Issue link: http://tcnj.uberflip.com/i/1247196
7 Why does TCNJ include liberal learning in your college education? Why not just complete a major? Liberal learning will provide you with the skills, knowledge, and experiences that ensure you will be successful during and after college in both your professional and personal life. It will deepen your understanding of yourself and the world around you and will open your eyes to other worlds and perspectives. Employers want broadly trained graduates; in fact, 93 percent of employers say that the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is MORE important than a job candidate's specific major. As an incoming first-year student, you'll need to meet several liberal learning requirements this summer and through your first semester at TCNJ. One of these is the Summer Reading Program (SRP 099), which includes discussion with your classmates and a facilitator during Welcome Week. As a bonus, you'll get to see a live performance of the play you'll be reading. Another is Information Literacy (IDS 102), an online, 0-credit course that teaches you how to conduct research for a class and how to find and evaluate information sources. You'll be preregistered into this course this fall. You'll also take one of the most important of your liberal learning courses this fall: the First Seminar Program (or FSP for short). The FSP is a small, seminar-style class (usually capped at 20 students) that enables you to work closely with peers and a professor on a topic outside of your major. The course options change each year but always offer a variety of topics like time travel, social justice, business startups, pop culture, leadership, and the history of wars (just to name a few). You will have the opportunity to rank your choices and, although not guaranteed, TCNJ makes every effort to give you one of your top choices when preregistering you for your fall classes. LIBERAL LEARNING Although students at TCNJ enroll in more than 50 different programs of study, all students complete the Liberal Learning Program. The foundation of your education, liberal learning ensures that you have knowledge and skills in areas outside the specific discipline you plan to study.