BA 1021 empowers students to personalize their college experience

BY JUSTIN ERICKSON, '24 BSB

Students wander around the classroom, each placing a Post-it note on a wall. On each Post-it, students write one of their largest worries coming into college. Then, each student circles the room, placing a tally wherever they feel a similar worry. In BA 1021: Design Your Life, students navigate the worries and uncertainties they have about their college experience.

BA 1021 is a required course in the Carlson School curriculum. Students reflect on their personal values and strengths, explore the purpose of college, and discover how to align their experience with who they are and who they want to be.

BA 1021 was designed by the Student Life and Career Design (SLCD) team when they realized that recent graduates were asking for career coaching and a general sense of direction. The SLCD team also teaches BA 2021: Design Your Career, another required course which provides students a toolset beyond foundational career skills. Together, both courses provide students the opportunity to reflect on themselves and what they value as well as the tools required to successfully navigate their futures. By engaging with the SLCD team through both courses, students are introduced to a valuable resource that can assist them through their college journey.

“We designed the course to give students the toolset to customize their college experience,” said Laura Heilman, Assistant Director of Student Life & Career Design and the curriculum coordinator for BA 1021. This toolset is rooted in the concept of design thinking, which is a useful mindset for approaching and solving problems.

Prototyping is a primary feature of design thinking, and students are given opportunities to practice throughout this course. Prototyping provides the freedom to make decisions and try out different experiences without risk.

“Prototyping gives students exposure to something they are curious to explore, so that they can feel more confident in choosing to explore that thing further,” said Heilman.

One prototyping assignment that students complete is the prototype conversation. Students meet with an upper-division student to discuss topics they are interested in, including majors, co-curriculars, internships, and study abroad experiences.

“The prototype conversation has been one of the most valuable conversations I have had as a freshman,” said Aliyah Adedayo, ’27 BSB. “It was a perfect way to get insights into what I wanted to know about the college experience. My conversation helped me realize that college is more than just good grades, but that it is also about the experience and network you gain.”

Students also prototype their future in college in the “My Three Carlson’s” activity. Students map out three different visions of their future: what their current path through college looks like, a slight diversion to this path (such as a different major in the Carlson School or a different career goal), and a wild change to the original path where students are encouraged to dream of something they have never let themselves fully consider.

“The goal of this activity is to help students realize that there isn’t only one way to go about their lives,” said Zain Olson, Student Transition Coordinator who also teaches BA 1021. “There is no guidebook to life, so it is important to consider the alternatives students have so that they can build a fourth path that incorporates all the best elements from each path.”

“This activity helped me realize how many different routes I can take through college,” said Rufta Bereket, ‘27 BSB. “Now I am able to plan out the rest of my college career based on my needs so that I can make the most out of my time here.”

Students also participate in activities that help them understand their personal values and the path that led them to college. Students complete a wayfinding map, reflecting on their experiences in the past three years and which experiences have been the most significant to them.

“I learned a lot about myself, my values, my interests, and how I got here,” said Arwa Doctor, ’27 BSB. “The wayfinding map helped me visualize past events that have really impacted my life and career choices, such as how my interest in law has grown over the past few years and influenced me to join the Pre-Law Society.”

Another way that BA 1021 differentiates itself from other courses is the integration of its TAs. Each TA in BA 1021 is a Crew Leader in the Carlson Crew Program, a mentorship program which helps transition first-years to the Carlson School. Before meeting them in the classroom, students are introduced to their TAs on College Day during Welcome Week. In class, TAs participate and lead activities, sharing their personal experiences along the way.

“Our TAs play an active role in the classroom,” said Olson, who leads the Carlson Crew Program. “It’s useful for our students to hear from their older peers on how they have used the skills and frameworks learned in class.”

Students are required to meet one-on-one with a TA during the course. These meetings provide the opportunity for students to ask specific questions related to the college experience and build a connection with an upper-division student.

“One-on-one’s provide a comfortable space for students to share how they are feeling,” said Mia McGraw, ‘26 BSB, one of the TAs for BA 1021. “Students tend to take a lot from talking with an upper-division student, because having someone older to guide you through college is really valuable.”

On the last day of class, students participate in an activity called “Embrace and Release,” to help them reflect on the past semester and everything they have learned. On one piece of paper, students write down a list of things that they want to embrace moving forward in their lives. On another, they write a list of things they want to let go of, from self-limiting beliefs to external stressors, before crumpling it up and tossing it into the recycling bin.

“This activity is very cathartic for students,” said Heilman. “It is a symbolic way of reflecting and letting go of things that are no longer helpful to us.”

BA 1021 sets the stage for students to make the most of their college career. While every student comes into college with different backgrounds, interests, and needs, BA 1021 helps them all feel a sense of ownership over their experiences.

“This class helped me trust my future self to deal with the choices I make now,” said Doctor. “It can be hard to get out of the cycle of regret when you make a decision, but this class helped give me an open mindset and a curiosity to explore my interests in college, which has been very empowering.”