The Body Pyramid

Purpose. Take some time to focus on your purpose here at Mount Holyoke. Some students will be almost fanatical in their future plans (i.e., graduate with honors, then medical school, then work in the low-income neighborhoods of a major city). Others may not have a clue, while others have been forced by parental pressure into their higher educational goals. Some questions that may help energize you around purpose are:

• Why did you choose Mount Holyoke College? What were your other options?
• What do you want to get out of your four years at MHC?
• What majors sound interesting to you? What courses sound interesting?
• What kind of courses were you good at in high school? Which were difficult?
• What would four successful years at MHC look like to you?
• What type of work or areas of study would get you out of bed in the morning for the next ten years?

You don't need a clear purpose. In fact, at a liberal arts institution a student's purpose may be to find a purpose. In that case, strategic course selections and extracurricular experiences are important in energizing the student's purpose. A helpful resource for exploring purpose is the Career Development Center. CDC counselors can help you assess your interests and identify courses and internships in the fields you may enjoy.