Admissions Academy Blog

Appreciating the Liberal Arts

•  Posted by Sarah Ziegler on March 24th, 2008 in Admissions
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Many students and families are familiar with the expression “a liberal arts college” but may struggle to define what that actually means. The liberal arts refer to the study of the humanities, English, foreign languages, social sciences, math/computer science, and natural sciences, stressing the development of broad reasoning abilities rather than a narrow set of skills.

But what can someone do with a History, Philosophy, English, or Math degree? In 2006, Time Magazine published a list of where the Fortune 50 went to college (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1227055,00.html). Here are two illustrative examples:

* Proctor & Gamble’s Alan Lafley graduated with a history degree from Hamilton College.

* Intel’s Paul Otellini graduated with an economics degree from the University of San Francisco.

The moral of the story? Your college major doesn’t have to predetermine your career path. In many cases, a degree in a liberal arts discipline prepares students for more job choices than they might have had if they chose something specialized. Undergraduate education is designed to expose students to a broad array of fields and subjects.

For students and families who still have reservations, take a look at The College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs: The Actual Jobs, Earnings, and Trends for Graduates of 60 College Majors by Neeta P. Fogg, Paul Harrington, and Thomas Harrington. From Criminal Justice to Philosophy majors, this book details career, salary, post-graduate, and other trends for some of the most popular college majors.

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