Catalog, 1958-1959 - Hoover Library

Western Marylalld College 1957
After an application for admission has been approved, the
Registrar will send to [he student all additional data needed
before his arrival at the College.
The curriculum which each freshman pursues is not finally
determined until the end of Freshman Orientation Period. During
this time, the incoming students attend a series of lectures
and discussions dealing with college education and college life.
They are also given a number of tests, the results of which are
placed in the hands of the counselors to whom the freshmen are
assigned for the selection of coursesand such other counseling as
may be necessary. The determination of courses is based on the
student's high school record, the secondary school principal's
report, the placement tests, and the individual's objectives.
The counselors are members of the faculty who have had
special training or experience in advising students in regard to
academic problems. Assignmentof counselors is made largely on
the basis of the student's academic objective. Normally the individual
retains the same adviser until the fourth semester,at which
time a representative of the major department becomes his adviser;
if the student expects to teach in high school, the Department
of Education directs him in a program planned cooperatively
with his major department.
In many cases, the selection of a major department should
be made prior to the fourth semester. A major in Music or in
Home Economics, for instance, should be indicated at entrance,
so that courses in these departments may be taken during the
freshman year. Jf one expects to major in any of the sciences,
mathematics should be taken in the first year. It is advisable
to have a fairly definite plan for specialization by the end of the
freshman year.
For those who desire expert assistance in coming to a decision
regarding the choice of a vocation, the College offersa special
vocational guidance service. This consists of a series of tests,
questionnaires, personal interviews, and help in interpreting the
data thus obtained. The tests measure mental and emotional
aptitudes, vocational interests, personality traits, etc. (A fee of
$10.00 is charged for this service.)
As an additional aid to the proper orientation of freshmen,
specially trained upperclass students serve as personal advisers,
particularly in such areas as the nature of a liberal education,
the techniques of study, the proper budgeting of time and money,
the choice of a vocation, the development of personality, and the
building of a philosophy of life.
[ 28 J