<p>So... right now I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.... ( i know not many people do ... BUT)....</p>
<p>My problem is I have no actual defined area of study I really have in mind in order to chose a college..</p>
<p>I mean... I might want to do business.. I might want to go into computer science... history.... Ai (cognitive science, etc)....</p>
<p>My real concern is that I dont want to be tied down to some major.. perhaps college isnt for me... I like to learn about different things.... for a moment I'll get into programming/coding w/e, then I'll move onto hardware... .. then onto webdesign.. and I'll finally come out thinking I dont wan to pursue a computer science degree at all because I just started to get more into the philosophy field.... but then I start learning about cognitive science.. and then decide that Ai might be for me.... and I'm back where I started (computer related field)... but then I decide I might just want to go into business......</p>
<p>Then I think of how being an architect might be "cool" but so would being and engineer... or a lawyer or a doctor... </p>
<p>I dont know if anyone can understand my problem?...</p>
<p>Is there such a path where one studies w/e the hell they want?.. or perhaps one that resembles it.. where one studies a variety of things without going in depth into many of them?</p>
<p>You just need to look for schools that don't have a core curriculum. If your stats are high enough, programs like UVA Echols may be right up your alley. Study whatever you want, and you don't have to declare a major.</p>
<p>Hampshire College doesn't have majors... or grades, etc.
You are free to come up with your own program of study-- my brother was a philosophy-religion-anthropology type there. And you get a BA just like everyone else.
However, Hampshire is very liberal, and not right for a lot of people. But if you don't want to be tied down with a major, check it out.</p>
<p>Brown or Grinnell come to mind. Really, any place with few requirements and a wide variety of course offerings. And advisers who will steer you through it. Look at some LACs.</p>
<p>I don't see why everyone is saying that this person should go somewhere WITHOUT a core. Hello, someone is saying he/she's interested in everything? My first instinct is to SUGGEST a core! That way you MUST get a taste of a bunch of things. </p>
<p>Why are people saying that someone interested in everything shouldn't have a core? That makes no sense to me.</p>
<p>Because with a core, even if you're interested in a bunch of things, you'll still have to waste a class on something like Western Traditions that no one really wants to take, whereas if you don't have a core, every single one of your classes will be one that you are interested in and you like, and for someone with a lot of interests, those classes are precious.</p>
<p>You need verify the requirements at Brown. When we were there for a tour, my son met w/ a CS professor. He explained that the "open" curriculum is somewhat misleading. Perhaps that is only true for CS, or for those who DO have a defined major. His reason was that while the school in general may have an open curriculum, very often a particular major DOES have a set of requirements.</p>
<p>kjofkw: when Brown says it has an open curriculum, it means that there are no required classes for all students, except that they complete a concentration. There are no distribution requirements or language requirements, or even PE requirements. The student can choose the concentration, and if it's a pre-existing one, it has requirements, like at any school. You can, however, create your own major and set the requirements yourself.</p>
<p>theone, being interested in a wide range of disciplines is a GOOD thing and is the basis of a true liberal arts education. At most colleges -- both small LACs and large research universities -- students are not required to declare their major or majors until the end of their sophomore years. For the first two years they are encouraged to experiment across different academic areas with a good balance of arts/humanities, math/science and social studies.</p>
<p>Some colleges have a core curriculum which means that everybody takes the same general courses for the first year or two. These are usually represent a range of academic divisions.</p>
<p>Others have distribution requirements which means that students need to complete courses from general categories, but still have a choice within the category, e.g. Biology or Geology, English or art history, economics or anthropology.</p>
<p>And still others have no structure at all. Take whatever you want.</p>
<p>On top of these three general structures there are also individual major or concentration requirements. These vary widely from college to college, but in general don't overwhelm your schedule to the exclusion of other courses. </p>
<p>In four years you'll take at least 32 different courses -- maybe more. Of those I'd say as a general statement about 1/3 will be in your major concentration. That leaves a lot of space for dabbling. Again, this is a good thing.</p>
<p>This makes me want to start yet another thread asking people what courses people recommend... mainly those that were not exactly required by their major.... but that they thought was a key element in their educaton.... </p>
<p>I think it would be good to know what most people thought were the most worth while courses.. and aim to take some of those...</p>
<p>the opposite of this ecclectic approach is St. John's College in Annapolis and New Mexico. very selective. ALL core curriculum. everyone takes the same sequence of basic courses (seminars) based on the great books start with Homer and end with Conrad. Do labs while reading Newton. check them out.</p>
<p>To echo Rabo, Brown has no GENERAL requirements, but there are requirements within a major.</p>
<p>Most schools have general requirements. On top of that, you have requirements for your major. At Brown, there are only requirements for a major.</p>