P from Richmond VA
I strongly believe in the goals of the new curriculum. I think that, more than ever, it is important to encourage discussion and interface between disciplines. One of my favorite aspects of being in the new curriculum this year was all the practice we got in having productive conversations with people that we disagreed with.
L from NOVA
I have loved my time in the engagements program, thoroughly valuing what it has offered me. As the semester has drawn nearer to the end, I've been sad to leave these courses behind.
S from Glen Allen VA
I will never forget the day Professor Rebecca Strangl walked in to my Engaging Ethics 1540 class and asked, “Who thinks they’d like to sell their kidney today?” From that moment, I was fascinated and immersed in the topics of health care market failures, body autonomy policies, and even ethical prostitution. Because of Professor Stangl and the Engagements curriculum, I now want to pursue an interdisciplinary course of study that analyzes markets in regards to political and ethical philosophy. It is essential that as citizens we learn to analyze questions through multiple lenses and become increasingly aware of the ambiguities of modern life of which I hope to investigate and resolve.
M from NOVA
I really enjoyed being in the new College Curriculum and found that the Engaging Difference session was my favorite – [we were asked to] to think outside the box and introduce new perspectives – which I found to be a very enriching and useful experience. I took "Real or Fake?" and loved participating in class discussions, [feeling] that I added new and interesting contributions to the class.
J from Leesburg VA
The new curriculum has allowed me to explore my academic interests in ways that continuously challenge the assumptions of today's high pressure environment. At a school that so highly values achievement, it's easy to get pulled into the headstrong mindset that values certainty in your academic pursuits and discourages taking additional classes to explore your interests. The Engagements, therefore, are more than just a set of classes. They stand in direct opposition of this way of thinking, and as someone who needed the opportunity to take low-pressure, interesting classes in order to be sure of what I want to study later on, I am incredibly grateful for them.
T from NOVA
Over the past two semesters, the new curriculum has given me the analytical tools necessary to critically evaluate the world around me in a way I had never thought possible.
But not only has the new curriculum changed my point of view, being part of the new curriculum was the defining decision that made me feel like I really belonged here. When I read the description of the new curriculum, immediately, I knew that I made the right choice of schools. I resonated deeply with the mission of new curriculum: the vision of creating students who are daring enough to engage critically the world around them and provide a foundational base that will forever change the ways in which they think. I knew that this was where I wanted to be; Surrounded by faculty and administration who believe so strongly in creating moral, ethical and analytical leaders of the future.
H from Gladys VA
The Engagements courses truly changed my outlook on education. Before entering the Engagements, I thought that college was exclusively for the purpose of earning more money in a future career. After taking "Knowledge You Can Trust" in the fall, I realized that education is a good within itself, and I can and should want to become a knowledgeable citizen in a variety of different fields. In fact, the Engagements courses made me realize that I want to devote the rest of my life to helping others learn by becoming an elementary school teacher.
X from Shanghia
For the past semester I have been in Knowledge You Can Trust, contemplating the ethical and empirical aspects of statistics and social media. [I’ve] appreciating Professor Wellmon's teaching method of pushing forward ideas by raising logical questions, [helping me] realize the ultimate importance of combining knowledge with practice to discover the truth of the world we live in.
E from NYC
As soon as I saw that the new curriculum was an option for First Years entering in the Fall of 2017, I immediately signed up. Graduating with 55 girls in my high school senior class (which breaks down to about 12-15 students per academic class), I learned to deeply appreciate and understand the benefits of smaller classes. After having now taken larger college lectures, I have realized that it is within these smaller classes that individuals are able to not only engage in profound conversations, but also foster meaningful connections with one another.