Gold Path FAQ

The CMU Gold Path is a student's guide to designing their out-of-classroom experience at CMU. Employers and national research suggest that students who are involved in cocurricular and extracurricular experiences gain skills that are valuable to employers, have a higher GPA, practice time management and are more likely to graduate on time. The CMU Gold Path guides students through a breadth of cocurricular experiences and prepares them to share how these experiences and skills make them a more preferred candidate when applying for a job or graduate school.

Cocurricular experiences are the activities you do outside the classroom that will help you gain skills and develop into an engaged, career-ready graduate. CMU defines cocurricular as intentionally designed programs, activities and involvements that are directly tied to the university's mission, vision and strategic plan. Extracurricular activities, sponsored by the university, but not tied to learning outcomes, are also an important and vital part of the college experience. Extracurricular activities are included in the CMU Gold Path, too!

Yes! By being an enrolled CMU student, you are already a part of the CMU Gold Path. Participation is optional, but getting started is easy. Simply follow these steps to begin your Gold Path today:

1. Log in to Engage Central at https://engage.apps.cmich.edu
2. Click your initial icon in the upper right-hand corner,
3. Click Paths
4. Click Explore & Experience #1 to find upcoming events
5. Begin designing your CMU out of the classroom experience!
   

The CMU Gold Path is designed to fit within your schedule. We encourage freshmen to begin tracking their experiences upon completion of New Student Orientation. Many of the programs and activities that take place at the start of the semester including Leadership Safari, will apply toward the 10 cocurricular experiences required for the Explore phase. Students may complete a phase in as few as six months or it may take up to two years. Students should plan on a minimum of four semesters to complete the three-phase program.

Each semester all students who complete the Explore phase will be entered into a drawing where one student will have their books paid for a semester.

Yes! Research shows that employers value college graduates who can communicate effectively, work in teams and demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Many of these skills are developed through on-campus involvement in student organizations and department programming. Combine these skills with the work you are doing in the classroom, and you are setting yourself up to stand out!

In 2017 a group of faculty and staff joined together to see if students, families, and employers valued out of the classroom experiences. Surveys were completed by CMU students, parents and employers. The research was clear – employers value co-curricular experiences because of the skills students gain, like critical thinking, problem solving, team work, and leadership. Students and families did not perceive the same benefits. The CMU Gold Path aims to address this gap by providing students with a way to get involved, track attendance, learn about skills developed, and reflect on how these skills relate to future careers.

Yes! It is encouraged that all students participate in the CMU Gold Path. If you believe your involvement at your previous institution should count toward your path progress at CMU, send an email to goldpath@cmich.edu to schedule a time to chat!

Yes! It's never too late to start your Path. While it might not be possible to complete all the Engage, Explore and Apply phases in a single year, participating and reflecting on experiences can help in making the transition into your next chapter, whether it be your career or graduate school.

You can find all events that count toward the Path on Engage Central. If you go to the Explore page, you will find the Events tab at the top. Select Events. From the Events page, under the left navigation menu, under Categories filter CMU Gold Path. All designated and approved Gold Path events are listed here.

The Gold Path is designed to track things for you! The office or organization hosting the Path-approved event will have a means to track attendance- through swiping your Chip Card, sign in sheet, etc. Simply show up, checkin, and your attendance will be entered into your Path account in Engage Central. If you participate in something that you think should count toward your Path and it isn't listed, email GoldPath@cmich.edu.

If you would like to access your complete involvement on Engage Central, click on your initials icon in the upper right-hand corner and then click on the Cocurricular Transcript tab.

If your experience doesn't show up on your CMU Gold Path progress, it means you were not accurately swiped in and credited for attending the event. If you believe you should receive credit for attending, please reach out to the event organizer or email goldpath@cmich.edu with the event information.

Possibly! If you have participated in a cocurricular or extracurricular experience you believe should count toward your Gold Path, let us know! Simply fill out the form. We will review the event for credit. If it fits, the CMU Gold Path team will reach out to the organizer about getting the event in the system.

Reflection allows you the opportunity to build stronger connections between experiences and formulate how your skills have grown. Chances are, your experiences are building one or more of the eight competencies of career readiness as identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers:

• Critical thinking/problem solving,
• Oral/written communications,
• Teamwork/collaboration,
• Digital technology,
• Leadership
• Professionalism/work ethic,
• Career management,
• Global/intercultural fluency.

Your reflection does not have to be long, just get your thoughts on paper! To learn more about reflection, view Video #2 in the Explore Phase.

First of all, congratulations! Second, you should add to your resume that you are a graduate of CMU Gold Path and review that your on-campus experiences are on there too. Take time to reflect on the skills you have gained from your on campus experiences and how they are your answer to common interview questions. It is these specific examples that will make you stand out against other candidates for a job or for a spot in graduate school.

You can find all events that count towards the Path on Engage Central. If you go to the Explore page, you will find the Events tab at the top. Select Events. From the Events page, under the left navigation menu, under Categories filter CMU Gold Path. All designated and approved Gold Path events are listed here.

If you are a faculty or staff member trying to add an event to Engage Central that will count toward the CMU Gold Path and have questions, please see instructions on the Faculty and Staff Page. Student organizations must be listed in Engage Central before an event can be added to the calendar. If you are an advisor to a registered student organization and would like to have your organization added to Engage Central, please contact Dani Rossman at SAI@cmich.edu or at 989-774-3016.  If you have other questions about adding events to Gold Path, reach out to Jennifer Drevon at limba1je@cmich.edu. 

If you would like your event to be considered as part of the CMU Gold Path, you will need to submit an event on Engage Central. During the event submission process there will be a question asking if you would like your event to take part in the CMU Gold Path. You will select yes and provide the information needed. Note: All Path events must track attendance in the Engage Central system.

If you have questions or would like more information, reach out to the CMU Gold Path team by emailing goldpath@cmich.edu or calling (989) 774-2620.