When considering a college in the United States, students are faced with many options. With two-year technical schools, large public universities, and community colleges among the options, deciding on what kind of school can be an intimidating part of the college application process.
However, for students who are looking to engage in serious academic study, the liberal arts college may be the best choice. These institutions, while smaller and maybe less-known than larger public schools, have retained many centuries-old traditions that date back to the American Founding or earlier.
What are the Liberal Arts?
According to the University of Minnesota – Duluth, the liberal arts consist of four categories:
- Humanities: arts, English, foreign languages, history, and philosophy
- Social Sciences anthropology, communication, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, and women's studies
- Sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, and geology
- Mathematics algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics
The concept of the liberal arts was initially created by the ancient Greeks, who believed that all citizens should have an education grounded in these areas in order to have a well-educated society.
What is a Liberal Arts College?
College News describes today's liberal arts college as a place that seeks "to develop intimate learning environments where extensive interaction between faculty and students and among students themselves fosters a community of serious discourse."
Students who attend a liberal arts college can expect to engage in serious, critical discussion beginning in early classes, a practice that will continue through senior-level coursework. In addition, liberal arts colleges may create living-learning communities, where resident students take common academic concepts, such as areas of academic study or future careers, or common interests, such as leadership development or service learning, and create a learning community that extends beyond the classroom.
In addition, students may find themselves ushered into a community that emphasizes tradition. Since many liberal arts schools in the United States have been established for decades or more, many of these schools have traditions that may seem silly or even crazy to new students, but help the college to stand out as higher education in America continues to expand.
Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education
Since liberal arts colleges are traditionally smaller than public or research institutions, students benefit from smaller class sizes and more face time with the instructor. Most classes are taught by a professor who holds an advanced degree in his or her field, instead of a graduate student working as a teaching or research assistant.
In addition, The High School Graduate also says that students at liberal arts colleges are educated in how to think by critically analyzing and studying subjects outside of a student's major area of study. In turn, once students learn how to think, they then learn how to learn, which benefits students across all areas of academia.
The liberal arts college, a long standing institution in American higher education, offers a wealth of opportunities for students who wish to engage in critical study both within and outside their chosen area of concentration. In addition, liberal arts colleges offer students the chance to employ their knowledge outside of the classroom and to become a part of a tradition dating back many, many years.
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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