Think how nice it would be after graduating from college to have a meaningful way to demonstrate your personal growth to potential employers or graduate school admissions staff.

That's the goal behind our distinctive Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) Program. The PDP is documentation of your cumulative academic and social experiences at Bridgewater. Think of it as a sophisticated scrapbook in which you record all of your accomplishments. Based on Bridgewater's mission of developing students as whole persons, the PDP Program is designed to cultivate four dimensions of personal development:

Citizenship and Community Responsibility
Applying your knowledge and skills in ways that improve the lives of others is essential in order to be a truly educated and responsible person. You might develop this dimension of yourself by doing volunteer work at a homeless shelter, with a local rescue squad, or at an area hospital.

Intellectual Growth and Discovery
Challenging your mind and discovering new ways of thinking are essential components of a liberal arts education. The key is connecting your varied academic experiences to life in ways that really matter. You might explore this dimension by studying the relationship between an English course and a physics course or explaining how you were enlightened by a math course.

Emotional Maturation and Physical Health
Developing a lifelong habit of physical and emotional health and understanding the connection between your mind and body is a skill that will serve you throughout your lifetime. In addressing this dimension, you might train for a triathlon, practice a variety of stress management techniques, or lead a fitness class on campus.

Ethical and Spiritual Growth
Defining your ethics, values, and beliefs is essential to helping you to understand why your education is important and how you should use it. Developing in this dimension will require introspection, thoughtful questions, and a process of defining your faith, what you believe in, and why.

At Bridgewater we teach students the value of each of these facets of life. You will have guidance from faculty and peers in learning to integrate, and reflect on, each dimension of PDP. Cultivating that ability helps students to lead more productive and rewarding lives after college.