The structure of General Education Requirements, sometimes called the Core Curriculum, can vary significantly from one college or university to another. Some institutions may have more extensive requirements that could take up to two years to fulfill.  Others may have more flexible requirements that can be completed in a shorter time frame, allowing for greater choice in elective courses to fulfill university credit requirements for graduation.

In many traditional four-year colleges and universities in the United States, general education requirements typically make up a significant portion of a student's undergraduate coursework. These requirements are designed to provide students with a broad foundation of knowledge across various disciplines, such as English, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. General education requirements may be spread across all four years or be more concentrated in the first two years, depending on the institutional model. Rather than just counting credits, some schools assess general education through demonstration of specific competencies, such as higher scores on AP tests, language or math placement tests, or other evaluations.

Colleges with flexible education requirements give students greater choice in their course selections, allowing them to tailor their education to their interests and career goals. Some institutions focus on developing specific skills or competencies, such as critical thinking, writing, or problem-solving, rather than requiring specific courses. Flexible models allow students to create a customized plan, often with advisor guidance, to fulfill general education requirements. They prioritize student autonomy, allowing students to take ownership of their education and make informed decisions about their coursework.

A college or university’s general education requirements are separate from requirements for one’s chosen major. Every college has specific courses for each major or minor chosen. These courses build a strong foundation and provide essential knowledge and skills that are critical for understanding more advanced concepts. They help ensure that all students meet a baseline level of competency in key areas. This is crucial for maintaining academic standards and preparing students for professional work or further study.

The variation in general education models reflects differences in educational philosophies, institutional missions, and desired student outcomes. Students should carefully review the requirements at each college they are considering to understand how the general education curriculum is structured.



​











Flexible general education models aim to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students through several strategies: 

• Interdisciplinary Approaches: By allowing students to explore multiple disciplines, flexible models encourage connections between seemingly unrelated fields, promoting a more nuanced understanding of complex problems.
• Project-Based Learning: Many flexible models incorporate project-based learning, where students tackle real-world problems, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills through hands-on experience.
• Competency-Based Assessments: Instead of traditional credit-hour requirements, some institutions focus on assessing students' mastery of specific skills or competencies, such as critical thinking, analysis, or creative problem-solving.
• Open-Ended Questions and Scenarios: Flexible models often incorporate open-ended questions or scenarios that encourage students to think critically and develop well-supported arguments or solutions.
• Collaborative Learning: By encouraging students to work in teams, flexible models foster collaboration, adaptability, and creative problem-solving skills.
• Real-World Applications: Flexible models often emphasize real-world applications and case studies, helping students develop critical thinking skills by applying theoretical knowledge to practical problems.
• Reflective Practice: Many flexible models encourage students to reflect on their own learning, identifying areas for improvement and developing a growth mindset.
• Inquiry-Based Learning: Flexible models may incorporate inquiry-based learning, where students investigate complex problems, gathering and analyzing information to develop well-supported conclusions.
• Flexible Assessments: Some institutions offer flexible assessment options, such as oral presentations, posters, or multimedia projects, allowing students to demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in diverse ways.

For any individual student, there can be advantages and disadvantages of flexible general education requirements: 
Advantages: 

• Student Choice and Customization: Flexible requirements allow students to tailor their education to their interests and career goals. This can lead to a more engaging and meaningful learning experience.
• Exploration and Discovery: Flexibility encourages students to explore different disciplines and discover new passions. This can broaden their perspectives and prepare them for a wider range of career paths.
• Time-saving: With flexible requirements, students may be able to complete their general education credits more quickly, allowing them to focus on their major or pursue other academic interests.

Disadvantages:

• Potential for Overspecialization: Students might focus too narrowly on their chosen field, neglecting the broader knowledge and skills needed for success in a complex world.
• Lack of Foundation: Too much flexibility may lead to students neglecting essential foundational knowledge in core subjects like writing, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning. This can hinder their success in more advanced courses.
• Overwhelming choices: With too many options, students might feel overwhelmed, struggling to make informed decisions about their general education coursework.​

Here are a few examples of institutions that have successfully implemented open or flexible general education models, providing students with the autonomy to explore their interests and goals while still ensuring a well-rounded education.

Brown University: Brown's Open Curriculum allows students to explore various disciplines without traditional general education requirements. Students work with advisors to create a personalized plan, encouraging exploration and discovery.
Amherst College: Amherst's "Open Curriculum" provides students with the freedom to explore various subjects without traditional distribution requirements. Students work with advisors to create a personalized plan, promoting exploration and discovery.
Grinnell College: Grinnell has an individually advised curriculum where students design their own program of study. The only requirement is a first-year tutorial course, and beyond that, students have the freedom to take courses across different disciplines

Wesleyan University: Wesleyan's general education program offers a flexible framework that allows students to fulfill requirements through a variety of courses, including electives and majors.
Pomona College: Pomona's general education program offers a flexible framework that allows students to fulfill requirements through a range of courses, including electives and majors. This approach encourages students to explore multiple disciplines and interests.
Sarah Lawrence College (NY): This liberal arts college is known for its flexible, student-centered approach to education, with no traditional majors or distribution requirements.

St. John's College (MD, NM): With a unique Great Books curriculum, St. John's encourages students to explore a wide range of subjects, with no traditional majors or electives.
Bennington College (VT): Bennington's Plan Process allows students to create a personalized plan, combining multiple disciplines and interests, with no traditional majors or minors.
Evergreen State College (WA): Evergreen's interdisciplinary, team-taught curriculum allows students to explore multiple subjects, with no traditional majors or distribution requirements.

Prescott College (AZ): This liberal arts college offers a flexible, student-centered approach to education, with a focus on experiential learning and community engagement.
Warren Wilson College (NC): Warren Wilson's Triad program combines academic, work, and service experiences, with a focus on sustainability and social responsibility.
College of the Atlantic (ME): This small liberal arts college has a flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum, with a focus on sustainability, community engagement, and hands-on learning.

There is a common myth among high school students, as well as their parents, that the only way to succeed in life is to attend an Ivy League, top-ranked college with high name recognition. As Frank Bruni so brilliantly explains in his book: Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania, many people approach the college admission process as a fierce competition to gain acceptance into these “top” selective colleges and universities. Once accepted, it is assumed you are destined to become a leader in your chosen field.

We are here to tell you that this is simply not true. Success in college and beyond is not solely based on where you “get in," but much more on what you do when you get there. As so well described by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: The Story of Success, being in the top third of your class at whatever school you are at is the best indicator of future success.  How well you perform in college, the connections you make with other students and professors, and the experiences you gain are the crucial factors in predicting high achievement later in life.
 
Remember that the Ivy League and other highly selective schools attract students who are already high achieving. Therefore, it is not the “magic” of the selective school, but the talent, hard work and drive with which the student arrives at the school that creates success. Some research indicates that many colleges have built myths of excellence not by adding value to students’ college experience but simply by recruiting numbers of students with strong characters developed prior to attending college.
 
Even after taking into account the self-selected sample of students attending elite universities, if you look at the total number of top executives, most did NOT go to Ivy League or highly selective colleges. The same is true for the majority of governors. Examining the current list of acting governors reveals that only 9 out of 50 obtained their undergraduate degrees from Ivy League institutions, and over one-third graduated from public universities. Furthermore, many graduated from lesser-known schools such as Husson University in Maine, Mercer University in Georgia, Catawba College in North Carolina, and Trinity University in San Antonia, Texas.
 
To further illustrate the point that an elite college education is not the exclusive channel by which to achieve success, check out the alma maters of these influential leaders. The results may surprise you.
 
Politics:
President Barak Obama – Occidental College, CA
Vice President Joe Biden - University of Delaware, DE
Senator Elizabeth Warren - University of Houston, TX
Governor Chris Christie - University of Delaware, DE
Senator Marco Rubio -  University of Florida, FL
Governor Mario Cuomo - Fordham University, NY
Governor Terry McAuliffe - Catholic University, D.C.
 
 
Media/Entertainment:
Oprah Winfrey - Tennessee State University, TN
Al Roker -  State University of New York, Oswego, NY
Jon Stewart -   College of William and Mary, VA
Bill O’Reilly - Marist College, NY
Spike Lee - Morehouse College, GA
Lorne Michaels - University of Toronto, ON
Amy Schumer - Towson College, MD
Amy Poehler - Boston College, MA
 
 
Business: 
Tim Cook (Apple CEO) -  Auburn University, AL       
Danny Meyer (Owner of Shake Shack) -  Trinity College, CT
Doug McMillon (Wal-Mart Stores CEO) -  University of Arkansas, AR
Rex Tillerson (Exxon Mobil CEO) - University of Texas at Austin, TX
John S. Watson (Chevron CEO) - University of California, Davis, CA
Warren E. Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway CEO)  - University of Nebraska, NE
Joe Gorder (Valero Energy CEO)  -  University of Missouri-St. Louis, MO
Mark Fields (Ford Motor CEO) - Rutgers University, NJ
Mary Barra (General Motors CEO) - Kettering University, MI
 
 
The bottom line is, where you go to college will not be the determining factor of success in your life. Certainly, attending an elite college is not going to hurt you, if it provides the educational environment in which you thrive. But ultimately your future success is going to depend on you, not your college. To quote Frank Bruni: “Education happens across a spectrum of settings and in infinite ways, and college has no monopoly on the ingredients for professional achievement or a life well lived.”

If you’re a high school student or the parent of one who’s beginning the college application process, you’re probably researching as many schools as possible to find those best suited to your personal and academic needs. Something you may have noticed is that some schools are referred to as “liberal arts colleges,” while others are called “national universities.” To some, this might seem like just a semantic difference, but there’s a meaningful distinction between the two. If you’re trying to find the best school for you or your teen it’s important to know the difference.

What are liberal arts colleges?

Liberal arts colleges in general are typically small, private institutions with their academic focus on undergraduate education. Liberal arts colleges are dedicated to providing students with a traditional liberal arts education, one that aims to impart students with a broad base of knowledge from areas like literature, philosophy, art, history, music, and other humanities as well as science and math. The overall goal is to create well-rounded, intellectually agile students with well-honed critical thinking skills.

What are national universities?

In contrast to liberal arts colleges, national universities are institutions that may include several distinct colleges and/or graduate schools, pre-professional or professional schools or research programs. For this reason, universities also tend to be much larger than liberal arts colleges in terms of both student population and program offerings.

Which will be a better fit for me?

This depends on your individual circumstances and academic interests. In addition, while the differences between colleges and universities outlined above are helpful generalizations, every school has its own strengths and weaknesses that may be independent of its technical classification.  

Overall, a liberal arts college will be best suited for those students who want smaller classes, often more discussion-based rather than lectures; smaller teacher-student ratios; classes taught by professors as opposed to graduate students; accomplished humanities programs; individualized course requirements and smaller campus environments.

Large universities are a better option for students who are looking for a more diverse areas of study, including STEM majors, opportunities for academic research and sometimes access to graduate courses. Universities will also typically have a larger student population with corresponding increase in sports, clubs and other social opportunities, which may be appealing to students who want to broaden their horizons personally as well as academically.

Of course, this is only one small part of the overall college applications process. With so many other factors to consider, it’s worth getting guidance from a team of professionals. If you’re a student or parent in the Fairfield County, Connecticut area the admissions consultants at College Docs can work with you through every step of the college application process, from figuring out which programs are best to meet a student’s long-term goals to creating his or her personalized college action plan.
​
Learn more by contacting College Docs via phone at (203) 330-1852, or by sending an email to [email protected].