The thing that I like best about studying liberal arts is the fact that I get to try so many different things. Because I came from a really small high school, there wasn't the opportunity to get a little bit of everything, and there is that at this liberal arts college.
In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, we have a first year program that's designed to help students, who are just starting college get acclimated to the whole new scene. It's very different from high school for a lot of students. First Year program is a regular class. So they're taking a class on American politics, maybe or literature, but they're also doing extra things to help them understand what kinds of study habits are necessary for college. They also spend some time just thinking about the college process. Why are they here? By reflecting on on why they're here and what they want to do. Liberal Arts is such a misunderstood phrase. So for us, what liberal arts is about is really, it comes from the Latin "Liberalis" and which means the art of being free. And so the idea is that what we're teaching students are the tools that they need to figure out what they want to be in life and to fulfill that potential.
So when we talk about the liberal arts and sciences, that means a freedom of thought a freedom of exploration, a freedom to be curious and explore different areas and to put them together in unique and challenging ways.
For students interested in pre professional advising, we have a lot of support for that on campus. The students interested in debate can check out pre law options. Students interested in medicine, can check out pre med advising options and support both the faculty and through the Career Development Center.
I think a degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences demonstrates that a student is the kind of person who is free to explore and challenge themselves and be curious rather than majoring in let's say, a specific career field. And it demonstrates to potential employers or graduate schools that this is a person who is open minded, who is free to explore different possibilities. They've got a degree that makes it easier for them to adapt to changing job environments down the road rather than studying one particular narrow career field.
