<p>The age old question: Liberal Arts or Pre-Professional Undergraduate Study?</p>
<p>A liberal arts program has many advantages. As it is designed for students to study from a broader perspective, it engenders the ability to think more openly and worldly, a useful ability that should not be overlooked. It also gives students an intellectual advantage because the students would know how things are globally connected to each other. However, an obvious disadvantage is that a liberal arts education does not always translate to a job, as liberal arts programs do not teach practical skills for a job. Going to college for four years is a lot of money, and sometimes a liberal arts education does not provide enough monetary return to supplement this investment. Therefore, graduate school would provide liberal art students a narrower focus that would give their studies more practical meaning and monetary return.</p>
<p>A pre-professional program also has many advantages. As it is designed for students to study from a more in-depth perspective in a certain area of interest, it gives the students skills necessary for work. Pre-professional students often have an advantage over liberal arts students in the real world because they have better knowledge of how to use their skills in a certain area. Therefore, they would usually receive immediate monetary return after college. However, pre-professional students do not have the edge in graduate school because their mindsets have been trained to be narrower than those of liberal art students. Graduate school, therefore, would provide the vehicle for a broader, more global mindset that would enhance their skills in a particular subject.</p>
<p>So, which do you prefer, and why? I’ve asked my friends, and it’s about 7:3 liberal arts.</p>
<p>No bashing of either side is allowed, but friendly debate is welcome.</p>