Meaning of College Education: Anahit K.

Meaning of a College Education

            Each individual may have their own perception of what a college education truly means and what they want to gain from their own college experience. As a modern day student, I simply want to graduate as quickly as I can and make money. Although this sounds quite shallow, it is the opinion of the majority of students today.  A few decades ago, however, this may not have been the case amongst most college students. The typical college student would be more concerned about gaining knowledge in opposed to making money. The meaning of college has become to decide on a major upon matriculation, often avoiding liberal arts majors, in order to find a well paying job immediately following graduation even if they have to study a field that may not interest them. Although some may disagree, college offers so much more than just an opportunity to make money and liberal arts studies can expand and develop students’ skills, allowing them to reach their full potential.

            Many students have misconceptions in regards to liberal arts studies, and before I began my research so did I. Students often erroneously assume that liberal arts majors have no use beyond college. Students and parents alike are especially worried about what awaits after college, and they should be as they devote a great amount of money and time to college. However, in order to receive a fulfilling education, society must become aware of the common misconceptions towards liberal arts as liberal arts classes can be of great importance for a student’s development. While math, science, or engineering majors are also lucrative and can help develop certain skills, liberal arts classes should still be taken regardless of a student’s field of study in order to provide a more solid and well-rounded educational base.

Liberal arts classes will offer a variety of skills that students may not be able to gain in classes pertaining to their specific field of study therefor resulting in a more fulfilling education and broaden their horizons in employment opportunities. Liberal arts classes are the most “practical preparation for lifelong employment because liberal arts promotes intellectual and personal growth; thus, allowing the individual to cope with change and adapting to the workplace as it continues to transform” (Garcia).  In the liberal arts curriculum, students hone their skills of being able to think critically. Being able to critically think and analyze situations can aid an individual in any given career path. 

Vedika Khemani, the author of “Why a Liberal Arts Education Matters,” asserts that in today’s society one needs to develop myriad academic skills to be able to be distinguishable from others. These numerous skills to which Khemani refers can be developed through receiving a liberal arts education, which enables students to become well rounded and well informed instead of just being specialized in one certain field.  While specialization is also important, students would be able to provide a unique understand of their field if they possessed skills available to those with knowledgeable in the field of liberal arts. Neither Khemani nor I are advocating that everyone should major in liberal arts, as Khemani herself majored in physics and I am currently majoring in health administration.  Khemani stressed that along with specializing in a particular field, such as physics, one must also study other fields pertaining to liberal arts such as linguistics and philosophy. She writes, “the ability to synthesize different perspectives into the big picture is far more powerful than narrow expertise in any single field” (2). This is where the importance of critical thinking and writing comes in and the importance of an education that includes liberal arts is evident.

In the article “Making College ‘Relevant’,” Kate Zernike examines ways in which students would be able to gain more from their time in college. Zernike asserts that students are specializing too soon by settling on a major they may not particularly be interested in because they simply want to graduate and make money as soon as possible. Students are greatly concerned about the material wealth they will have upon graduating instead of thinking about the wealth of knowledge they will be gaining throughout college. Ezra Vaughn, a liberal arts student wrote, “there is a wealth in books that cannot be counted in dollars, and there is a fulfillment in translating an ancient text that is hard to explain…I study the arts because I think they are beautiful. Further, I think that many young people would enjoy them as much as I do if they gave them a chance.” Students today are choosing majors too soon without allowing time for self-discovery. I was one of those students who chose a major based on how much money I would be making upon receiving my degree instead of choosing a major I would enjoyed studying. I later realized that making my decision on future income as opposed to choosing a major that I am passionate about was a mistake.

In my opinion self-discovery is a key to success.  I began college thinking studying biology is what I wanted to do. However, several weeks into my first science class I realized I really don’t enjoy and am not interested in biology. Therefore, I changed my major to Health Administration, as I believe it suits my personality well and it is something I enjoy studying. It didn’t take very long for me to discover my strengths and interests, however, I feel as though I still have a lot to discover about myself. Allowing that time for self-discovery is crucial for all college students.  At the age of eighteen it is hard to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. Most of us just decide on a major that will satisfy our parents’ needs instead of satisfying our own specific interests. However, if we were to be given time for self-discovery, we would know what we truly are interested in and instead of making our parents dreams come true we would create our own dream and make it a reality.

Naturally, wanting to obtain and maintain a well paying job is a common aspect of what most students want upon graduating, including myself. It is important for college students to leave college with a variety of skills. These are distinct analytical skills such as reading, writing, and thinking critically. Zernike asserts that most employers are looking for these skills that are often acquired in liberal arts studies. To be able to gain a well paying job one must satisfy the employers needs of these distinct analytical skills. However, today we have the problem of colleges being forced to cut down on their liberal arts classes based on low number of enrollment due to the lack of student interest. It is a travesty that such classes are being cut down, as I believe that these classes will allow students to grow and reach the level of intelligence necessary for success in different aspects of life. Liberal arts studies allow a student to be well rounded and well informed. To be able to read, write, and think critically means to be able to have the opportunity to succeed in a given field.

Overall, my main goal is to gain success through my time in college. I feel that the meaning of a college education is to discover our strengths and interests as students and to develop crucial lifelong skills that will help us reach our full potential in life. I hope that I will be able to truly discover myself throughout college in order to be able to climb the ladder of success. I wish to develop the necessary analytical skills through my liberal arts classes that will help in my journey towards success. I now understand the importance of a liberal arts education. Time in college shouldn’t be wasted on studying a field you’re not passionate about just to make money. We should enjoy our time in college, discover ourselves, study what we love, and allow ourselves to become a more well rounded and well informed individual.

A Well Rounded Graduate

          This photograph was created by Phillippe Deidrich for his article Kids Lose Out When Schools Cut Arts Programs. The essence of this photograph is to provide a visual rhetoric for the importance of a well-rounded college education which includes arts programs. In this picture an individual is portrayed in a graduate’s attire. Above this individual’s head are pictures of different objects pertaining to all the different fields of studies within liberal arts as well as math and sciences. The importance of this picture is that one’s education becomes more valuable upon graduation if they have knowledge in all fields and not just specialized in one specific field. I chose this photograph in particular because it encompasses the ideal modern day meaning of what a graduate should possess. 

Diederich, Phillippe. Kids Lose Out When Schools Cut Arts Programs. 2012. Photograph.

            Mamiverse. 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. 

Well Rounded

           In this video created by Education Minnesota, teachers speak out about the importance of a well-rounded education. According to the teachers featured in the video a well rounded education allows students to discover their own potential and become critical thinkers. The video calls for users to go to 

www.iraisemyhand.com in order to voice the importance of funding education to law makers. As students are showing less and less interest in liberal arts courses, funding is being cut and schools are forced to take out most of the liberal arts classes. I chose to feature this video in my blog as I believe it shows the importance of liberal arts classes and also provides a way in which viewers can raise their voice and show law makers that liberal arts classes are crucial for student development.

Education Minnesota. Well-Rounded. Youtube. Youtube, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 

            Nov. 2013.

What Does Education Mean to You?

           This video was created by a student with the username huandianz for Vittana. In this video the student goes around school asking students and faculty to state what education means to them. The creator asserts that each individual has their own opinion of what education means and this is the purpose for the creation of his video. A variety of opinions are stated such as, education means: confidence to reach out to the opportunities, success, and key that opens the gate to the future. I found this video to be especially interesting as it features a variety of students from different backgrounds sharing their own ideas of what education means.

Huandianz. Vittana - What Does Education Mean to You. Youtube. Youtube, 21 Oct. 

           2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. 

The Importance of a Well Rounded Education

        In this video, created by the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the featured speaker is Dr. Scott Billingsley who is a history Professor. Dr. Billingsley asserts that education should encompass a whole person and this cannot be accomplished simply by learning a trade. According to Dr. Billingsley a liberal arts education is a more well rounded education that provides the opportunity for a student to learn how to think critically and to communicate effectively. He states that you need these skills in everything you do in life. Dr. Billingsley brings up the example of courses in History. He states that in history courses they do not only teach facts and dates, but also how to think about history and life in general. This video is a great reference as it provides an actual professor speaking out how exactly liberal arts classes provide a more well rounded education. 

Experience UNCP. The Importance of a Well Rounded Education. Youtube. Youtube, 19

            July 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

Works Cited

Diederich, Phillippe. Kids Lose Out When Schools Cut Arts Programs. 2012. Photograph.

            Mamiverse. 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. The essence of this photograph 
           is to provide a visual rhetoric for the importance of a well-rounded college

            education. In this picture an individual is portrayed in graduate’s attire. Above

            this individual’s head are pictures of different objects pertaining to all the

            different fields of studies within liberal arts as well as math and sciences. The

            importance of this picture is that one’s education becomes more valuable upon

            graduation if they have knowledge in all fields and not just specialized in one

            specific field.

Education Minnesota. Well-Rounded. Youtube. Youtube, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Nov.

            2013. In this video created by Education Minnesota, teachers speak out about the

            importance of a well-rounded education. According to the teachers featured in 
            the video a well rounded education allows students to discover their own 
            potential and become critical thinkers. The video calls for users to go to 
            www.iraisemyhand.com in order to voice the importance of funding education
            to law makers.

Experience UNCP. The Importance of a Well Rounded Education. Youtube. Youtube, 19

            July 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. In this video, created by the University of North

            Carolina at Pembroke, the featured speaker is Dr. Scott Billingsley who is a

            history Professor. Dr. Billingsley asserts that education should encompass a 
            whole person and this cannot be accomplished simply by learning a trade.
           According to Dr. Billingsley a liberal arts education is a more well rounded 
           education that provides the opportunity for a student to learn how to think 
           critically and to communicate effectively. He states that you need these skills
           in everything you do in life. Dr. Billingsley brings up the example of courses in 
           History. He states that in history courses they do not only teach facts and dates, 
           but also how to think about history and life in general.

Garcia, Eloy. "Liberal Arts/General Education." Targeted News Service. 8 Dec 2010.

            ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. In this article Eloy Garcia discusses ways in

            which college students can be prepared to enter the workforce upon graduating.

            He asserts that liberal arts classes hold the key to the answer as they promote

            intellectual and personal growth. According to Garcia, the skills of analytical

            thinking, problem solving, communication and computation can be gained

            through liberal arts courses, and these are the skills that employees are looking

            for.

Khemani, Vedika. "Why a Liberal Arts Education Matters." New York Times. New York

Times, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. In this article the importance of a 
             liberal arts education is explored. Khemani asserts that in today’s society 
             one needs to develop a myriad of skills to be able to be distinguishable 
             from others. These numerous skills, she asserts, can be developed through
             receiving a liberal arts education, which enables students to become well 
             rounded and well informed instead of just being specialized in one certain field.

Vaughn, Ezra. "The Case for a Liberal Arts Education." Concord Monitor.20 Dec. 2010.

            ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. In this article Ezra Vaughn writes about why he

            chose to go to a liberal arts school and to receive a liberal arts education. He

            asserts that many people have the misconception that studying liberal arts is

            connected with wanting to be a teacher, however they do not see the importance

            of studying liberal arts for themselves. In Vaughn’s view, liberal arts provides

            fulfillment and joy that many will be able to experience as well only if they gave

            it a chance.

Huandianz. Vittana - What Does Education Mean to You. Youtube. Youtube, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 
            Nov. 2013. This video was created by a student with the username

            huandianz for Vittana. In this video the student goes around school asking

            students and faculty to state what education means to them. The creator asserts

            that each individual has their own opinion of what education means and this is
            the purpose for the creation of his video. A variety of opinions are stated such as,

education means: confidence to reach out to the opportunities, success, and key that opens the gate to the future.

Zernike, Kate. “Making College ‘Relevant’.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 Jan.

            2010. Web. 9 Aug. 2012. In this article Kate Zernike, examines ways in which

            students would be able to gain more from their times in college. Zernike believes

            that students are specializing too soon in college. She asserts that students are

            greatly concerned about the material wealth they will have upon graduating

            instead of thinking about the wealth of knowledge they will be gaining.

            According to Zernike, students are choosing majors too soon without allowing

            time for self-discovery. Zernike believes that it is more important for college

            students to leave college with a variety of skills. Some of those skills include

having great analytical skills that most can gain at liberal arts colleges if they don’t choose to specialize in only one certain field. 

By: Anahit K.