Power Through Pathways

Make the most of your four-course experienceDan HanowerTHE SANTA CLARAJanuary 23, 2014The university’s Pathway requirement can be a source of stress for students, from freshmen who don’t understand what to do, to seniors who now have to write their Pathway reflection essay. Since the deadline for these essays is coming up in the not-too-distant future, now is the time to make sure you are on top of all of the requirements.The first step is to pick the right courses. Freshmen and sophomores should start to look at the classes they have taken and see if any of them share a common Pathway, or simply select one based on interest. The two most important things for underclassmen to remember is that it is necessary to declare a Pathway on eCampus by the end of sophomore year and to save your assignments from the classes in your Pathway. These will be necessary later in the process.For many people though, the most difficult part of the whole process is writing the Pathway reflection essay. Since only a draft is due by the early deadlines, most students find that their first submission gets returned to them for edits. Denise Krane, director of the HUB Writing Center, believes that the organization is one of the best resources for students trying to write a better reflection paper. “The writing partners just had a workshop,” said Krane. “They have a lot of familiarity with the prompt.” The HUB is a great resource for students, whether they are finishing up the process and need help polishing up an essay or early on in your coursework and simply want to talk things out with someone.According to Krane, students often forget to put basic information, such as their major, Pathway and classes, in their essays. Most students tend to include all four of their classes in their Pathway paper. However, Krane recommends that students focus their papers down to two to get a more in-depth comparison between them.“It is a pretty serious requirement, but its also a time to be very personal,” said Krane. “You can almost think of it as a reflection.” Although Pathways can seem overwhelming and confusing, the resources available help make this requirement as painless and meaningful as possible. Contact Dan Hanower at dhanower@scu.edu