By John Raftrey And Lori McCormick
E-mail John Raftrey And Lori McCormick
About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally f...
(More)About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally feature "guest? bloggers and invite other college counselors to join the blog team. We are members of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC).
Lori McCormick: I began my college advising career in 2006 at Notre Dame de Namur in Transfer Admissions. Since then, I have worked at San Jose State in the Career Center, for a local independent college advising firm, and for BUILD a college access program for underrepresented youth. I graduated with a BA in Sociology from UCSB and a MA in Psychology with a concentration in Career Counseling from Antioch University. I am an active volunteer with The Parent?s Club of the Peninsula (PAMP), the Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) and I am a seasonal application reader for the
Maisin Scholar Award. I reside in Palo Alto with my husband and two sons.
John Raftrey: I have been advising students for the last three admission cycles. I regularly attend conferences, tour colleges, and keep up with the changing landscape of college admissions. I'll share what I learn and throw in a few opinions along the way. I moved to Palo Alto in 1991. My three sons are all veterans of PAUSD and graduated from Paly. I graduated from the University of Michigan, earned an MBA at Columbia University and hold a certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego. In my past life I worked in TV news and high tech marketing.
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(written by Lori McCormick)
Last week I attended a college counseling conference. Over the course of the week, I visited college campuses and attended a variety of informative presentations. One presentation that stood out to me was on the topic of STEM and the Humanities. The presenters represented colleges that offer STEM majors blended with a Humanities approach.
The University of Chicago, for example, blends its core curriculum to include courses in Humanities, the Arts, Natural Sciences, Math, and Social Sciences. Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut is another college that piqued my interest. There, students pursuing Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees in Engineering also participate in the liberal arts curriculum.
Why is it important to blend STEM and Humanities? Knowing the demand for well-rounded employees in today’s workforce, colleges strive to educate students to think logically and freely on all subjects, not just their intended major. Blending soft skills into a STEM degree educates students as a whole. On the job training is common; however, being able to effectively communicate orally and in writing, and possess empathy and reasoning are skills that transfer from the classroom to the real world.
Another added perk of applying into STEM majors at liberal arts colleges is that they are sometimes, not always, direct admits, meaning there are no prerequisites nor secondary application processes to get into the STEM major of choice. With the rising demand for STEM employees and the competitive nature of acceptances into STEM-only majors, these blended degrees are worth serious consideration.
