Posts Tagged ‘academics’

Great Books Colleges: What It Means and Who It’s For

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Do you live and breathe books?  Does the thought of a traditional college setting not feel like the right fit for you?  You, my friend, might want to take a look at a Great Books program.  We spoke to Jon Daly, the Director of Admissions at Thomas Aquinas College, in Santa Paula, California, and Cecilia Corrigan, the assistant Director of Admissions at St. John’s College (which has locations in Annapolis, Maryland and Santa Fe New Mexico).

There are no textbooks here; our students read almost exclusively from the seminal works of Western civilization. Through all four years and in every course — from philosophy, theology, math, and science to language, music, literature, and history — they study the greatest written works in those disciplines, both ancient and modern...

ANiceCupofTea / Jan

Great Books, or classic books, replace textbooks, discussion replaces lectures, and all that is required is a love of and respect for the written word.  No majors, no minors, and no electives – nothing gets in between you and the current book, whatever classic that may be.

What kind of student would benefit from a great books program?
Thomas Aquinas: Students who love to read, who want to develop the skills of critical thinking, who want to explore the full range of academic disciplines, and who long to search for truth and real understanding would benefit from our great books program. The program challenges students to a disciplined scholarship in the arts and sciences that is indispensable for critical judgment and genuine wisdom.

Instead of attending lectures, Thomas Aquinas College students gather around tables for careful inquiry in small tutorials, seminars, and laboratories. They engage in conversation with their peers under the guidance of a full-time teaching faculty member, which enables them to become highly engaged in their own learning. The Socratic Method, as this form of learning is called, nurtures habits of independent thought. Students learn to think clearly, analyzing positions in terms of their component parts and underlying assumptions, and they learn to articulate their thoughts in a logical manner, offering support for their conclusions.

St John’s College: Great Books programs are designed for students who are often referred to as Renaissance men and women: students who enjoy making thematic connections between disparate categories of study benefit from a historical approach to math, science, literature, theology and political science. Students who believe that the world has much to offer appreciate seeing it portrayed through many diverse perspectives.

When you re-read a classic you do not see in the book more than you did before. You see more in you than there was before. Clifton Fadiman St John's College Randall Hall

Larry Miller / Larry Miller

What do you think makes the great books program a good choice?
Thomas Aquinas: One mark of our program’s success is the variety of professions and careers graduates enter. Nearly half of our alumni attend graduate and professional schools in a wide array of disciplines; among them, philosophy, theology, law, and the sciences are most often chosen.  This versatility stems not only from the great books, but also from the way in which the great books are taught here.

St John’s College: A great books program is a good choice because, in order to feel like a thoughtful, confident participant in one’s own life, it is essential that one know how to navigate through the bombarding conjunctions of instinct and reason. Through the analysis of great books , students gradually learn when to be flexible and when to be insistent, how to distinguish the essential from the superficial, and how to extend the consequences of a given point of view beyond what has been made explicit by an author or a classmate.

Any advice for students considering attending a Great Books College?
Thomas Aquinas: Any student considering Thomas Aquinas College should come visit the campus and/or attend the College’s Great Books Summer Program. Two weeks long, the Summer Program introduces participants to a selection of the Great Books. They attend classes twice daily, and these are run in just the same fashion as the College’s regular classes.

St John’s College: Try to think about what you want out of a college. What is important to you? How do you want to be different after four years? Visit the colleges you are interested in and try to picture yourself there.

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Women’s Colleges: Relevant, Rewarding, and Definitely NOT Old Fashioned!

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Forget the stereotypes: women’s colleges are not man-hating, prissy, stuffy, or old-fashioned!  My College Guide talked to Nancy Peterson, the Assistant Director of Admission from Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA), Jeffrey Hodges, the Director of Public Relations at Hollins University (Roanoke, VA), Karen McDonald,  the Acting AVP, Integrated Marketing and Communications of Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN), and the Dean of Admission, Ken Huus, of Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar, VA) to find out why they believe a women’s college is not to be so easily dismissed!

It’s almost impossible to define an Agnes Scott College student, but a few words do come to mind: feisty, bright, creative, thoughtful, interesting, socially aware, accepting of one another, and lifelong learners.

Courtesy of Agnes Scott College

So – Why a Women’s College?  Why is a women’s college still a relevant choice?
Agnes Scott College: When is seeking an environment that allows you to be engaged in your education and that also fosters your independence irrelevant?  It’s not a matter of keeping up with the times or making women’s colleges relevant, it’s a matter of providing women with the opportunities and experiences they want.

Hollins University: Hollins pursues an uncommon mission to provide women the opportunity to find their own voices and seek their own individual dreams and goals. We help them gain confidence to compete in a still unequal world and give them the tools to make the world a better place for other women, children, and men.

Saint Mary’s College: Why NOT a women’s college?  Everything we do is to educate women, that is our mission and our focus. It’s not a matter of keeping up with the times or making women’s colleges relevant, it’s a matter of providing women with the opportunities and experiences they want. At that point, a young women must determine if a women’s college is the right fit for her.

Sweet Briar College: Women’s colleges are possibly more relevant today than ever before.  Where else can a young woman truly focus on her career preparation and planning than in a place that is completely dedicated to her success.  Recently, we’ve become more overt about helping our students prepare for life after college – jobs, graduate school preparation, etc. – so that they get both a great education and become prepared for the world that will welcome them upon graduation.

Our students really do the best job of describing all that is special about Sweet Briar and their women's college education.

Courtesy of Sweet Briar College

What kind of student should consider a women’s college?
 Agnes Scott College: Every high school girl should consider a women’s college.  Women who want an environment where it’s not only okay to be a smart girl, but the norm to be smart will find a great fit at a women’s college. I think at heart, students who come to women’s colleges are ones who want to put their education and academic experience above all else. That’s not say you won’t have a lot fun while a student, but your classmates are going to be focused on academic excellence — so you should be serious about being a student.

Hollins University: The type of student who should consider a women’s college is one who wants discussion instead of lectures, hard questions instead of pat answers. Instead of being told, they want to see for themselves. Instead of play-by-the-rules learning, they want to discover things for themselves. We seek out women with strong personalities and ambitious goals, and who want to express themselves in their own unique way.

Saint Mary's College: The best way for a young woman today to get a true understanding of single-gender education is to talk to a current student or an alumnae; better yet, visit a women's college, attend a class and stay in a residence hall to see for themselves what life at a women's college is all about and whether it is for them.

Courtesy of Saint Mary's College

Saint Mary’s College: A young woman who wants to be engaged (both inside and outside of the classroom) and is interested in developing her leadership skills. At Saint Mary’s, everything that is done by students is done by women. If there is a student initiative, every facet of it will be planned and executed by women. That alone is fundamental and important — it builds confidence and grows leadership skills.

Sweet Briar: I truly believe every young woman owes it to herself to at least consider a women’s college.  It’s a powerful experience, to live and study in a place that is completely focused on the success of young women.

So, if a student chooses to attend a women’s college — will she never see a man again?
Agnes Scott College: A women’s college is not a convent. Students aren’t locked up at night, never to see a male for the next four years. Here’s what reality looks like: Agnes Scott College is part of a consortium for cross-registration: our students can go to any of the member institutions to take classes, and their students can come here. So there is a chance that in your four years you’ll be in a co-ed class.  We’re located in a metropolitan city with a population of over 5 million people- and about 100,000 of that number is college students. So if you aren’t out and about and having fun, you’re trying really hard not to.

Agnes Scott College offers social events almost every weekend. They might not all be big events all the time, but you can stay on campus and have a good time.

Courtesy of Agnes Scott College

Hollins University: Nine co-ed colleges and universities and one men’s college are located within driving distance of Hollins. And, there are on-campus activities throughout the academic year that coeds from other area schools enthusiastically attend, from the Fall Party and Mayfest outdoor concerts to the Fall Formal and Spring Cotillion dances.

Saint Mary’s College: Yes, you will see men on campus and in the classroom! The exciting atmosphere of a large, comprehensive university – along with its academic, social, and athletic opportunities – is open to Saint Mary’s students through our distinctive relationship with the University of Notre Dame. Saint Mary’s students can take classes and attend sporting events at Notre Dame, as well as participate in a variety of clubs, sports, activities and organizations such as Notre Dame’s marching band, or write for the Observer, the daily newspaper published jointly by both colleges. There is a fluid social life between Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame (as well as Holy Cross College) — students attend dances and campus-wide activities, and join service and social organizations open to students on both campuses.

Sweet Briar: Funny, funny.  Young men from local colleges (and there are 7 within an hour) are here rather regularly for dances, parties, Homecoming, Winter Formal, Spring Fling, and just for a fun weekend.  The academic environment is all-female, but the social environment is virtually coed.

At Saint Mary's College, we utilize small group activities and collaborative teaching and learning techniques we know work for women.

Courtesy of Saint Mary's College

Any advice for a student considering  a women’s college?
Agnes Scott College: Don’t let other people’s stereotypes/pre-conceived notions get in the way of you making the right decision about college. When you tell people that you are thinking about this women’s college or that one, you might get some raised eyebrows and people saying “why would you ever go to a girl’s school?” or worse! But remember — your college years are not about your best friend, your next door neighbor, your grandmother’s friend that you run into at the grocery store — they are about YOU. Turn it around and ask them, “Why wouldn’t I consider a women’s college?”

Hollins University: Visit. Take a campus tour, sit in on classes, chat with students and professors. Websites and printed materials are great for providing an overview of the experience at Hollins and other women’s colleges, but there is no substitute for actually seeing first-hand what life at a women’s college is like. Even a student who doesn’t think she would be particularly interested in attending a women’s college should at least tour one – many young women are pleasantly surprised to find many of their preconceived notions about the single-sex environment to be wrong.

Hollins University students find that they are as much colleagues with their professors as they are pupils, often partnering with them in their research and writing.

Courtesy of Hollins University

Saint Mary’s College: Visit our campus. Attend a class, meet with a professor or talk to a coach. Try on college life by spending the night in a residence hall.  That advice serves a prospective student no matter what institutions they are considering. It’s not about choosing a women’s college, it’s about choosing the right college for the individual, an institution that meets their criteria and provides them with overall experience to succeed.

Sweet Briar: Just consider the possibility with an open mind.  It’s really not possible to fully appreciate any college’s personality without setting foot on campus.  The physical campus is stunningly beautiful and must be seen to appreciate.  And our students really do the best job of describing all that is special about Sweet Briar and their women’s college education.

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Want a Unique Academic Experience? Try One of These Schools.

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
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Timothy Hursley

At most colleges, you need to complete two full years of general education requirements and then focus on your major requirements. You take between three and five courses at a time, and are graded on a scale from A to F. But some unique liberal arts colleges are bucking the trend, establishing innovative academic programs that help students to discover and engage with their passions. If you don’t want a run-of-the-mill academic experience, take a look at these unique schools.

Colorado College. This small school in gorgeous Colorado Springs offers the unique Block Plan, which allows students to focus on one course at a time for a three-and-a-half week period (though some intensive courses require multiple “blocks”). This innovative structure gives students the opportunity to plunge into their studies, engaging in field trips and independent projects along with several hours a day of classroom instruction and discussion. There are rarely any lectures: the average course size is just 16 students. After the intense block course is over, students have 4-and-a-half day weekends, in which they can either relax on campus or take advantage of one of the school’s many adventure excursions, such as hiking or mountain biking.

St. John’s College. This small school has two campuses: one in Anapolis, Maryland, and another in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The lecturers are folks you may have heard of: Plato, Aristotle, and Freud, to name just a few. Rather than spotlighting individual professors’ courses, the entire school follows a Great Books curriculum, in which all students spend the first two years reading, discussing, and engaging with the same books and other media, ranging from the ancient to the modern. There are no lectures; instead, students are given the chance to debate ideas and philosophies on equal ground with their instructors. And you won’t find any textbooks teaching you how to interpret the texts: here, the classic books, and your fellow students and professors, are your only guides.

Brown University. Brown is part of the Ivy League, but has vetoed the competitive academic atmosphere of its counterparts in favor of a more flexible curriculum, focused on the students’ interests. At the school, there are no general education requirements; students are allowed to enroll in any courses they choose, including classes at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design. There’s also no need to worry about grades for courses outside of your concentration: students may elect to take courses for “satisfactory” or “no credit,” which means that the fear of not performing up to par won’t stop them from trying something new.

Reed College. At Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, students work with professors in 10-to-1 ratios, typically in roundtable conference style. Though they receive grades at the end of courses, they aren’t mailed to the students, and few are aware of their GPAs—discussion and engagement with the courses are far more important than exam scores. The rigorous academic program concludes with a year-long senior thesis, which can be anything from a scientific project to a novel-length book, which students will then defend before faculty members. Reed also offers a unique program called Paideia, which allows anyone—faculty, students, and janitors alike—to create their own weeklong courses, which have included esoteric subjects like Underwater Basket Weaving and Garden Gnome Construction.

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