<p>Middleschool Mom, the simple way to explain “Distribution Requirements” is that it is in-between core and open curriculum. Hopkins’ philosophy in college education is that undergraduates are expected to develop broad intellectual interests that will enrich their own lives and their contributions to society. As such, all students are required to earn a minimum number of credits in academic areas outside their majors. The academic areas in the Hopkins curriculum are humanities (H), natural sciences (N), social and behavioral sciences (S), quantitative and mathematical sciences (Q), and engineering (E). Students earn at least 30 credits in courses from areas outside their major area.</p>
<p>To assure that all students in the humanities or social sciences have some exposure to the sciences and math, at least 12 of the 30 credits required for distribution must be in N, Q, and/or E areas. Students in the natural sciences, quantitative studies, or engineering must earn at least 18-21 credits (6-7 courses of 3 credits each) in H and/or S areas.</p>
<p>Having said this, the students have full flexibility in taking whatever classes that interest them in the specific academic areas. For example, for a science student who can’t stand to take another English class in college, he/she can take “Anthropology of Media” or “Introduction to Film Production” to fufill the (H) requirement. Conversely, for a humanities kid who refuses to take another math or physics class, he/she can take “Conversation with the Earth” or “Introduction to Psychology” to meet the (N) requirement. The options within a specific academic areas are wide option. This is unlike the core curriculum where students are required to take specific classes.</p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, if your daughter is considering the top 10 -15 (or 20) schools, the academic rigor and quality of the education will likely be very similar (whatever difference there may be, it will not be material). At that level, you need to be more concerned about “fit”, whether your daughter like the “vibe” of the school, if she can identify with the student body, and whether she can grow and blossom in the chosen school. I would disagree with you that “Yale is Yale”. I work in a Fortune 100 company, and am routinely involved in recruiting and interviewing college graduates. I recently interviewed a Yale and a Stanford gradutes, and I rejected them both. Reasons? They lack passion in what they did when I asked them to elaborate on their school work and experiece. Really, it is the student, and not the school, that matters the most.</p>