I’ve always been a firm believer that the STEM field and the liberal arts are not separate, but in fact, very connected. I’m pursuing an engineering degree, but one of my passions is writing. When I tell this to people, their first response is always, “Wait, so why don’t you major in English?” I tend to respond by saying that I like both STEM and English and want to combine the two in my career. People seem to assume that STEM and the liberal arts are two very different disciplines at opposite ends of the spectrum. I’m here to tell you that the STEM field and the liberal arts are not that distant from each other.
To demonstrate this, let’s consider an everyday object: a phone. A smartphone has hardware and software components, which are developed by engineers. This is the backbone of the phone. To develop the interface of the phone, there are UX designers who consider the needs of the user. They combine software, psychology, and design in order to make the phone easy to use. For the phone to reach the consumers, every successful company has an advertising team that makes use of design, psychology, and writing to communicate their products to the general public.
At first glance, this may not be obvious, but every single product that we use on a regular basis was developed keeping in mind perspectives from all disciplines, not just one. In addition to being good at math, science, and problem solving, engineers need to be good writers and communicators. There’s often a stereotype that people in the STEM field aren’t good writers or communicators. I see people give into this stereotype every day, but students pursuing a STEM degree shouldn’t just give up on the liberal arts because it doesn’t seem relevant.
As a STEM student, I know how easy it can be to simply regard the liberal arts as a graduation requirement and nothing more. However, I truly believe that college is about educating yourself in all aspects of life. It’s about becoming a well-rounded, global citizen, and connecting STEM and the liberal arts is a great way to become a well-rounded citizen. Combining STEM and the liberal arts provides a chance to develop unique perspectives, and developing these unique perspectives is what college is all about.