College Admissions Consulting Demystifying Liberal Arts: What They Are and Aren't Written by Scott Alexanderon April 22nd, 2025 I came to College Coach after working in college admissions at five highly selective colleges and universities. I began my professional career at Connecticut College where, in addition to reviewing and making decisions on applications, I coordinated on-campus programming, introduced enrollment initiatives, managed the waitlist, liaised with the arts departments, and collaborated with financial aid. At Colby and Bates colleges, I held director-level admissions positions overseeing international admission, recruitment travel, strategic planning, communications, and marketing. More recently, I served as an application reader at Brandeis and Brown universities, reading for both first-year and transfer admission. Throughout my career, I read more than 27,000 undergraduate applications from every corner of the United States and over 150 countries! In addition, I’ve presented at professional admission conferences, both nationally and internationally, on topics including international financial aid, standardized testing, and ethics. Learn More About Scott liberal arts, choosing the right college, choosing a major, Confused by the term liberal arts? You’re not alone. Liberal arts is a misnomer. It is neither a political ideology (e.g., liberal or conservative) nor is it singularly focused on studying the arts. Think about liberal in the sense of broadening the mind (coming from the Latin liberalis) and arts as a craft, skill, or practice. Liberal arts have roots in classical antiquity and became more formalized in the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the liberal arts style of education is unique to the U.S., replicated only in certain parts of the world. Otherwise, most educational systems have students narrow their academic focus, sometimes choosing a career path as an early teenager. A liberal arts education asks students to open their academic focus and be exposed to the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts throughout their curriculum. A liberal arts education bends towards openness instead of containment. Here are some key aspects to a liberal arts education today: Breadth and Depth Colleges and universities tailor their curricula slightly differently to achieve the breadth inherent to a liberal arts education. Terms like core, open curricula, and distribution or general education requirements reference structural differences in each institution’s approach to the liberal arts. Depth is achieved through major(s) and minor(s). The general guideline is that one third of a student’s total classes will be in their major. A liberal arts education allows students to both specialize in a subject and take courses in other fields. Broadened Worldview Our understanding of the world depends on where we stand and how we interpret what we see and know about the world. Our worldviews are influenced by factors, which are overlapping and interdependent, including language, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, politics and ideology, and social and economic class. The liberal arts encourage students to question their assumptions and see interpretations through disciplinary lenses. As an example, picture an apple. A philosopher questions, “Does the apple exist?” while a student of religious studies asks, “What is the meaning of the apple? What is the myth of the apple?” A chemist wants to know the chemical composition of the apple, and the economist researches the supply and demand of the apple. While the politician may want to tax the apple, the computer scientist thinks of a different kind of Apple. Meaningful Relationships A liberal arts education is personalized. Liberal arts faculty make a conscious decision to work at institutions where the primary focus is teaching. Yes, there is significant research happening on liberal arts campuses, and your classes will be taught by faculty with PhDs (or comparable terminal degrees) and not by graduate students. In general, liberal arts classes are intentionally small and courses are discussion-based, which promotes close collaboration between students and faculty. Faculty become not just teachers but mentors. Imagine a letter of recommendation for graduate school or employment from a professor who knows the student personally. Of course, meaningful relationships are not limited to just the faculty; they extend to staff and fellow students. Educating the Whole Person U.S. liberal arts colleges generally offer a residential experience. Societies are segregated by where we live so, if only for four years, residential liberal arts colleges strive to break this divide. Frequently, on-campus housing is guaranteed for a certain number of years with a variety of housing options, including residential halls, houses, and apartments. On top of this, liberal arts colleges offer lots of activities and organizations and students can create more. Athletics can be a larger component of U.S. college life, and this is true on liberal arts campuses as well. Sports bring additional opportunities to create community and celebrate scholar-athletes. Career Preparation Your first degree does not necessarily correspond to your advanced degree or career in the U.S. For example, a sociology major might work in big tech advertising, a chemistry major could pursue a master’s degree in business, or a music major may enroll at medical school. The robust career services at liberal arts colleges are distinctive. From job shadows and internships to pre-professional programs and dual-degree options, a liberal arts education does not train you for your first job, but your eighth career. Statistically, today’s U.S. students will have eight careers in their lifetimes and change jobs every two years. And many of those future jobs do not exist today. My grandparents could not imagine being astronauts. My parents could not imagine being web programmers. The global economy will continue to place a premium on adaptability and mobility (key skills obtained from a broad education in the liberal arts) along with preparation for leadership roles. Rooted in the liberal arts is an understanding that ideas are economic drivers. Lifelong Learners The liberal arts offer a profound approach to learning and to life. Liberal arts graduates are trained to be curious about the world, other cultures, and other traditions. They think critically and express their views cogently and convincingly. They have an aesthetic sensibility that is critical to design and humanistic approaches to leadership. As a lifelong learner, you may choose to continue your formal studies at graduate or professional school. This is a common pursuit for alumni of liberal arts colleges and universities. Find out where our team of admissions decision-makers came from and why they joined College Coach. Meet The Team Related Resources Read | Posted on March 11th, 2025 Does a Teen Need to File a Tax Return? Read | Posted on March 5th, 2025 Mastering the Final Round: How to Ace Your College Scholarship Interview and Stand Out Read | Posted on February 20th, 2025 Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment: Which One is Right for You?
