Declaring Your Concentration
Choosing a major is one of your main responsibilities as a sophomore. Reflect on your past coursework. Talk with your academic advisor about the classes you have taken and what you wish to continue studying throughout your college career. Fall semester is a good time to talk with professors in the disciplines that interest you to learn more about their concentration requirements.
Students normally declare a concentration in the spring of their sophomore year (i.e., fourth semester). By the end of the sophomore year you must have completed at least two courses in the department or program of your concentration, and must have received a cumulative average of 1.7 or higher for all work taken in that department or program. The concentration will be listed on your official transcript. A student may change from one concentration to another.
When students declare a concentration they will be asked the following questions:
- What led you to choose your concentration? Consider particular courses you have taken, your career aspirations, and your personal experiences.
- (a) Explain how your education thus far has helped you address the College’s purposes and goals.
(b) Which of the purposes and goals have you yet to address, and what do you plan to do to address them? - Other than completing your concentration, what are your educational plans for your final two years at Hamilton? For instance:
- Are you planning on studying off-campus? If so, where and why?
- Are you interested in exploring the connections between your academic coursework and real-life applications, for instance, internship, leadership and volunteer activities? If so, what connections do you want to explore?
- How does your academic plan help you achieve your career goals?
- What departments or programs offer courses you have not taken but that you want to explore?
