A liberal arts education offers something very different from a pre-professional one. In a liberal arts setting, you are encouraged to explore your interests and to think critically about abstract concepts. Many classes you take are based entirely on theory and have no real application to the real world. Core curriculums are either cut down or eliminated, giving you the total ability to choose almost or all of your classes. The idea is to provide students with the ability to develop the ability to problem-solve.

That said, many people at liberal arts schools do not embrace this approach to learning. You hear people saying things like “I’ll probably major in history and maybe economics too so I can get a job.” And that’s the problem. We need to regain our understanding of why liberal arts colleges are so special. For four years, you can push aside any anxiety about what you are going to do after graduating. You can learn for the sole purpose of learning.

In order to get back to this, we need to stop caring so much about our GPAs and what we should major in to look attractive to employers. We need to stop trying to find classes (which often focus on things we do not have any interest in) that hand out A’s for mediocre work. We need to stop caring about getting hired. Until we do this, we’re wasting the opportunities afforded to us by going to a liberal arts school.

Now, this isn’t to say that all people at liberal arts schools are like this. There are many people who study for passion over application (and those people still end up doing quite well after graduating). Nor am I trying to argue that liberal arts schools are worse than they used to be. I am instead saying that less people are using the resources offered at these schools.

So, if you want to major in history because you love it, major in history. Don’t pair it with economics. These schools put people in position to be successful, so just relax and enjoy the four years.