Page 205 - Learning to Learn

LEARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF -GROWER 205
EXPERIENCE 7: V ISIONING: CLARIFYING Y OUR FUTURE
CHALLENGE
In college, you will need to declare a major. Unless you want to stay in college for a long time and for even
more money, you need to develop a plan for meeting the requirements for that major.
In addition, most colleges expect their students to meet general education requirements sometimes called
“core courses.” These requirements reflect a school’s beliefs in what constitutes a strong educational
foundation. An understanding of these requirements is especially helpful for the planning and scheduling
of what you do during your first two years at college. With this knowledge, you can avoid scheduling
mistakes and unnecessary delays in meeting course prerequisites.
TOOLS/WORKSHEETS
General Educational Requirements worksheet
Major Requirements worksheet
My Life Vision worksheet
PREPARATION
You will need to obtain a copy of your college’s catalog and read the section about degree requirements.
Specifically focus on the general education or core curriculum requirements. If you have already declared
a major, identify the course requirements for that major being sure you also include prerequisites. Place
these courses in a table. If you have not yet selected a major, select something that interests you for the
purposes of this exercise. Identify the course requirements for that major including prerequisites.
PROBLEMS TO S OLVE
Complete the General Education Requirements worksheet and the Major Requirements worksheet.
As you complete these worksheets, make sure that each class you are planning to take is actually offered
when you plan to take it; not every class is always offered every semester.
MY LIFE VISION
Role Models
One of the ways in which we make decisions about who we want to be and what we want to do in our lives
is by watching and even emulating people we admire. Conducting an exploration of the people you admire
in your life might give you insights into who you want to be and what you want to do. You can then make
plans and set goals that will help you to acquire the characteristics and achieve the things that you admire
so much in your role models.
When we are little children, we learn about life mostly through our contact with adults. Many of these
adults make an impact on us in some way, and we often find ourselves wanting to be just like them. A small
child may say something like this, “When I grow up, I want to be just like mommy,” because her mommy
makes her feel so loved and protected. A teacher may also influence a child in this way, as might a coach,
a religious leader, or a neighbor. These people are the child’s role models because she looks up to them
and wants to emulate their behaviors and talents. Eventually, we might look up to people closer to our own
age in the same way. A freshman on the football team might look up to a senior because he scores so many