I vividly remember seeing an option on my living assignment application page asking whether I wanted to live in Honors housing or the Core floor. I clicked the link to learn more about Core and thought it seemed like an "honors program off-shoot without math or science." Heck, yeah, sign me up!

I thought Core was just a living arrangement. I had no idea it was an 8 credit class that would greatly impact the course of my Dayton experience.

The first time I noticed something strange was seeing a seven credit ... history course? But I wasn't a history major. I couldn't figure out why I had been placed in this course. I emailed my adviser (the W. Trollinger) and he explained it was Core.

Still not fully sure of the implications of taking this course, I buckled up and hoped for the best.

Well, I wound up in an auditorium with over one hundred other confused students. Thankfully, the director of the program introduced himself, the other professors, the curriculum and benefits of taking Core.

Core is an integrated approach to humanities courses. Instead of taking the required religion, philosophy, history or English classes separately, we would learn with an emphasis on the interconnected nature of the disciplines. For example, if we read a primary historical source in a religious context, we might also analyze the rhetoric or philosophical implications. Honestly, it just made sense to study them all together. Not only did it have a stellar curriculum, but it counted towards all humanities gen-eds and fifteen honors credits if you graduate from the program.

The set up of the Core program was engaging. We had an hour-long lecture in the mornings where one of the eight professors (two from each field of study) would present on a topic. Then, we discussed the lecture and dissected the readings in a two-hour long seminar that afternoon. It would not be rare to get into passionate, complex conversations.

The tests were notorious. You receive six essay questions and prepare all six. Then, come test day, the Almighty Dice Roll decides your fate. You pour three essays onto the page and leave with a cramped hand and a proud soul.

Core was honestly the most engaging class of my life. I loved digging into the material and valued even more the ability to bounce ideas off of the great minds in the course. Due to the Core floor and the extensive hours spent in class, most of my friends are from this program.

My writing skills, reading comprehension, and discourse skills all improved immensely. I am so grateful to be a part of the Core program and am definitely going to try to "build the empire" because everyone should be made aware of this incredible opportunity.