A few Scripps questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Scripps College
1

<p>Rather than keep posting something new, I figured it would be easier just to put it in one long laundry list... (Sorry, though)</p>

<p>1) Are there any other requirements than the CORE itself? I thought that the CORE was the big required curriculum but I keep getting the impression that there is more (which I am fine with).</p>

<p>2) Do you think ED I/II gives a better opportunity than RD? I ask this because statistically, it seems like they're about the same. (But that's just statistics, you never know...)</p>

<p>3) This is subjective but how do you think the Scripps admissions counselors feel about GPA? I don't have a very good GPA (3.2ish) and my ACT score is OK (27 -- although I have a 32 in English and a 22 in math, so there's a huge discrephancy in what I have >.<). Is Scripps very GPA and SAT/ACT oriented when it comes to admissions? Does the admissions essay count for a whole lot? Or the interview? (etc, etc.)</p>

<p>4) What did you get out of the CORE? What do you think of it? Good/bad/neutral?</p>

<p>5) Frivolous question: is there a math requirement? >.<</p>

<p>Those are the only questions that I can think of. Thank you! :)</p>

2

<p>6) Is an English and philosophy double major doable?</p>

<p>That really is all :)</p>

3

<p>I just figured out the answer to the math question, so that's not necessary</p>

4

<p>1) Writing 50 is also a requirement. Core lasts 3 semesters, and Writing 50 you will take first semester of your freshmen year. There are also basic requirements like Social Science, Natural Science, Math, Art, Letters, Womens Studies, and Racial and Ethnic Studies.</p>

<p>2)I applied ED II and was deferred, then got in RD. I don't know if there is a difference between ED I or ED II, since with ED II, the admissions people get a chance to see RD candidates along with ED candidates, but for ED I, they only have ED candidates to choose from. However, they only accept a certain amount of ED students so that they can accept RD students. Schools tend to give a little better chance to students who apply ED since they know the student is serious about attending.</p>

<p>3) I didn't have an extremely high GPA, but I also went to private school so that raised my GPA. Admissions directors always say they look for well-rounded students, so GPA and SAT/ACT scores along with extra curriculars and teacher recs are all important and are weighed together. I would try to raise your GPA, but it is too hard to know for sure because sometimes admission decisions completely surprise you.</p>

<p>4) I personally am not a big fan of Core, but I know a lot of students who do enjoy it. I think the first semester is important, because Core serves as a lecture class. The other two semesters are just like taking another humanities class, so the next two semesters do not seem that unique.</p>

<p>5) You said you figured that one out! :)</p>

<p>6) Double majors are for sure doable - a lot of people double major, or major and minor. I know of a senior last year who double majored in philosophy and english - exactly what you want to do! Once you get to school, you can see how the work load is, but I plan to double major as well, so I think it is totally doable.</p>

5

<ol>
<li>At many schools, "the core" describes either a broad set of classical general education requirements or a single semester "great books" type course. At Scripps, the term is used a little differently...it describes one particular (and unique, relative to most other programs of the same name) sequence of courses (exactly as you outlined in an earlier post). On top of this, the GE requirements for graduation are:</li>
</ol>

<ul>
<li>Writing 50 (one semester)</li>
<li>Foreign language (three semesters; can be tested into or out of based on a placement exam or SAT IIs)</li>
<li>Math (one semester; can be tested out of by a placement exam. Fulfilled by calculus, logic, and some other less obvious ones. FYI, logic is also a requirement for the philosophy major, so you'd be covered)</li>
<li>Natural science with lab (one semester)</li>
<li>Fine art (one semester)</li>
<li>Women's studies (one semester)</li>
<li>Social science (one semester)</li>
<li>Letters (one semester; English, philosophy, etc.)</li>
<li>Race & Ethnic studies (one semester; pretty strict guidelines)</li>
</ul>

<p>Those are off the top of my head, so I may have forgotten something, but these will all be listed on the Scripps website. Most of them fall under the "breadth" requirement.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>No idea, sorry.</p></li>
<li><p>Again, no real idea, but for any LAC, you can safely assume that they're looking at more than just numbers. In general, the lower the numbers, the more important everything else (although again, being such a small school, "everything else" is already quite important). Try talking to an admissions counselor.</p></li>
<li><p>I can't say enough about Core. I loved every semester (3, 1, and 2 in order from greatest to least amount of love). I got different things out of each. First semester really does do everything it's supposed to: it's a broad survey of valuable topics, it introduced me to many eye-opening concepts, it introduced me to a great deal of faculty, it helped me bond with my classmates, it was a headfirst dive into time-management and college-level expectations, it really lived up to its interdisciplinary goals, and I really had a great time. How the course goes can really depend, among other things, on who your section leader is (which is just random). Core 2 and 3 give you a little more choice in what you study, so that makes them more appealing right off the bat. What you take away probably varies section to section. But good, good, good, all the way. Like MissLovelyRita said, I also know people who loved and people who hated each section of the Core, but I can't think of <em>anyone</em> who didn't appreciate having gone through [at least part of] it.</p></li>
<li><p>Ehhh, yes and no. In theory, yes, it is doable. But a double major (as opposed to a dual major) requires writing two theses, and English and Philosophy are known for being two of the very longest and most involved theses. So in practice, this would really not be likely. But an English and Philosophy dual major is doable and not at all unheard of! There was one of these in '06 (there would have been in '07 except that she decided against writing the dual thesis and ended up dropping one degree to a minor). A double major means that you pursue both majors fully and independently of one another (two separate theses); a dual major means that you pursue both majors fully and in conjunction with one another (one thesis that combines both subjects). I can definitely vouch for the excellence of the Philosophy department ;)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Thank you for your advice, it was very helpful</p>

7

<p>One question concerning the foreign language requirement. I got a 780 (or something like that) on my SAT II Spanish. Would that get me out of the requirement? And if I have never taken french or italian before, would I still have to take the placement exams or would I just begin at the bottom and work my way up? The letter we got makes it sound like we have to take the test no matter what. And this is only a problems because I'm still not sure which language I would prefer to take and the exam for both are at the same time. </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

8

<p>The SAT II does not place you out of any requirement - the AP tests rarely even place you out of anything. If you want to continue Spanish, you indeed HAVE to take the spanish placement exam. The only way you would not have to take the placement test is if you decided to start a language you have never taken before - in that case, you would just sign up for Italian 1 or French 1. I suggest taking the spanish exam, and if you decide you don't want to take spanish, then sign up for a language 1 class, but you will at least have the option of taking spanish if you want.</p>

9

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

10

<p>Double check on this info because MissLovelyRita's claims might well be correct, but if so, then things have changed since I was a freshman (certainly possible). So I apologize if I'm giving outdated advice...</p>

<p>SAT II's can place you out of a foreign language, though the specific requirement might be different for each department. In 2003, for Spanish, a 650 on the SAT II Spanish fulfilled your entire language requirement. SAT IIs did not place you out of ANY other requirement. AP tests placed you out of NO requirement, although could get you elective credit.</p>

<p>And in response to the rest of the question, the above info is correct: you only need to take the placement test if you want to place out of or into the middle of the language sequence, or if you're continuing a language and aren't sure what level you are. If you're signing up for something new, you don't need to take the placement test at all (though I second MissLovelyRita...<em>if</em> your SAT II doesn't get you out of the requirement, you should take it anyway so that if you test out and then sign up for French or Italian and hate it, you don't have to take the whole three semesters...you'll have the requirement out of the way via the placement test). You do need to take the math placement test no matter what.</p>

<p>(I'll try to double-check this info on the Scripps website soon, if not immediately.)</p>

<p>And congrats on that 780, by the way ;)</p>

11

<p><a href="http://www.scrippscollege.edu/catalog/requirements.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scrippscollege.edu/catalog/requirements.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>^ Basic list of requirements for graduation.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.scrippscollege.edu/dept/registrar/catalog/PDF/requirements04-06.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scrippscollege.edu/dept/registrar/catalog/PDF/requirements04-06.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>^ The 2004-2006 catalog, which gives the exact ways of testing out of foreign language (Pgs. 194-195), including the necessary SAT II scores for each language to which this policy applies (630 for Spanish).</p>

<p><a href="http://www.scrippscollege.edu/catalog/catalog0608.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scrippscollege.edu/catalog/catalog0608.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>^ The 2006-2008 catalog says that "SAT Subject Tests in foreign languages may be used for placement in or exemption from Scripps' foreign language classes. (Please contact the Registrar's Office for specific information" (Pg. 191). This catalog also says that students wishing to enroll in language courses (at least French and German, which are the only places I actually ran into the info) must take the placement test, except for those who test out in another way or who took one semester or less of the language in high school.</p>

<p>Hopefully that's correct and helpful. So yes...Registrar's Office. You can email them at <a href="mailto:registrar@scrippscollege.edu">registrar@scrippscollege.edu</a>. Good luck!</p>

12

<p>You guys are so amazingly helpful! It was people like you that made me know I wanted to go to Scripps! Thanks!</p>

13

<p>Don't worry if you want to take two language placement exams and they are at the same time. I contacted Scripps and if you wanted to take both Spanish and French placements exams, for example, they said they would try to make arrangements.
If this is the case for anybody, you might want to just let them know before the start of orientation.</p>