You can be anything you put your mind to.
You won’t be molded into a major here. You’re capable of more than that. So we’re going to ask more of you. For the next four years, we’ll push you to think and question everything. And then question everything you think.
WHY PUT YOUR MIND TO JUST ONE THING?
The future is wide open to you right now. There’s a world of things for you to learn.
What to expect when becoming the unexpected.
Get a glimpse of your next four years at Allegheny.
How to Learn
The First- and Second-Year Experience is designed to prepare your mind for everything that follows. The courses you take will prepare you to think critically, communicate creatively, and question everything.
Declare yourself… twice
As a sophomore, you’ll declare your major and select your mentor. But that’s just the start of it. You’ll also be asked to choose a minor from an alternate discipline to keep your perspectives fresh and your mind wide open.
Independent Inquiry
As you delve deeper into your major and minor, you’ll develop an even more eloquent understanding of your chosen fields, and you’ll begin to focus on improving your research skills and rhetorical ability in preparation for your Senior Comp.
The Senior Comp
Behold the grand finale. In order to graduate, every Allegheny student must research, propose, create, and defend an original creative or critical project. You’ll be paired with a mentor to help oversee this project from its first moments, all the way to the end.
How to Think Intelligently About Almost Anything
Learn to know the difference between an intelligent idea and charlatan claptrap
— Philosophy Professor Patrick Jackson
The Sixth Extinction?
Are we in the midst of a sixth extinction and are humans the cause? Can we work fast enough to reverse some of the damage?
— Geology Professor Katie Tamulonis
Are You Game?
An exploration of the importance of games in human culture: why we play them and how they shape our lives, nature, and society
— Music Professor Jennifer Dearden
Potability: Dirt, Water, and Social Action
We'll discuss the growing lack of potable water, the issues surrounding it, and art’s ability to create change
— Art Professor Ian Thomas
Sharks and Recreation
Let's explore how sharks are portrayed in pop culture and the link of public perception of sharks to issues of conservation
— Biology Professor Lisa Whitenack
Shakespeare’s Most Dangerous Plays
We'll study Shakespeare’s plays and their recent screen adaptations in relation to issues facing America today
— English Professor Jennie Votava
"Identifying Potential Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Populations Based on Summer Temperature and Watershed Characteristics"
Megan Hazlett, Biology and Environmental Science Double Major
"On the Page and On the Stage: Transformation in Fairytale Adaptations”
Claire Elizabeth Wilson, English and Theatre Double Major
"OpenCV Strike Zone"
Daniel Bonnett, Computer Science Major and Economics Minor
"Adopting Disruptive Technology: The Case of Volvo"
Juan Vergara, Economics Major and Psychology Minor
"Where Do They Go? Comparing Destinations of NATO and African Union Peacekeeping Missions"
Adam Miller, Political Science Major and French Minor
"Cassiopeia A: Seeing a Supernova Remnant in a New Light"
Travis Court, Physics Major and Psychology Minor
“I didn’t always know I’d want to be a professor.”
So many students come to college with a predetermined sense of who they are and who they’ll be. And in some ways that's a very important starting place. Come as you are — we welcome you as you are.
But I love it when a student comes in not knowing what they want to be. That is a great opportunity to explore all the possibilities before you. They get to have new experiences and discover parts of themselves they never knew were there. In some ways, there's an unlearning that has to happen.
I didn’t always know I’d want to be a professor. I had to discover that. When it comes time for students to leave Allegheny, I tell them to focus on the landscape — focus on the one particular mountain they’re going to climb next. And once they do, choose the next one... and then on to the next one.
See more stories
But I love it when a student comes in not knowing what they want to be. That is a great opportunity to explore all the possibilities before you. They get to have new experiences and discover parts of themselves they never knew were there. In some ways, there's an unlearning that has to happen.
I didn’t always know I’d want to be a professor. I had to discover that. When it comes time for students to leave Allegheny, I tell them to focus on the landscape — focus on the one particular mountain they’re going to climb next. And once they do, choose the next one... and then on to the next one.
See more stories
Dave Roncolato
Professor, Community and Justice Studies
Dr. David Roncolato teaches in the Community and Justice Studies Program, which investigates challenges facing communities, analyzes key methods of social action, develops ethical reasoning, and directly engages students in responsible engagement in our community.
is it okay if I don’t know what I want to be?
Dave Roncolato,Professor
Community and Justice Studies
is it okay if I don’t know what I want to be?
“Our system is essentially designed for students like that”
Something that’s unique to our university system in America is that we have two years of broad, general education. Our system is essentially designed for students like that, to let them not know what they want to be for a while, and instead to focus on learning how to think and learning how to solve problems.
Some students really want a plan, though. They tend to worry most about their major. We encourage them not to do that. Students often change their minds once they’re at school. Job markets change. Students find themselves losing interest in their original choices. When this happens, if they don’t have a far-ranging, curious mind, it will be that much harder to stay motivated. Without the ability to reinvent themselves and reimagine, they’ll get stuck.See more stories
Some students really want a plan, though. They tend to worry most about their major. We encourage them not to do that. Students often change their minds once they’re at school. Job markets change. Students find themselves losing interest in their original choices. When this happens, if they don’t have a far-ranging, curious mind, it will be that much harder to stay motivated. Without the ability to reinvent themselves and reimagine, they’ll get stuck.See more stories
Shannan Mattiace
Professor, Political Science and International Studies
Shannan Mattiace is a professor in the Political Science Department at Allegheny College and chair of the International Studies Program. She has published two books and many articles on ethnic identity and political mobilization in Latin America.
is it okay if I don’t know what I want to be?
Shannan Mattiace,Professor
Political Science and International Studies