Beginning this fall, students in the College of Arts and Science will abide by a new College Core curriculum instead of AXLE, which sophomores, juniors and seniors in A&S still use. This change comes after university faculty voted on a proposal to change the curriculum for A&S students in April 2023.  

Students will now take classes in new required areas, such as technology, literature and natural sciences. They are also required to take a CORE 1010 class titled “Being Human” and a CORE 1020 seminar series. According to an official university statement, the new College Core curriculum is designed to expose students to multiple areas of study and create connections between students that have different academic interests.  

First-year Khalil Abida was surprised with the curriculum change and did not know what to expect before arriving on campus. He enjoys the new curriculum and the opportunities for discussion it provides.  

“Honestly, I had no idea what Core was [initially] about,” Abida said. “Now, however, I think it’s genuinely great. Of course, our experience with it is currently limited to just the [CORE 1010] seminar, but I am liking it a lot. Having a space of discussion like that is very valuable.” 

First-year Sabina Guliyeva enjoys her CORE 1010 class and appreciates how well thought out and planned it is.  

“The materials are very carefully curated, and you can tell the intentionality behind each text chosen,” Guliyeva said. “This makes the class discussions fluid and very engaging. I am always looking forward to see what is going to happen next.”  

Not all students feel positively about how class materials are curated. First-year Aarush Subramanian noted that the materials in his classes can be redundant at times and hopes that they become more diverse.  

“The lack of cohesion in the readings can become more frustrating than insightful,” Subramanian said. “There is a big chance for improvement [if] the curriculum [is] structured in a way that better balances diverse perspectives with a sense of progression.” 

First-year Bernarda Romero believes the College Core curriculum will not always allow students to focus on their particular interests.  

“Many parts of the content can be very unrelated to other classes that students voluntarily choose to take, and that can drift too much from what students want to learn about,” Romero said.