Recent studies show that there are several key benefits to studying liberal arts in college, with potential applications beyond the classroom. These include improved academic performance, stress relief, self-confidence, teamwork skills, communication abilities, and overall quality of life.
Studies have also linked higher levels of education to lower income later in life, indicating students who pursue more general fields may be investing in their future careers. And while some people argue that acquiring knowledge is a worthless thing, experts say learning just about anything teaches you how to learn.
Liberal arts colleges emphasize student-teacher relationships over giving out pure information, so students walk away feeling informed and motivated to continue educating themselves. Many professors actively promote discussions, collaboration, and understanding across different disciplines or areas of study.
This article will discuss some of the ways liberal art courses help develop your mind and spirit.
The importance of perspective
A major part of what makes someone successful in life is their understanding of how things relate to each other. This includes relationships, experiences, concepts, you name it.
People who understand this concept are thought about more often than not because they perceive connections where others do not.
This is why there’s always an entrepreneur or business owner around to explain how systems work and how we should approach our lives with a sense of urgency.
It’s also the reason that people who enjoy reading are seen as more intelligent than those who don’t.
Reading brings us insights into all sorts of things: history, science, politics, and beyond. It helps us connect pieces together, recognize patterns, and gain new knowledge.
Liberal arts education teaches students this skill through various disciplines such as literature, philosophy, art, and music. These areas challenge commonly held assumptions, offering different perspectives on the same topic.
That’s important when choosing a career, because your success will depend on which side of an argument you’re on.
The importance of adaptability
One important reason why liberal arts are so valuable is because they teach you how to be more adaptive or flexible in life.
This is an essential quality to have as you grow up. Being able to adjust your lifestyle, career, and/or goal in light of new information and opportunities is one of the most important qualities you can possess.
By educating yourself via studying art, literature, humanities, social science, and philosophy, you’re teaching yourself about other areas of the world, history, logic, and reasoning.
These concepts help you develop thinking skills that can be applied to all sorts of situations. And since being able to think is key to success, this makes liberal arts studies extremely valuable.
The importance of resilience
Resilience is a quality that allows you to recover from or deal with difficult situations. Having a degree in liberal arts can help you be more resilient in this connected world we live in.
Liberal arts courses focus on studying literature, art, music, and/or philosophy, all of which emphasize storytelling. These disciplines hone your ability to tell stories through writing, creating paintings, composing songs, and talking about ideas.
By understanding how concepts relate to each other, you learn why some strategies work and fail. You also begin to understand what makes an idea persuasive. This helps you identify principles and apply them to new areas.
You are not only trained in applying logic to problems, but you must do so quickly as well. A person who has a degree in liberal arts will know how to use reasoning to assess information quickly.
The importance of leadership
One important role that liberal arts education can offer you is to teach you how to be a leader. No, it will not make you able to lead a nation or an organization, but it can help you become a leader in your field or area of life.
Liberal arts colleges focus heavily on teaching students how to think about ideas and concepts as tools to learn from. These skills are very valuable to develop, whether you are leading one person or a group of people.
Students at most elite universities have access to tremendous amounts of resources and opportunities. They use these resources to promote student growth and success.
Some examples of this include using academic departments such as sociology, psychology, political science, or philosophy to help individuals find their personal strength through learning about themselves and the world.
Another example is taking classes outside of what’s typically considered ‘core curriculum’ courses like English, history, mathematics, and the like. Some areas such as business, economics, marketing, and other social studies disciplines can benefit greatly from knowing more than just your own field.
These beyond-the-curriculum experiences give students exposure to different viewpoints, modes of thinking, and career paths.
The importance of networking
One of the biggest benefits that liberal arts can offer you is how it teaches you to network. Networking isn’t just about who you know, but rather your ability to connect with people from all walks of life and use those connections to accomplish something.
By educating yourself in areas like art, literature, music, and philosophy, you’re developing understanding and respect for other cultures and ideas. This makes it easier to relate to others and understand their points-of-view.
You’ll also have more tools to learn about business, leadership, and communication skills. All of these help you build social capital which has powerful effects on your career and personal life.
Networking doesn’t end when you graduate either. It’s an ongoing process that cultivates friendships that last a lifetime.
The importance of learning to take criticism
When you’re in school, you learn how to be careful with what you say and how you word things so your speech is never hurtful or offensive! This is very important because there are going to be times when your words may upset or offend others — this is part of life.
If you can learn how to bear such criticisms meekly and without taking it too seriously, then you will go a lot farther than if you allowed yourself to get angry and respond poorly. Yours could be next time someone calls you out for something they feel is wrong. Or maybe it’ll be about the way you manage your money. Either way, this lesson will help you.
There are many ways that people who have studied liberal arts achieve this. Some believe that being educated makes them look better than other people which helps them gain trust and confidence. Others think that being well-educated gives them an air of prestige which also contributes to their perception as powerful individuals.
Either way, this opinion doesn’t matter much unless you let it.
The importance of learning to be a lifelong learner
We are living in a time where technology makes it possible to have your entire life consumed by entertainment, media, and distractions. Having an advanced degree will make you feel more valuable because most jobs require at least some knowledge of how to use computers, tablets, and smart phones!
Furthermore, having an education beyond just bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees can help you develop other skills that employers look for in employees. For example, many companies now offer online courses through their schools or via private universities that teach you things like how to operate social media sites, manage personal accounts, and do basic computer programming.
These opportunities exist not only for students with college degrees, but also for individuals who are still in high school.
The importance of spending time with friends
A liberal arts education not only teaches you how to read, it trains you in how to interact with others. This is an important skill that prepares you for life.
Liberal arts students are trained in reasoning, analysis, communication and debate. All of these things play a significant role in creating strong friendships.
Friends help motivate each other to be healthier, happier people. They also share experiences with you as they know what works for you.
Having a friend who can relate to your struggles will make it easier to talk about difficult issues. It will also give you someone to go out of their way for you.
Faculty members and students from different areas of study may feel intimidated by you, but if they see you talking to another student outside of class, they might try to draw you into their group.
Using these skills, watch out for each other’s needs and take care of one another.
