It was an odd place to have an epiphany about the value of my liberal arts undergraduate degree: I was sitting in a large ballroom at the annual conference of my professional organization, PCACAC. Lou Hirsh, the retired Director of Admissions at the University of Delaware, accepted his award for distinguished years of service to our profession, describing his poignant experience as a first generation college student, choosing his first classes at Brandeis University. He described flipping through the course catalogue with a sense of wonder and excitement. He felt like a “kid in a candy shop”.
Years ago, I was a government major. I dabbled in psychology courses, which are handy in my work now. But, I also fondly remember courses across disciplines, including my most memorable, art history; it was a course my mother (in retrospect, correctly) urged me to put at the top of my list for my last semester.
Learning to write, to think, and to debate respectfully is what a liberal arts course of study — with its typically small class size and an encouragement to explore different disciplines — is all about. It’s not surprising that all nine Supreme Court justices were liberal arts majors before law school.
But with the total price tag of an undergraduate degree hitting new highs every year, majoring in the liberal arts seems to many like an outdated luxury. ROI (Return On Investment) is often discussed when students are identifying ideal college majors, and developing their college list.
Still, when you look at the data, it turns out that — whether you consider long-term career success or what job recruiters want from new graduates — pursuing a liberal arts degree can actually be a pragmatic choice.
In fact, a new study by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences finds that humanities grads are as satisfied in their work as STEM majors. While noting that STEM majors do initially have the edge in pay — especially engineers — the report notes that the gap narrows over time.
Dartmouth College’s Assistant Dean of Faculty for PreMajor Advising, Cecilia Gaposchkin, writes that companies recruiting at Dartmouth tell her they only ask students about their majors to see if they can communicate well when they describe what they’ve done. A 2014 study for the Association of American Colleges and Universities found the same: 93% of employers say that communication skills and critical thinking are what they look for, more than the choice of undergraduate major.
Liberal arts colleges recognize challenges faced in student recruitment, and are taking creative and proactive approaches to supporting the career needs of their students, including incorporating technical skills training, strengthening career services, and promoting internships and job shadowing opportunities during summer and winter breaks. Since many of the smaller liberal arts colleges are located outside of urban areas, such opportunities allow students to take advantage of city life as they gain professional experience.
This past week, I visited three colleges known for their focus on the liberal arts: Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and the College of Arts & Sciences at University of Pennsylvania. Enjoying these campuses, watching students with full backpacks and “kid in a candy shop” smiles, reminded me that the value of a degree often goes beyond dollars and cents. Choosing a liberal arts college can lead to four years of thoughtful, enjoyable, and fulfilling exploration, and also prepare a student for a successful career.
If you would like to learn more about how a liberal arts course of study might be the right fit for you, or if you would like help incorporating liberal arts colleges in your plan for upcoming campus visits, talk with a Marks Education counselor.
