Considering the value of a liberal arts education

The pandemic has given me a newfound appreciation for a liberal arts education. It is because of that appreciation that I cannot justify paying full tuition for online classes. I am a senior at a liberal arts university and have taken leave for the semester. A high-level understanding of a liberal arts education is essential to grasping how this semester will be different.

There are two main types of learning — content and thinking — in the same way that there are two ways to defeat an opponent: strength and strategy. A liberal arts institution teaches the latter, helping students develop intellectual frameworks situating us within various social, historical, and global contexts. These intellectual frameworks allow us to make decisions and practice emotional intelligence.

Decision-making can be divided into rational and automatic.

Rational decision-making relies on deliberate reasoning and follows a simple process: input information, analyze, and output a response. The first step is often complicated by an overload of information, so we are taught to specifically assess theses, evidence, strengths and weaknesses, and implications. The second step — analysis, or what we call critical thinking — requires drawing connections, interacting with various perspectives, and applying contextual knowledge. Lastly, the resulting conclusion should be expressed persuasively: considered reliable to a professional in the field and digestible by someone new to it. Automatic decision-making, on the other hand, relies on instinctive reasoning and is a product of iterating rational decision-making; by practicing and refining the skill every day, we train ourselves to think on our feet.

Emotional intelligence commonly includes understanding, applying, and managing emotions to achieve a purpose. It would be easy to argue that emotional intelligence cannot be taught in a classroom — and it is true. Rather, a liberal arts education promotes a culture where emotional intelligence becomes critical to thrive. First, the self-selecting process for these schools enrolls students with a predisposition for high-level thinking and high-risk activities. Second, the education teaches perspective taking, immersing students in psychology, political science, statistics, and religion within their first year. Lastly, the education teaches collaboration, encouraging group work and challenging students to ask for help.

With such an understanding, it becomes clear that there are vital aspects of a liberal arts education missing from a semester of online classes. The first is analysis. In an online class, it becomes too easy to sit back and listen. It is the eye contact, body language, dressing up, and distraction-free environment that pushes students to lean in and think critically about classroom material. The second missing aspect is collaboration — a pre-med student leaning over to ask his roommate for help with sociology, or a political science major running to computer science peer tutoring because Tumblr cannot prepare one to code. The unfamiliar and unsettling content of a liberal arts education relies on a support system unique to the residential experience to encourage growth. It is clear that online classes at a liberal arts institution demand a new valuation.