Student and Alumni Profiles

Alumni Essays on the Benefits of a PLS Education

In 2005, PLS alumnus Kevin Becker (PLS 1988) collected a series of short essays by PLS graduates reflecting on the value of their unusual education. The contributors followed a variety of paths after leaving PLS -- pursuing careerts in law, science & medicine, the humanities, and business -- yet all made a similar discovery: their experience in the Program of Liberal Studies had a transformative effect on their lives and vocations.

Read alumni essays in "We Called it the Program of Liberal Studies" (pdf)

 

 

Additional Student and Alumni Profiles

“The International Criminal Court must avoid the twin extremes of cultural relativism on the one hand, and radical universalism which applies international law independent of particular circumstances on the other,” argues Patrick Corrigan in his senior essay.

Read more about Patrick Corrigan, Class of 2007 >

 

"You have to make a decision on your course of studies for the next three years. You have gathered all the information you could get and considered your choices from every angle, but there seems to be almost too much info. . ."

Read more from Michael Ehrenreich, Class of 1960 >

"PLS provides you with such a breadth of information and knowledge. It really teaches you to analyze and think critically about everything. It revolutionizes your brain. . . "

Read more from Anna Rodriguez, Class of 2007 >

"How has a PLS education helped me in my career? Certainly, an exceptional liberal arts education is not vocational training. Instead, my reading, writing and communication skills have been enhanced by my PLS experience. . . "

Read more from Richard Spangler, Class of 1977 > 

"I arrived at Notre Dame looking for something to do with my time as an undergraduate student. What I found in the Program of Liberal Studies was a major that came to consume and transform my life. . . "

Read more from Pat Manning, Class of 2007 >

"I am not a poet by any means, but Professor Fallon’s Lyric Poetry class continues to have a considerable effect on me. In the beginning, I felt completely lost and incompetent in the class. . . "

Read more from Claire Sobczak, Class of 2008 >

"Young folks should consider this: Your professional life is slated to be about ten to fifteen times as long as your college years. You should choose a major not based on the notion that you will have one skill to be employed repeatedly for 40 to 60 years. . . "

Read more from Thomas Schweitz, Class of 1954 >