What Is a Liberal Arts College?

Students should act wisely when it comes to choosing a college for study. You need to pursue a career that suits your interest. If you want to develop your critical thinking skills and broaden your views, then a liberal arts college is the right choice for you. 

Liberal arts colleges provide a well-rounded education. You get the opportunity to enlighten yourself, and there is more to the liberal arts institutes. 

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What Is Liberal Arts?

Liberal arts does not mean it is about being liberal. Similarly, the term does not relate to the arts only. So, the question arises as to what does it mean?

To find out about liberal arts, you need to consider the time of classical antiquity. The liberal arts emerged in that era; during that period, some studies got the label of liberals or served the purpose for a free individual. During that era, liberal studies comprised three subjects: logic, grammar, and rhetoric. They were called the trivium. 

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Subsequently, the studies included more subjects such as geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. These subjects became the part of liberal education in the Medieval period, and with the expansion, trivium became quadrivium.

 In contemporary times, more subjects have become the part of liberal arts curriculum including philosophy, literature, social sciences such as anthropology, economics, and history, natural sciences, mathematics and others. 

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Although liberal education has gone through an evolution, the main objective of this curriculum is still the same. Liberal Arts enlighten students with the help of robust and dynamic education. Students get knowledge about various subjects and learn skills that are useful in different situations. 

What is a Liberal Arts College and What are its Objectives?

The liberal arts college is an institute, where students study for higher learning, and such colleges emphasize classical patterns and goals. Their main objective is to invoke critical thinking abilities of students. 

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Sometimes, students attend colleges with certain beliefs that they inherit from their families and society. So, the institute reforms students’ thinking and tries to bring rationality in their overall approach. 

There are several aspects that liberal arts colleges have in common. Generally, these are small. On the other hand, it is not difficult to find classrooms having hundreds of students in large universities. In contrast, in the classes of liberal arts colleges, you will find 15 to 20 students. 

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Students can easily access the faculty members in the liberal arts’ college. In most of the cases, there is no teaching assistant in the class. In this way, students can get personal attention from faculty members. 

The low strength of the class enables students to focus more on what their teachers teach. The institutes focus on undergraduate studies. However, the universities emphasize professional degrees and PhD programs alongside providing research facilities. 

What Are the Benefits of Choosing a Liberal Arts College?

Undoubtedly, the primary benefit is learning; students can focus effectively on their studies in a liberal arts college. The liberal arts colleges tend to prepare students for life, and they ensure that their skills could benefit them in the long run. 

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Several universities train students professionally, but liberal arts colleges teach how to approach life, which is one of the fundamental aspects of living a life in this world. Liberal arts college is especially beneficial for those who want to have a different experience as compared to that of the universities. 

Greek life is not very broad in liberal arts colleges, and some students prefer this trend. If you have decided that you are going to join a liberal arts college, you have to choose wisely as to which college is the best one for you. 

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Explore different colleges, and personally visit there to observe the setup. Do not rush for making the decision; instead, give it careful thought. 

Admission Process of Liberal Arts College

The admission process of the liberal arts college is the same as the other colleges. When students apply for the admission in a liberal arts college, they get access in college itself. In contrast, if they use in a university, they may get a ticket to a particular school at that university. This is because the university may have different campuses for different departments. 

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Liberal Arts Majors

Liberal Arts is a broad field, which comprises a wide range of majors such as psychology, philosophy, political science, history, art history, literature, and others. Liberal Arts colleges do not have a lesser developed curriculum in comparison with other colleges. 

Liberal colleges offer majors in specialized and applied fields such as mathematics and others. The students whose interest lies in languages, they can become well-versed in the language they want by studying in a liberal arts college. Through liberal arts colleges, students get the opportunity to improve their skills. 

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Education is not about obtaining the degree; it is also about developing a critical approach and thinking to deal with different stages of life. 

Liberal Arts College v The Universities

Sometimes decision-making becomes difficult for students, and they struggle to decide whether to join the university or a liberal arts college.

 To make a decision effectively, you need to visit both forms of institutes in person and make a conversation with students studying in these colleges. Note the difference between the students’ approach of both liberal arts college and the universities. 

By spending time in research, you will be in a better position to make a decision. You can also attend the classes in these institutes to figure out precisely what they offer, and what type of institute suits you in the long-run.

 Keep in view all your career prospects before making a final decision. If you want to pursue higher studies, i.e., masters and PhD, then consider getting admission in the university. 

Liberal Arts Colleges offer a broad range of subjects that students can choose. Liberal art colleges prepare students for their life by developing a critical approach. Generally, classes of liberal arts colleges comprise 15 to 20 students, and that is why teachers can individually focus on the students.