Liberal Arts Research Interview

For this interview, I was paired with a fellow CIS classmate, Lauren Joyce.

Lauren responded to the first research question regarding liberal arts--

"How do undergraduate students attending a liberal arts college describe their decision in choosing to attend their college?"--with a list of pros and cons.

Pros

• Exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, beyond their major
• Small class sizes
• Relationship with professors, rather than just a number
• More help when needed – Professors are willing to make other accommodations for the student
• The professors actually teach the course – not a TA
• Live on campus or near campus – creates a sense of community
• Two-year exploration before declaring major

Cons

• Could be as much as 4x’s (or more) more expensive than public school in the same state
• Usually smaller - Less options for living situation/meal plans

"How do undergraduate students attending a liberal arts college describe the benefits they expect, as a result of attending their college?"

• Provides an excellent foundation for graduate study
• Prepares students to work in a variety of jobs
• Degree is appealing to employers.
• May have better company connections because of the smaller college community – or internship opportunity
• Creates graduates who are equipped with the skills to become valuable community members
• Learned more while enrolled from small class sizes & professor (instead of TA) that they were better prepared for a job in their field
• Internships – were able to get a job at the same company or gained experience in the internship that helped land a job in their field easier than an applicant that didn’t.

"How does attending a liberal arts college change undergraduate students?"

Enables students to:

• Be more reflective about what they believe
• Be more conscience of their choices
• Be more creative and able to solve critical problems
• Be more conscience of their feelings and emotions
• Think for themselves
• Open their minds up to learning new things
• Be more socially effective
• Look at the larger picture

“It heightens students' awareness of the human and natural worlds they inhabit” Harvard Admissions.