sciences. These are often broken into more specific categories, such as having a global and cultural requirement under social sciences or an ethics and values course under humanities. There is also typically a one or two semester writing requirement. Here is an example of general requirements from the University of Richmond.
The premise of requirements is to expose students to new academic disciplines and ways of thinking in hopes that they will leave college with a broader range of knowledge. For this reason, it is best for students to avoid the temptation to take all their distribution requirements during the first year of college or to opt for those with a reputation for being easy. Many courses open to freshman are larger, introductory courses that do not often engage student at a high enough level to stimulate lasting interest in the subject at hand.
Open Curriculum: Some colleges believe that students will be most engaged in their learning when they can choose their own courses with no restrictions at all. Colleges that follow this model include Hamilton College and Brown University. Even among those with an open curriculum, there is often a writing requirement.
One caution with an open curriculum is that students will need strong advising in order to ensure they are getting a broad education in line with their goals. Without guidance, students may opt for too many vocational courses or easy introductory classes. An open curriculum works best with a more intellectually-driven student body and an administration that gives faculty the time to advise and mentor students.
Students can be successful with each of these models, but it is essential to take the time to review the curriculum to be sure it is in line with your interests, strengths and goals.
While the frenzy of filling out applications and completing supplemental essays has abated, most seniors are now in the middle of the seemingly interminable wait for admissions decisions. Even under the best circumstances, this wait can be stressful, and rising anxiety can lead to less-than-friendly feelings of competition among students. "