Planned Studies: A Good Choice

Planned Studies is a good choice for:

• Highly-motivated, self-confident students who have a clear sense of their academic goals. To apply, a student must write a goal statement that provides a rationale for the various components of the plan. Students who do not know what they want to achieve will have difficulty writing good goal statements.
• Students who are organized, self-motivated, good with detail, and able to follow self-imposed rules. Putting together a plan demands that students make intelligent choices, comply with rules and requirements, and keep track of a great deal of information. Students who are not comfortable with detail may have difficulty with this aspect of the program.
• Students who are intellectually curious and want to challenge themselves. Planned Studies is for students who want more rather than less out of a college education.

Planned Studies is NOT a good choice for:

• Students who are confused about why they are in school. It is unlikely that students without clear goals will be able to create a coherent program of study.
• Students who think Planned Studies is an easy way to avoid difficult courses. Plans must be academically rigorous and must include depth as well as breadth in a subject area.
• Students who have been turned down by a school or department and see Planned Studies as a "backdoor" into a desired major. To take courses in any department or school, Planned Studies students must meet the rules established by that department or school. This may mean achieving a minimum GPA, auditioning, providing a portfolio of work, or fulfilling other prerequisite requirements.
• Seniors who forgot to declare a major and suddenly realize they can't graduate. Students must normally take at least two full semesters of course work as a Planned Studies major; therefore, students who declare during their senior year must expect to stay an extra semester or more before graduating.
• Students who have trouble organizing themselves, following rules, or dealing with authority. Planned Studies encourages creativity, but it does not allow complete freedom. As in any other major, there are requirements. Once the plan has been approved, changes are discouraged, and any request to change courses must be accompanied by a clear rationale and approved in writing by the Coordinator of Planned Studies and the Dean of Humanities and Sciences. Approval is NOT automatic.