Read Wooster’s Mission Statement, Core Values, and description of FYS. Afterwards, please discuss what you find appealing about Wooster’s liberal arts curriculum and FYS. Also, please list any questions that you might have about them.
Diversity, Intersectionality, Otherness
First-Year Seminar in Critical Inquiry
The point about going to college is to really involve yourself with real world problems and delve yourself into the world around you. What I find appealing about Wooster’s liberal arts curriculum and FYS is that I live in a community of curious people who want to answer their own questions (especially through Independent Study). I feel Wooser will also make me a leader in the world and help me become educated in my field of inquiry. I will learn about the world around me and try to be a server to those who need it. I feel the core values are everything I want to see in a college. Especially the part of learning to think independently. In an age of many opinions, it’s important to be able to form your own opinion and create your own judgment. I’m excited to become a leader in the world
Coming from high school, I was never the best writer, so I think it’s great of Wooster to have a writing seminar for incoming freshmen so we can slowly ease into the college process. I love that FYS has many different courses that I would not have a chance to take in my intended major. I feel it’ll help me to really think critically in whichever subject I take.
People at Wooster are so welcoming and accepting of others, something that wasn’t exactly easy to find at my high school. I think it’s very interesting to have so many people from so many backgrounds all come to the same place to learn and grow as individuals but also as a community. What I think is great about Wooster’s liberal arts curriculum is that people learn to be curious and ask difficult questions that they end up figuring out by themselves, even if that requires help from faulty or peers. I believe that Wooster will get me to where I want to go in the world, even though at the moment I’m not quite sure where that will be, as my major is still undecided.
I’m also fascinated by the independent thinking that goes on all around me on campus. People don’t feel strange about sharing their opinions because they feel they are in a safe environment where they will not be judged and can learn without stressing over how their responses will be received. I also find it so intriguing how people from all over the country, who can all be at different writing levels, can all learn how to write better than they did in high school or before. It’s great that the FYS exists for the students but also with the students to make them become easily hooked into the college lifestyle. I think that FYS will allow me to become a better writer, to really be able to put my ideas into words on paper.
What I find interesting about Wooster’s curriculum is that it really makes you expand your horizons and knowledge. When I was choosing courses to take for the fall semester I wanted to load up on all sciences. Upon telling my Arch Professor this he pushed me away from all one topic and encouraged me to take other courses that might interest me including this course and Art History. I think it is important that people can choose from such a wide variety of options because they might not know what they want exactly until guided, like I was. I also really like the idea of FYS. FYS is an important class because not only does it start you with other freshman so it helps you meet people in your class but it also lays the foundation for what professors will expect of you in the future. Being informed on the expectation of your professors not only helps your grade, but also helps you as a student learning more about writing skills and grammar.
The College of Wooster, a small liberal arts college located in the town of Wooster, Ohio is known for its powerful emphasis on mentored undergraduate research and unique curriculum. Wooster’s curriculum allows students to liberate the mind to its fullest potential, which in essence develops the abilities of thinking critically and independently. What I personally found most appealing about Wooster’s curriculum was the broad range of courses available to choose from and how it insured diverse intellectual pursuits through offering the freedom and flexibility to expand on individual interests and curiosities. Wooster’s FYS (First-Year Seminar) classes permit students to actively participate in their own learning and acquire the speaking and writing skills necessary to become independent in their studies. I feel as though this FYS class will introduce me to a different approach to writing and learning and facilitate the transition from high school to college.