When I was first applying for colleges as a high school senior, I had no clue what I wanted to major in or what career I wanted. I kept changing my mind because I was trying to find a professional-focused degree program that would best suit me. At the time my main focus was the career I would get immediately after college. My college counselors suggested that I look into liberal arts schools. I was hesitant at first. I asked myself, “What jobs could I get with that type of degree?” After doing research, I decided to spend the next four years pursuing a liberal arts degree, and I don’t regret it. The education at Smith College has made me a better thinker, writer, and communicator. It has opened my mind to concepts and ideas that I was never aware of before.
There are many misconceptions about liberal arts degrees. People think that they are useless in terms of job preparation, a waste of tuition money, or more of a luxury than an actual academic pursuit. These misconceptions are what cause some prospective college students to steer clear of liberal arts degrees and instead pursue professional degrees that prepare students for a specific career, such as nursing or business. But these conceptions are not true. A liberal arts degree is just as valuable as any other degree and has many benefits that are frequently overlooked.
A liberal arts degree allows for undergraduate students to engage in a holistic course of study that encompasses subjects such as: the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, physical sciences, and philosophy. Students are not trained for a specific career field. Instead, they declare more general majors like English, biology, or anthropology. The degree allows students to develop crucial skills like critical thinking, communication, analytical reasoning, writing, which can apply to almost any career field.
According to the Harvard Business Review, a survey conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) revealed that 80% of the employers who responded to the survey agreed that they favored students who had a strong foundation in the liberal arts. They also favor skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and ethics, which can be gained with a liberal arts education. Therefore, the skills that can be gained from earning a liberal arts degree are in high demand, which counters the common critique that liberal arts degrees are not useful in career preparation.
A liberal arts degree prevents you from being stuck with only the knowledge and skills of a specific arena. This is beneficial for our unpredictable job market. As the requirements for jobs change and the availability of jobs fluctuate, a liberal arts degree can allow someone to easily switch to a new field without going back to school to earn another degree. Liberal arts degree holders can be found in a variety of industries, including STEM, business, healthcare, teaching, journalism, and more.
The curriculum pushes students to go beyond the classroom to gain valuable skills and work experience through internships, campus jobs, and student organizations. The aforementioned survey revealed that 94% of hiring managers would most likely hire college graduates with internship experience, regardless of the type of degree that is held by the applicant. As long as a liberal arts degree is supplemented with internships, research, or other types of real-world experience, it’s just as likely to help a student get a job as other college degrees.
These benefits are not being presented to criticize the choices of those who choose not to earn this type of degree. We all have different goals, interests and career aspirations. However, I feel like liberal arts students are often judged for their choice of education. The goal here is to provide a different perspective on the liberal arts degree and highlight its benefits,which may not be clear to those who have no experience with a liberal arts education. Because of its broad curriculum, flexibility in the job market, and ability to teach students a diverse set of skills, a liberal arts degree isn’t as useless as one might think.
