Why you Should Consider a Liberal Arts College
When looking at colleges, you’re probably receiving information constantly. Colleges from all over might be recruiting you all while you’re still in high school. So what kind of college are you picturing yourself at? What even is a liberal arts college? And should you be focusing on those?
Jump to What a Liberal Arts College Is | Financial Aid | Classes | Community | Undergraduate Focus | Outcomes | Closing Thoughts
What a Liberal Arts College Is
A liberal arts college doesn’t necessarily have one definition, but is typically categorized by the more general approach to education, often including many different disciplines but focusing on producing well-rounded students rather than providing a specific vocational, professional, or technical curriculum. Liberal arts colleges are typically small schools, are often privately run, and have access to courses including arts, humanities, social sciences, and sometimes STEM. Regardless of the degree you pursue, liberal arts schools hone students’ creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and communication skills. While liberal arts colleges are based on certain European models, American higher education sports the best of this type of college and has become the model for international schools as well. While not all liberal arts colleges offer a specific degree in the liberal arts, some do! This major typically includes some combination of soft sciences and communication, and those who graduate with this major are well fitted to join almost any workforce they want. Lastly, while liberal arts colleges are usually independent, they sometimes operate within a larger university.
Financial Aid
One of the biggest benefits of liberal arts schools is the fact that as private institutions with generally higher prices, they often additionally offer very generous financial aid. Offices of financial aid base scholarships and grants on merit, talent, and need. At many of the country’s top liberal arts colleges, 60% or more of students receive aid which ranges from full ride to half-off. The exceptionally large endowments these colleges tend to have makes the school both willing and able to meet many different levels of financial need.
Classes
Another enormous benefit is the size and intimacy of classes. The average class size at liberal arts colleges is between 12-30 students. This gives students more chances to participate in class, to get to know their classmates and professors, and to have access to individual attention when it’s needed. You’ll also be more likely to attend every class because your absence will be noticed. Classes are almost always discussion based, so there are plenty of opportunities to participate, make your opinions heard, and come to a consensus as a part of the class. While this may sound scary to some, it’s a great way to practice thinking on the fly, defending your opinions, and articulating your thoughts as well as public speaking. Once you get to the higher levels of classes, it’s common for students to run a class by doing research on a specific topic and presenting it, then leading the discussion. Through this kind of active learning and engagement, you’ll likely retain a lot of the information you learn in your classes.
Access to your professors is another important factor. Classes are nearly always taught by professors with a few degrees under their belts. Actually knowing the students in their classes means professors are more likely to remember you if you ask for letters of recommendation. The small student-to-teacher ratio also means that your professors will be invested in your education and success. Academic advice, career help, and personal mentorship are all much more available to students at these colleges. You’ll be able to book appointments in office hours to seek assistance much easier, and the professors will likely also be flexible and willing to meet outside of office hours.
Your degree itself will also be flexible. Liberal arts colleges focus very heavily on developing critical thinking and effective writing skills across multiple subject areas. Degrees offered are often applicable to multiple career paths, as mentioned earlier. And the skills you develop as a student at this kind of institution will help you to be more confident and successful.
Community
Having a smaller student population means that students will have more opportunities to meet many of their classmates. The communities are often close-knit and students spend a lot of time together across majors, clubs, sports, Greek life, and more. The shared interests are likely to have a lot of overlap which will lead to an overall sense of belonging and being at home. This also means you’ll be able to make connections more easily and to form study groups, make new clubs, and offer more chances to interface with administrators, staff, and faculty. Professional networking is additionally more accessible. Alumni networks are frequently very strong at these types of schools and job fairs may come to campus fairly often, giving you a chance to network.
Alumni networks specifically are useful for a lot of reasons. Firstly, they’re the ones donating the majority of the endowment to the college. Secondly, with the small, close-knit community that defines a liberal arts college, alumni often let career centers know when their places of work are hiring. Putting in a good word for applicants from their college can go a long way. And if someone who graduated from the school founded a large company, there’s a chance that they routinely hire batches of graduates from the alma mater.
Community engagement is another distinct opportunity. Leadership can be achieved through clubs, activities, athletic teams, and much more. The smaller number of students means there are more chances to earn a leadership position, which will look great on your resume and help you to develop your own collaborative skills. Many liberal arts colleges give their student leaders a large amount of independence and trust, meaning that you’ll develop your initiative as well as some trust in yourself and, hopefully, a sense of responsibility for whatever you may be in charge of. The student government associations at these institutions also typically have a lot of sway with the future of the college. If you choose to get involved, you may affect change in everything from academic curricula to dining hall options to green initiatives and so much more. Liberal arts colleges are well known for volunteering, civic engagement, and political involvement, so there will likely be a preexisting niche which you can fit right into. Any activity you choose will promote both your creativity and your critical thinking. These skills are both crucial in the workforce and are both nurtured at liberal arts colleges inside and outside the classroom.
Undergraduate Focus
Some liberal arts colleges may offer graduate studies, but the focus is always on the undergraduate students. Larger universities often prioritize resources for graduate students and professors often select graduate students as their teaching assistants and research partners. It is relatively common at liberal arts colleges for undergraduates to publish papers with their professors and to be able to pursue credited research. This research is also typically more than students doing the grunt work; at smaller institutions, students are considered equally critical to the work and as such their input is valued. This means you could propose new topics, request new equipment, or steer the research in a different direction as long as you’re prepared to reason for your points and suggestions. If you’re able to pursue research, you may also have the chance to participate in international research symposiums and present your work to researchers in the field from around the world. Having published research as well as these kinds of presentations as accolades before you even graduate as an undergrad can put you far ahead if you intend to pursue a job in the research field.
Outcomes
The last benefit of liberal arts education might not be important to you right now, but it will matter a lot once you’re a senior in college. Many liberal arts students, as we’ve discussed, have significant verbal and writing communication skills. The importance placed on developing many skills makes students attractive to many different industries. Liberal arts colleges officially constitute nine out of the ten postsecondary institutions that graduate the highest percent of eventual PhDs. Nearly a third of Fortune 1000 CEOs haveliberal arts degrees. Liberal arts majors tend to earn more by the mid-point of their career. This and more means that graduate school, job opportunities, and salary will only be enhanced if you choose a liberal arts school.
Closing Thoughts
Having read all of this, if a liberal arts education doesn’t seem right for you, then you’ve still gained something! Having a clear view of what you want in terms of your education will save you a lot of time and money in the college application process. If liberal arts are sounding like something you want to pursue, you can now focus your college search more! Specific liberal arts colleges boast superior STEM programs, locations, study away opportunities – whatever you’re dreaming of for your college career, knowing you want it to take place at a liberal arts institution will help you to find the right one for you quicker and with (hopefully) less stress.
