<p>My daughter and I have spent time on the Colgate website trying to figure out what courses are required. We have found the Core Requirements, and requirements for her major. Is there anything more specific? Thanks</p>
<p>The only specific courses that are required for everyone to take are the CORE courses:
- Legacies of the Ancient World (formerly Western Traditions)
- Challenges of Modernity
- A Scientific Perspectives course (you choose from a whole bunch)
- Communities and Identities (formerly CORE Cultures)
- Global Engagements course (this is new, but it’s implied that there are a lot of classes that fulfill this so it’s not too difficult to do - it may overlap with courses for some majors)</p>
<p>Then, everyone must also take 6 courses in 3 different “areas of inquiry,” which are basically humanities, social sciences and natural sciences (they used to be called that but now have different names that are essentially the same categories) where the courses in each category have to be in different departments (e.g. you can’t just take two math classes for the natural science category). </p>
<p>Then there are the major courses.</p>
<p>With 32 courses total (4 each semester), it ends up being about 1/3 CORE and distribution requirements (areas of inquiry), 1/3 major courses and 1/3 double major/minor/whatever you want to take. </p>
<p>There is usually also overlap - my CORE Cultures (now Communities and Identities) course was required for my Japanese major, which was in the humanities department, so one of my language courses counted for 1 of the 6 distribution requirements. My sociology minor covered another distribution requirement course. I think I ended up with 1 more humanities and 1 more natural science course than I technically needed, plus extra courses in my major and minor departments that I didn’t technically need.</p>
<p>It’s really not burdensome at all, and actually gets you taking courses that you’d never think you were interested in. I actually just took Intro to Sociology as a distribution requirement and ended up liking it so much that I minored in it.</p>
<p>Thanks, Lydia! Your post is very helpful, and we appreciate it.</p>
<p>You are also required to take a freshmen seminar (FSEM), but they have a whole lot of choices and there’s sure to be something you’re interested in (and you can usually get major or CORE credit for it to). I took a class that was tangentially related to what I was interested in and ended up doubling major in it.</p>
<p>I’m looking through the website and our materials and I can’t find specific instructions on how D is to register for her fall (freshman) courses. Doesn’t she need an advisor? Will we be sent forms and catalogs or anything from her department (physics)?</p>
<p>They will send materials over the summer to register. Students don’t usually declare their majors until your sophomore year, so she doesn’t have a department yet, even if she knows what she wants to major in. FSEM professors are the advisors until students declare their majors with the prof of their choosing in the department. Students will meet with their FSEM prof. during orientation, and students can always change what they’ve signed up for (other than FSEM) during drop/add if they’re not sure what to sign up for at first.</p>
<p>She could also get in touch with a professor in the department over the summer and ask what they’d recommend - profs at Colgate are usually very accessible and helpful.</p>
<p>what are some of your favorite classes and professors that you recommend for freshman in the different core groups?</p>
<p>I know it all sounds mind-numbingly-complicated, but it’s not. And, remember, every entering student has to wade through all the same areas of confusion. But, Colgate is very understanding in this regard – a major advantage of a small college, in fact – and you can make changes as you need to. The above posters were much closer to Colgate than I am, and their advice is detailed and good, but my own daughter (who is Miss Confusion at times) managed to make sense of all of it . . eventually. Make your best choices and take it from there. </p>
<p>On arrival at Colgate, you end up with a dorm advisor who you can talk to, and one of your first-year professors can similarly help you out, as well (see above). And, again, you can make changes as needed. This is not a big university where the bureaucracy runs your life, but a small college where people actually want you to study what you enjoy. </p>
<p>In terms of what courses you end up taking, there is so much variety that even with the Core requirements, you can pretty much tailor your program to suit a lot of your own interests. The advantage of having a Core program is that Colgate is not Brown (a fine school in many respects) or similar schools where a diploma is something like an attendance certificate that certifies you went there and studied something or other with no particular courses or academic program being required. At Colgate, the diploma signifies a particular type of education based on study in specific areas of knowledge, struggling with particular ideas shared with your classmates. It means something. And the bulk of your coursework is still your own to decide, as you wish. </p>
<p>The effect of all this is that not only do you get a first-rate education (as opposed to wandering aimlessly through the curriculum for four years), but you share many of the same academic struggles with your classmates.</p>
<p>Thanks, Dad, great explanation. As long as my daughter can figure it out – of that I have no doubt – I guess I’ll chill. A bit.</p>