Personalizing Your Core

Whether you think you already know what field you want as a major or have yet to make up your mind, Hope College’s General Education curriculum can work for you. In either case, your academic advisor can help you accomplish your personal goals while meeting graduation requirements.

• Still Exploring? Consider the following questions:
  
  What skills do I value acquiring or improving?
  What am I curious about?
  Where are the “holes” in my knowledge of the world—past and present?
  What scientific, artistic or athletic activities would I like to try?
  How can my attitude toward my courses help me love God with all my mind?

• Settled on a Major? Then in addition to the above questions, you should ask:
  
  Are there core classes recommended or prerequisites for my major?
  What activities, skills and knowledge do I value which my major may not help me cultivate or explore?
  Are there core classes that a future employer is likely to value my having taken?
  If I were to choose to do graduate study, what core classes would most contribute to my success in pursuing education beyond college?

As you make your choices of courses, remember that many people change their minds about what to major in as they clarify their learning goals. The link between one’s major and one’s future career is also not simple. Many people now have careers that did not exist when they were in college. Becoming a person of intellectual maturity who knows how to learn is crucial no matter what your short term career plans are right now.