Memo to Sophomores

To the Class of 2016:

This is the semester the College expects you to apply for a major. You do this by developing and submitting a Sophomore Plan of Study, which includes a brief narrative and a list of courses you expect to take during the next two years. The department(s) to which you apply will read your plan; look at your transcript to decide if you have met its requirements for entry into the major; and whether your plan for the major is feasible. Before applying, it is our hope that you reflect on the classes you have taken so far and your intellectual interests more broadly, that you assess your strengths and weaknesses in the disciplines you have explored or hope to explore, and think about where you want to go with your degree after you have left Swarthmore. We expect this to be a significant part of your education and to be taken very seriously. We also hope that it is fun and exciting.

In the coming weeks, each department and interdisciplinary program will have an informational meeting for prospective majors and minors. For dates, times and locations, please check the schedule of departmental meetings [pdf]. Informational sessions have also been scheduled for students interested in the Honors Program, in linking community service and activism to their academic programs, in understanding better how their choices relate to possibilities after college, and in talking with Student Academic Mentors. Although not a requirement, we urge you to attend as many of these informational meetings as appropriate.