Bluffton Blueprint
From changing careers to moving across the country, the Bluffton Blueprint provides a framework for the challenges that come with life.
Life is complicated. You’re likely balancing academics, athletics, extra-curriculars,
a part-time job and trying to get into the right college, let alone figuring out what
you want to do with the rest of your life!
The Bluffton Blueprint
The Bluffton Blueprint consists of four foundational courses which create a core of resiliency. Featuring both traditional classroom learning and experiential components, each course relates to one of Bluffton’s enduring values of Discovery, Community, Respect and Service.
Throughout your four years, you’ll be challenged to reflect on these values and themes which will help you discover yourself and your purpose in life.
As a first-year student, you’ll take Becoming a Scholar, a class that features the
Design Your Life curriculum originally developed by Stanford University. The course
includes The Great Adventure, a fall break experience funded by university donors.
Surrounded by vast natural beauty, you’ll practice how to engage, reflect and tell
your personal story.
In your sophomore year, you’ll take Learning in Community. Through hands-on community partnerships developed specifically for this class in nearby Lima, Ohio, you’ll get an early look at how you can make a difference in your field of study.
A pivotal element of a Bluffton education, students often take their cross-cultural experience in their junior year of study. These explorations for growth and understanding allow students to explore a range of new locations from Appalachia to Israel/Palestine.
Your Bluffton education comes full-circle during the final course in the Bluffton Blueprint, Christian Values in a Global Community. You will circle back on your first-year Design Your Life experiences as you refine how your talents can best serve the greater global community.
The Competencies
In addition to the the core classes, students are required to choose one course from several options to fulfill each of the following competencies. Some courses may satisfy requirements for both your major and the competencies. Together, the Bluffton Blueprint and the Competencies are a general education program grounded in the arts and sciences.
Design Your Life
During your first semester and final year in college, you’ll be mentored by professors who will lead you through Design Your Life, a curriculum originally developed by Stanford University.
These classes will help you build a framework for your college and life experiences and practice how to:
Engage—explore, prototype and develop an action mindset
Reflect— learn by taking stock of experiences after they happen
Storytell— articulate your point of view to gain clarity and create opportunities
Design Your Life will help you get more out of (instead of just cramming more into) your life.
DYL at Stanford
Learn more about the book that inspired the course, the Design your Life curriculum, and the benefits of applying design-thinking to life’s big questions.