With no prior American agricultural college on which to model itself, the College instead turned to the fledgling American medical school as a guide. In fact, a number of the early faculty members held medical degrees which, in part, accounted for the College's strong scientific orientation. The school offered a three-part curriculum that balanced liberal arts, science and practical vocational studies. Somewhat unusual for the day, Williams excluded Latin and Greek studies from the early curriculum. This meant that these classical languages were not admission requirements, a relief for the overwhelming number of rural applicants. The College did require three hours of daily manual labor, which helped students defray expenses and develop the campus infrastructure while students learned scientific principles through their efforts.