By Natalie Butz
Editor-in-Chief
In light of the recession, unemployment and the ever-rising cost of tuition, it’s easy to question the value of a liberal arts education. This is an especially hot topic in my house because my sister goes to a university with over 20,000 students while Washington College’s numbers haven’t even reached 1,600 yet. This invariably leads us to compare our experiences at two very different types of academic institutions.
While I sometimes envy the diversity of classes my sister has to pick from and the never-ending activity in her college town, I think there are some benefits I’ve had because I go to a small school that my sister hasn’t.
I especially noticed this last spring when we were both applying for internships at the same time. While my sister worried about what professors would know her well enough to write her an effective recommendation, I found several professors who not only wrote me recommendations, but helped me refine my resume and cover letter and served as personal cheerleaders. They encouraged me to apply to the best programs I could, reassured me when I faced rejection and helped me celebrate when I finally was awarded an internship. After I found an internship in New York, the college’s Jacoby Grant helped pay for housing. I think my campus community had more built-in support system than my sister’s school, and that may have led me to getting a better internship.
I also think being at a small school has given me the opportunity to be involved in more activities. It’s not that my sister isn’t a strong student, but 20,000 other people all competing for the same positions could make anyone get lost in the crowd. But I also think that not all schools offer the same opportunities as ours. Not all liberal arts campuses are created equal and in WC’s case, I think it’s amazing the amount of responsibility and opportunities given to students.
But the cost of education is something we need to look at. While the value of higher education cannot be monetized, I think it’s also important to consider whether rising tuition costs is making a liberal arts education less feasible. You may not be able to put a price on education, but prices shouldn’t be as astronomical as they are.
We are profiling schools that provide grants to fund internships. How do we find out more about the Jacoby Grant?