A landscape for learning.{ A look at Sweet Briar’s academic resources }

A landscape for learning.{ A look at Sweet Briar’s academic resources }

Because learning without curiosity is boring.--------------------- S

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Here, academic life is about both the pursuit of knowledge and whatever path you embark on after graduation. The pursuit of knowledge is framed by what we call a landscape for learning. Our pastoral campus of more than 3,000 acres is your context and our faculty serve as guides. But that’s only the starting point. Sweet Briar is intentional about moving you from a cursory interest in a subject to that moment where it all becomes a little clearer, from the small steps in a particular area of study to the giant leaps of completing a research project, assessing your study abroad experience or completing an internship.

Sweet Briar’s landscape of learning has a number of helpful guide posts. We want to point them out.

At Sweet Briar, your academic pursuits only begin in the classroom. There is so much more. You will dive into the passion and rigor of a classical liberal arts education, an education that will ask you to explore the world from many perspectives and with respect for a full spectrum of disciplines.

How do you imagine your first year in college?Because firsts matter.

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The Sweet Briar College y:1 program is designed to accelerate your first year through intellectual and academic engagement. It will provide opportunities for you to refine your critical thinking and digital literacy skills. y:1 incorporates a full year of activities including a common reading experience. You’ll work to find your own answers to questions and become an independent learner coming at academic issues from a variety of perspectives and connecting points across your classes.

“I liked a lot of things about y:1 but for me the topic was extremely relevant to my life (Muslim Immigration and Assimilation in Western Europe) because of my time in Germany and that’s what made the class interesting. Our professors had 1st hand experience in various countries we spoke of and we also got to hear from other immigrants in Western European nations; that along with the data from studies and constant news updates, I really felt that our class well rounded. Best of all I feel that our minds broadened because of the course.” – Megan Kelly ’15

“I have enjoyed seeing students take to the technology like ducks to water.” – Bessie Kirkwood, Director of y:1 and Professor of Mathematics

Looking for valuable advice on what major to choose?We pair you with a faculty advisor who helps you to achieve your educational objectives. We aim to creatively develop academic plans that cater to the your strengths and interests. Advising encompasses more than selecting classes. It involves student-faculty research, laboratory and fieldwork, internships, study abroad, and other forms of experiential learning.

“I am amazed at the degree to which the community pulls together to assist a student realize her aspiration.”

- Kelly Kraft-Meyer, academic advising director

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Refine your skill in a subject or get a second pair of eyes on your work.The Academic Resource Center is the place, with student and staff tutors, whether you are struggling with your classes, doing well and looking for that extra nudge, or anywhere in between.

“Writing a paper can be tough, but the ARC’s job is to demystify the process for you. With that goal in mind, ARC tutors strive to be friendly sources of knowledge. The tutors are, above all, a group of professional, courteous women, who have a passion for writing and truly want everyone who comes through to achieve at their maximum potential.” - Carol Ferguson’12, tutor

arc@sbc.edu (434) 381-6278 | Open everyday but Friday until 11 p.m.s b c . e d u | a c a d e m i c r e s o u r c e s 1 0

Extend your reach, welcome to honors. Critical thinking, creative rigor, enriched experience, academic adventure.

It’s about an interdisciplinary curriculum of inquiry. You will be joined by students across the liberal arts spectrum are challenged to develop wide-ranging perspectives. Through literature, writing, and research, they develop the habits of mind that lead to excellence in scholarship. The program provides many venues in which exceptional students can meet, share ideas, and stretch their intellectual boundaries. Opportunities include Honors classes, independent research projects, and co-curricular activities and events. For example, an event held each spring is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference on Undergraduate Scholarship which includes Sweet Briar student as well as students from colleges around the country.

“Our Honors Program is designed to provide a four-year experience that helps students to find their academic footing quickly and to engage in scholarship that prepares them for a future in the world. I love the diverse interests of our Honors students and also how much they appreciate and admire each other’s scholarly pursuits. It brings me great joy to watch these students take on increasingly sophisticated leadership roles in the community.”

- Jill Granger, Director of the Honors Program, Associate Dean and Professor of Chemistry

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“I first discovered my favorite quote, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” within the pages of Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War. The Honors Program and the intensity of the workload for my major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have allowed me to not only say, “yes” to this question, but also to strive for a better future that I could not have even imagined. The Honors program, particularly, has challenged me to the level of graduate work, and I feel prepared to enter any field, whether it may be industry, academia, or to pursue a higher education.” -Ashley Carpenter’12 aka Shwee with

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Abraham Youse

Look Outside and...jump, hike, canoe, cave, hand glide, repel, camp, climb.

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The Sweet Briar Outdoor Program is about what’s outside. 3,250 acres is your classroom. With 18 miles of trail and two lakes on campus, hiking and canoeing are right outside. Less than 20 miles from campus is the AT (Appalachian Trail) and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s part of co-curricular life here. You’ll be making meaningful curriculum connections through a host of activities, stressing leadership, wellness, conservation and collaboration. For example the Physical Geography class attends an outdoors trip and write a response as part of their coursework, creative writing classes join to incorporate nature writing while your in the element. Recently, students went caving and analyzed bats and a current syndrome that’s affecting its population.

Go to a far off place?Your professors and the study abroad office works with you to tailor an experience no matter where it might be so it compliments your studies and ambitions. Recent countries include France, China, Colombia, Brazil, India, Ethiopia, Spain, Lebanon, Korea, Singapore, UK, Germany, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

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Do you want to learn more about leadership? Our leadership certificate program prepares you to become engaged and influential as it combines academic and experiential learning. It’s part of co-curricular life here, so you’ll learn both theories and ideas, exploring topics such as self awareness, leadership traits and characteristics, global and contemporary issues in leadership today, ethics and ethical decision making, and also practical skills such as time management, communication and public speaking, relevant to every field of study and future pursuits. Students are from various programs of study and diverse backgrounds and those with leadership experience and those who haven’t yet tried their voice in a leadership role.

Why not lead?

“The program focuses on the individual development of each student’s leadership strengths and weaknesses in order to be the most effective leader in the world she lives in. The woman that graduates from this program emerges confident and prepared to lead on campus and in the world at large.” - Melissa Clough ‘12

Find your place.The library is a place where your curiosity for learning can run free.

The library is the core academic location on campus. Because we’re in partnership with the Virtual Library of Virginia and other exchanges, your access is equal to research universities with the advantage of personalized service. For instance, when you declare your major, you’re assigned to a personal librarian in your subject area. The old-world ambiance makes it an ideal place for individual and group study. 24/7 service during finals with free coffee tea, hot chocolate and snacks also helps.

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“The amount and quality of databases available are unparalleled by a lot of other schools. I never felt as though our Library couldn’t offer the best and most plentiful resources for my education.” - Ashley Carroll ‘10

Pamela Webster ‘13 (economics; environmental studies minor) Virginia State Senator Walter Stosch, Richmond, VA.

Martha Schley W. Kemp ‘12 (art history and arts management) Thomas Jefferson Foundation Monticello, Charlottesville, VA

Laura Mooza ‘12 (business management) ID PR, Los Angeles, CA

Caroline Sorensen ‘12 (engineering/environmental science) Duke University, nanotechnology research, Durham, NC

Madalyn Mawyer ‘12 (mathematics/education; psychology minor) Nelson County High School, Lovingston, VA

Christen Campbell ‘12 (chemistry; biology minor) Virginia Equine Services, Agricola, VA

Leslie Wertz ‘12 (environmental studies/biology) Ocean’s Research Walvis Bay, Namibia

Katie Jo Hamre ‘12 (psychology; dance/arts minor) EndStation Theatre Company, Sweet Briar, VA

Allissa Abdelwahed ‘14 (international affairs/philosophy; business minor) Sewa International, Houston, TX

Emily Jones ‘12 (education) King George Elementary School, King George, VA

Here’s a short list

of some recent

placements:

Test Drive your Future.Internships at top companies is common practice. We know they are vital. They give you opportunities to see inside a profession and valued experiences both for your resume and graduate school, whatever your next step might be. Self-confidence, professional competence and strong leadership qualities are three of many highlights. The co-curricular life office has dedicated staff that actively assist you in finding internships, job prospects and graduate school options.

The numbers help tell the story: 23% more students, on average, participate in internships when compared to peer colleges. That means 82% of Sweet Briar seniors participated in a practicum, internship, field experience or clinical assignment.

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Art on campus.The Sweet Briar art collection and art library are located in the Anne Gary Pannell Center, one of the original college buildings. Formerly the dining hall, the gallery space is used to exhibit art from the permanent collection, guest exhibitions and faculty and student shows. Lectures on art and art history are also presented in Pannell. There are two other galleries on campus that also help foster a sense of place for visual arts in the life of the college.

Sweet Briar College is an historic campus, established in 1901. But before that, it was a working farm. Sweet Briar House is the original home and many of the buildings date to the early formation and design of the campus. The Tusculum Institute and the Sweet Briar Museum each serve to instruct and display the history of Sweet Briar for the campus community.

Stories shape a place.

“If you have the capacity and the desire to pursue something, the philosophy at Sweet Briar is such that you should have the opportunity to do so,” she says.

Alexandra St. Pierre ’12

She was the winner of the 2012 Presidential Medal. This fall she is beginning the Equine medicine program at the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school. Attending a liberal arts school with strong programs in the sciences gave her the freedom to follow her heart.

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O f f i C e O f A D M i s s i O n s P.O. Box 1052, Sweet Briar, VA 24595

800.381.6142 434.381.6142sbc.edu • admissions@sbc.edu