As ninth graders in Freshmen Seminar create self-portraits, they discusses their identity at Proctor. It is an identity that has certainly changed since each student first went on an Admission tour the year before. They have grown physically, emotionally, and socially. Their connection to Proctor is far deeper now than it was when first visiting. Four years from now when they graduate, after thousands of shared experiences, their connection will be still deeper.

With over 135 academic courses, 30 art electives, and five term-long off-campus programs to choose from, the possible ways a student’s Proctor journey can unfold is staggering. Because of the breadth of academic offerings, the importance of academic planning is elevated at Proctor.

Over the past week advisors have spent time with their advisees completing academicplans as a part of the long-term academic scheduling process regardless of when a student joins the Proctor community. While academic plans lay out desired courses and potential terms abroad in order to ensure students meet graduation requirements, they are far from binding.

The purpose of backward planning is to look at a student's time at Proctor, his or her desired experiences, and how to best fit all the puzzle pieces together. While four-year plans provide a blueprint for what each student wants his or her academic path to be, they often change, morph, and take completely different directions as students find new passions or are turned on to a discipline by a certain experience - and this is encouraged!

For many students first arriving at Proctor, the plethora of academic options are mind boggling. Planning out the future trimesters (keeping in mind desired matriculation options for college) seems like an impossible task, however, it is our hope that this process, along with forums like Freshmen Seminar, help open students' eyes to the possibilities of a Proctor experience. With the proper planning, you won’t have to make ‘either/or’ decisions, but instead can make ‘both/and’ decisions!

So what would your four-year plan look like?