Navigating the course selection process during my first year, I constantly felt lost in the barrage of restrictions and requirements placed upon me. The excitement I originally had for exploring new academic disciplines quickly gave way to frustration as I realized how little freedom I actually had to design my educational curriculum. The Georgetown University Core Curriculum, intended to ensure a well-rounded academic exploration, seemed to dominate my schedule, leaving no room for the electives I hoped would ignite my curiosity. The Core not only limits my ability to explore new fields but also undermines the very purpose of a liberal arts education — to foster intellectual curiosity and self-discovery.
As a Vietnamese student, “Hollywood’s Vietnam,” a theater and performance studies course that explores portrayals of the Vietnam War through popular culture, offered a unique opportunity to critically analyze how my history is depicted in global narratives. However, entrenched with introductory courses and time-intensive language and science courses, I didn’t have room within my 17.5 credit cap to take a course that genuinely aligns with my personal interest and cultural identity. My schedule is crowded with required courses that, while valuable in their own right, feel disconnected from the topics that excite me most.
Furthermore, the structure of the Core emphasizes breadth over depth, assuming that a superficial exposure to multiple subjects will spark interest. In reality, it often leaves students with a fragmented understanding of these fields. The strict prerequisite structure for many core disciplines limits students from progressing within a subject, even when they are interested in and capable of taking advanced courses. A student who excels in writing, for example, is required to take an introductory-level writing course before they can explore specialized options like creative nonfiction or advanced rhetoric. The Core stifles students’ ability to dive into more challenging and meaningful content early on, discouraging them from being adventurous with their course selection.
This is especially limiting in disciplines that inherently prioritize creativity, like the arts, humanities and some areas of the social sciences. A student passionate about creative problem-solving or alternative approaches to learning might prefer to take a design-thinking course or courses on storytelling through visual media. These more innovative courses cover similar foundational skills but are often overlooked as viable alternatives to the Core courses. Instead, students are forced to follow a standardized path, making it more difficult for them to shape their personalized academic journey.
For students planning to study abroad or transfer internally within Georgetown, the timeline for completing Core requirements becomes especially restrictive. Many study abroad programs lack equivalent courses for Core credit, compelling students to front-load these requirements and creating the impression that they have little room to explore through electives. Similarly, prospective students who want to transfer to other schools within Georgetown often feel the pressure to enroll in the additional prerequisites of their intended transfer school alongside Core courses, further limiting opportunities for academic experimentation. This compressed timeline forces students to prioritize logistical necessities over intellectual curiosity.
Georgetown’s Core, while well-intentioned, sends a message that playing it safe is more important than pursuing intellectual risks or personal passions. By prioritizing broad introductory courses and emphasizing the completion of the Core within the first two years, the current structure stifles the creativity, curiosity, and experimentation that are essential to the college experience.
To truly foster a culture of academic exploration, Georgetown’s administration must consider offering alternative first-year pathways that encourage students to take bold and interdisciplinary courses that ignite their interests. Granting Core credit for interdisciplinary study or creative alternatives to traditional introductory courses would provide students with greater flexibility and the freedom to pursue their individual intellectual interests. By embracing these changes, Georgetown can better align the Core with its mission to inspire intellectual discovery and empower students to make the most of their foundational years.
Nhan Phan is a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences. This is the sixth installment of his column, “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost.”