The Pirate Plan

How It Works

A detailed look at the milestones, support, and structure guiding your four years.

The Pirate Plan brings together academics, student life, and career preparation into a coordinated pathway from exploration to experience to launch.

The Pirate Plan Framework

The Pirate Plan is Southwestern University’s four-year roadmap to student success. Guided by a Success Coach in collaboration with a faculty academic advisor, you’ll use the Pirate Plan to connect academics, student life, and professional preparation into a clear pathway that ensures you'll build the skills, experiences, and direction for life after Southwestern.

For the first year, the Success Coaches provide wraparound support, connecting you to curricular, co-curricular, and professional opportunities and helping you develop your own sense of agency in planning your life at Southwestern and beyond. From the second year onwards, the team of support grows to include a faculty academic advisor, who pairs with you and your Success Coach to help you continue to recognize and articulate connections across your distinctive curricular and co-curricular experiences and visualize professional pathways.

Each year includes a focused set of customizable and measurable waypoints that guide you from exploration to experience to launch. These waypoints span Academic Affairs, Student Life, and the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD), and provide you with a cohesive and supported journey from your first day through graduation.

Career Readiness

The strengths you'll build

Each waypoint connects to career readiness competencies developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), ensuring you build and can articulate the skills employers value most.

Career & Self-Development
Communication
Critical Thinking
Teamwork
Leadership
Professionalism
Technology

Developing these competencies helps you build:

  • real-world experience
  • a professional network
  • the ability to connect your experiences
  • a clear sense of direction and purpose
  • skills to succeed across multiple careers
How the Pirate Plan Works

Waypoints are visible, supported, and trackable.

The Pirate Plan defines shared milestones across the University, while allowing you to build a personalized path.

Measurable & trackable

Each waypoint is measurable and trackable through institutional systems.

Shared across campus partners

Waypoints are shared across campus partners, ensuring consistent expectations and support.

Guided support

You work closely with a Success Coach throughout all four years and receive added support from a faculty advisor beginning in your sophomore year to plan, reflect, and stay on track.

Learning beyond the classroom

Summer experiences extend learning beyond the academic year and reinforce career exploration and skill development.

Personalized pathways

The Pirate Plan defines a shared set of milestones, but no two student experiences are the same. Every waypoint may not apply to every student. You'll create a personalized path that combines academics, experiences, and career.

Clear progression

Together, the milestones set by the Pirate Plan help you chart a progressive pathway from foundation to experience to launch.

Year-by-Year Waypoints

What you'll focus on each year

The waypoints defining each stage of the Pirate Plan give you a structure shared with other students while leaving room to build a personalized path shaped by your goals, interests, and experiences.

Year 1

Find Your Bearings

Your first year is about building a strong foundation academically, socially, and personally. Through courses, campus involvement, and early career exploration, you begin to understand your strengths, interests, and how you connect to the Southwestern community. With guidance from your Success Coach, you start making connections across your experiences, setting the course for intentional choices in the years ahead.

  1. Connect with your Success Coach during Sprog to start building a relationship with someone who will guide you, support your goals, and help you make the most of your Southwestern experience from day one.
  2. Participate in a Pirate Adventure and Welcome Week activities to meet new friends, get connected, and fully step into the Southwestern community.
  3. Take the TypeFocus self-assessment during your first semester to better understand your strengths, interests, and personality and begin exploring majors and career paths that fit you.
  4. Participate in your First-Year Seminar or Advanced-Entry Seminar and start developing your reading, thinking, writing, and communication skills, alongside the habit of making “Paideia Connections” to connect your experiences inside and outside the classroom.
  5. Attend RA floor meetings, participate in hall programs, and stay engaged in your residence hall community to build connections, stay informed, understand shared responsibilities, and feel at home.
  6. Attend lectures, workshops, or cross-cultural events to explore new perspectives, engage with important issues, and better understand your role in a diverse and interconnected community.
  7. Attend arts performances, athletic events, and signature events (Homecoming, SUnity Day, Piratepalooza, Friday Night Live) to build school spirit, connect with others, and actively participate in the life of the Southwestern community.
  8. Get involved in at least two student engagement experiences, whether that’s a student organization, intramural sport, Outdoor Adventure, Pirate Adventure, or fitness class, to meet people, try new things, and discover more places where you belong.
  9. Enroll in General Education courses across at least two academic areas each semester to experience the breadth of a liberal arts education and start connecting ideas across disciplines.
  10. Create a résumé and set up your LinkedIn and PirateConnect profiles to start telling your story, capture your experiences early, and be ready when opportunities come your way.
  11. Participate in at least two career-related events (like Curious Conversations, Career Treks, or employer panels) to explore different paths and start building your network.
  12. Use academic support resources like the Center for Academic Success, the Learning Commons, and faculty office hours to build relationships with peers and mentors and gain confidence in your coursework while building strong habits like time management, studying, and note-taking.
  13. Attend an on-campus activity fair (e.g. career, community partner, SURF, and study abroad) to learn about opportunities to connect your area of interest to other opportunities, grow your network, and gain early experience.
  14. Plan your summer with your Success Coach to explore opportunities like internships, faculty-mentored research, study abroad, work, or service, so you can continue building skills and experiences that align with your goals.
Years 2–3

Chart Your Course

Your second and third years are about gaining direction and building experience. As you declare your major and deepen your academic work, you begin applying what you’ve learned through internships, research, leadership, and other high-impact experiences. With support from your Success Coach, you refine your goals, expand your network, and start connecting your experiences to potential career or graduate pathways.

  1. Work with your new faculty academic advisor to build and start implementing an academic plan that connects your interests, shows how different disciplines strengthen each other, and aligns with your goals.
  2. Declare a major by the end of Year 2 to find your academic home and begin focusing your interests and goals.
  3. Attend at least one Internship & Career Fair and research employers to explore opportunities, understand what employers are looking for, and start making connections.
  4. Participate in the SOAR Summit and/or attend career-focused events (Curious Conversations, Career Treks, panels, workshops) to build career skills and expand your network.
  5. Update your résumé and LinkedIn regularly to reflect your growing experiences, skills, and accomplishments.
  6. Meet with your Success Coach to refine your search strategy and apply for internships, research, or other opportunities to gain marketable skills and test the fit of careers.
  7. Complete at least one high-impact experience, such as an internship, research, study abroad/away, or community-engaged learning, to apply what you’ve learned in real-world settings.
  8. Attend the LEAD (Leadership Enhancement and Development) Conference or related workshops to strengthen your leadership skills and learn how to make a greater impact within your organization.
  9. Participate in a course, workshop, training, or dialogue-based session focused on building skills in navigating complex conversations and engaging across differences to build the skills needed to communicate thoughtfully and contribute to a more inclusive community.
  10. Continue participating in campus experiences, such as student organizations, Outdoor Adventure, Pirate Adventures, intramurals, or fitness programs, to challenge yourself, build confidence, and deepen your connections with others.
  11. Participate in Paideia experiences, including enrolling in the Paideia Seminar to pursue Paideia with Distinction or attending Paideia lectures, "Slice of Paideia," and other events, to demonstrate your ability to make connections across your academic and co-curricular experiences.
  12. Refine your interests to 3–5 career or graduate pathways and complete a preliminary First-Destination Plan to clarify your direction and begin planning for what comes next.
  13. Plan your summers with your Success Coach to explore opportunities like internships, research, study abroad, or service, so you can continue building skills and experiences that align with your goals.
Year 4

Set Sail

Your final year is about bringing it all together and preparing for what’s next. Through your Capstone, advanced experiences, and career preparation, you refine your story and confidently articulate the connections across your academic and co-curricular journey. With the support of your Success Coach, you complete your transition from student to graduate, ready to launch into a career, graduate school, or other meaningful next step with a sense of purpose.

  1. Work with your faculty academic advisor to ensure you successfully complete your degree and bridge towards postgraduate pathways.
  2. Complete a Capstone to bring together what you’ve learned and demonstrate your knowledge and skills in your field.
  3. Present your work publicly in a university-wide forum like the Research & Creative Works Symposium or student-run literary journal, at an academic conference, in a professional publication, or as part of another public-facing venue to share your ideas and build confidence in communicating them.
  4. Apply to jobs and/or graduate programs to take the next step toward your goals after Southwestern.
  5. Tailor your résumé, cover letters, and/or personal statements and receive feedback to clearly and effectively tell your story.
  6. Complete at least one mock interview to practice, gain confidence, and prepare for real opportunities.
  7. Secure and confirm at least three references to ensure you have strong advocates ready to support your applications.
  8. Complete at least one additional high-impact experience, such as an internship, research, or community-engaged learning, to deepen your experience and strengthen your readiness for what comes next.
  9. Serve in a leadership role in a student organization or sport club to make a lasting impact, support others, and demonstrate your growth as a leader.
  10. Clearly articulate your engagement in and the connections you’ve made across your academic, co-curricular, and personal experiences to better understand your path and communicate your value to others.
  11. Complete the Post-Graduate Survey to share your next step and help Southwestern provide you with ongoing, lifelong support and resources as you continue your journey.