NPR just ran this story—Economy Puts Value Of Liberal Arts Under Scrutiny—sharing how many liberal arts colleges, in the face of a still-struggling job market for college grads, are feeling increased pressure to defend their high price tags that come with discussing Nietzche, Dickens, or global cultures in small classes. Considering that the four-year cost of many private schools now exceeds the $150,000 mark, I think that concern has got some legs.
But it’s important to remember that whether you major in accounting at a public university or French at a liberal arts college, it’s up to you to extract the maximum value of your college education. I don’t think the business major who spends four years getting C’s at a public university (and not doing much else other than having fun) will be in a better post-college career position than the philosophy major at a liberal arts college who pushes herself to learn to think critically, to write compellingly, and to forge relationships with faculty who can offer career guidance and write letters of recommendation. Those students deserve more credit or blame for the outcomes than their colleges do.
The philosophy major who does the bare minimum to get by for four years will have a much harder time getting a job (and paying back her college loans) than the public university’s elementary education major who pays a lot less in tuition and graduates with two years experience volunteering as a teacher’s assistant in a second grade classroom. Those students influenced their own outcomes more than their choices of colleges and majors did.
When you’re evaluating colleges, price tags, and potential majors, don’t forget the role you’ll play in creating the value once you get there. Be honest with yourself about where you’ll take the most advantage of what’s available to you. And don’t expect any college or choice of major to magically transform you into a successful college grad. You’ll need to do your part, too.