<p>I think I get this but at the same time I’m not sure. I get that in a smaller environment and more personal professors, liberal arts education thrieves. But besides this, how is it really different from that of bigger universities?</p>
<p>Also, would you recommend going to a liberal arts school for a grad school?</p>
<p>grad school i'd have to say no.</p>
<p>A liberal arts education usually refers to undergraduate studies, not graduate. Generally, students take a wide variety of courses in different disciplines to receive a broad education. Within that spectrum of courses, however, students still complete the requirements for a major. English majors might take chemistry and psychology. Biology majors make take art history and politics. You often hear the phrase "small liberal arts school," although there's no reason why such a school has to be small.</p>
<p>Professional schools are much more focused. For example, an engineering school tends to have very strict requirements, often with students within the same field taking the same courses. Business programs/schools will concentrate on business. While students can sometimes take a course or two outside of the school, the majority of courses are within that school's discipline.</p>
<p>The so-called "national universities" have undergraduates and graduates in a wide variety of departments. Some may consist of separate professional schools as well as a College of Arts and Sciences. Others, such as the Ivy League schools, offer a liberal arts education to their undergrads while specializing for their graduate students.</p>
<p>In general, a liberal arts education mimics the style of the Ivy League undergraduate programs. That's not saying anything about quality but everything about style.</p>
<p>Bryn Mawr is a liberal arts college because its course offerings are open to all students within the college, not just within a department. Have you visited Bryn Mawr? The tour gives an excellent overview of the kind of education a student would receive.</p>
<p>Actually, now that I think of it...doesn't Bryn Mawr have a couple little graduate programs, too?</p>
<p>They may have some graduate programs, gloaming, but when you say "liberal arts," you are not referring to a graduate program.</p>
<p>Dartmouth considers itself a liberal arts college even though it has a (graduate) business school, med school, engineering school, and other graduate programs. The <em>undergraduate</em> education is liberal arts. Bryn Mawr has the same kind of approach to education: go forth and diversify. This is what allows English majors to go to law school, and history majors to go to med school. As long as you fulfill the undergraduate requirements of the grad school, you can major in whatever you want.</p>
<p>"The purpose of a liberal arts education is to make your head a more interesting place to live inside of for the rest of your life."
-- Mary Patterson McPherson (former president of Bryn Mawr)</p>
<p>A liberal arts education exposes you to a variety of pursuits, rather than allowing you to limit yourself to a single pursuit. I was a Computer Science major at Bryn Mawr, but I doubt anyone would call me a geek. In college, I studied Dante's "Divine Comedy", classical archeaology, Shakespeare, economics, astronomy, and the history of women in Europe in the 1800's. If I'd attended an engineering school, none of that ever would have happened (and in some schools, might not have even been possible).</p>
<p>On the graduate school front, Bryn Mawr has a graduate school of Arts & Sciences, a graduate school of Social Work, and a post-baccalaureate program (for pre-med). I think those students make up about 300 of the total student body.</p>
<p>since bryn mawr has some graduate programs/students, do graduate students ever teach the undergrad classes at bryn mawr? or are all bryn mawr classes taught by professors??</p>
<p>I was at Bryn Mawr today with my D for the accepted students day. (She is still there, staying overnight.) The panel said that grad students don't teach any courses, although they may be employed as tutors, graders, and study group leaders.</p>
<p>yes, all bryn mawr classes are taught by professors. TAs run problem sessions (and i think peer led instructions) at night for science and math classes</p>