“You will be going to a liberal arts college – no ifs, ands, or buts.”
I remember sitting around the dinner table searching for colleges when my father emphasized that I would not be attending a Big 10 school, but rather a liberal arts college. So, there I sat generating lists of small liberal arts colleges above the Mason-Dixon Line. After seventeen applications, twenty-two tours, hundreds of miles driven, it only took me one second to choose Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Was it the lake, global education office or the emphasis of leading a life of consequence? One will never know, but it was a fit… at least I thought. For the first semester of my college experience, I regretted my father’s choice to send me to a small liberal arts school. I wanted big rowdy crowds cheering for basketball teams and the ability to hide in the back of a lecture hall. I resented my choice and longed to transfer.
But, I began to dip my toes into clubs, organizations and classes I never pictured myself participating in. I have taken science classes, music classes and even archaeological classes. I have opened my eyes to new and interdisciplinary concepts, philosophies and viewpoints. With eight education goals, students are required to engage across the curriculums. With 45 majors, and 68 minors, students can combine ambitions together to develop their own course of action.
By sophomore year, I fell in love with the liberal arts small school education. I wasn’t preparing for a specialized job, but to become a well-rounded citizen for the future workforce. I learned skills ranging from reading to mathematics (I wanted to leave math in high school, but I’m glad I didn’t.)
So, then I thought, do other women at this school feel the same way about teh liberal arts education? I approached four girls siting at a table and asked: What does a liberal arts education mean to you?
Jemma Louise: “A liberal arts education allows me to dip my feet into an array of expertise and embrace the discomfort of putting myself out there.”
Molly Gorelick: “A liberal arts education allows me to not be stuck in one academic interest, I can step outside and experience new subjects and fields in order to discover what I am truly passionate about!”
Christina D’Alessandro: “…because of the small, personal classes and flexibility within each schedule that you can make. Also, you can take classes that interest you rather than just generic ones in order to graduate.”
Janey Blackwell-Orr: “The freedom to explore all different interests and passions and the opportunity to discover new ones, while also figuring out what I actually don’t like as well.”
I am still unsure of my future, but I know that Hobart and William Smith has made me a more well-rounded individual by forcing me to go beyond my comfort level. Thanks Mom and Dad for pushing me towards a liberal arts education.