Timothy Cole '73

"For me it was a life choice, not a career choice. I chose Comp Lit because it allowed me to delve into all the Big Questions; because it was explicitly multi-lingual and multi-cultural; because I could include anthropology, political philosophy, psychology, and religion courses in my program; because it was the edgiest of the humanities at the time. All those interests remain as intensely alive as they were then, though more have come along — art history, architecture, urban planning, economics."

Now there's a question. 35 years down the road, as certain as ever Comp Lit was the right major for me; yet I'm clueless how to respond in a way helpful to a 19-year-old picking a major. I feel about Comp Lit the way I feel about Dartmouth — not for everybody, but if the fit is right it is a wonderful path to choose. I sometimes regret things I did not study at Dartmouth — mostly in the sciences and social sciences — but never doubt that I'd pick Comp Lit again if I were doing it all over again.