“When am I ever going to use this?”
Cue dramatic teenage eye roll.
Whether it was in response to a calculus worksheet or a Shakespeare play, you’ve probably asked this question at some point in your academic career. If you plan on becoming an accountant, do you really need to study classic literature? Or should theater majors be required to study chemistry? In high school, these classes were painfully required, but in college you have the opportunity to focus mainly on one area of study and blissfully ignore subjects that you’ll supposedly never use.
I’m a firm believer in the liberal arts but some people still question whether that knowledge will really be useful to them outside of a classroom. So, I spoke to some current undergraduate students at a variety of schools to ask them about their experiences taking classes outside their degree programs.
“I’m earning a B.A. in Psychology. But, my favorite class would have to be East-Asian Civilization. I found the stories about Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and her lineage to be especially fascinating. And learning about the daimyo system and reading first-hand historical accounts was really cool. I got great insights into the formalities of it.”
-Amanuel, senior, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“I’m a Spanish major with an Arabic minor. This semester I took a nature writing class. It is an English class that falls under ‘creative expression.’ It gave me a chance to express myself and experiment with different writing styles that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to. The class has also given me a new perspective on nature and the way we look at the world.”
– Sadie, sophomore, McDaniel College
“My favorite class that was outside my major was in the psychology department. I am an economics major but I learned so much about human behavior and different theories that I can apply to my everyday life and to my other classes.”
-Scotty, sophomore, Bryant University
“I am a political science major and I took a Legacies of the Holocaust writing class and it was one of the most amazing classes I have taken. Instead of focusing on the historical events we focused on memorialization and stories from survivors post-Holocaust. We also learned specifics about why the Holocaust Museum in D.C. and the Yad Vashem in Israel are designed the way they are. Because of this class, I learned to write in a style that adds emotion to my papers and brings readers into my writing.”
-Jake, sophomore, The George Washington University
College is a perfect time to
expand your horizons and challenge yourself before you commit to a career. Many professionals are starting to pursue multiple careers over their lifetimes
instead of staying in the same job until they retire. So, no matter what your goals are, having a broad academic background might be
the best preparation you could have. Jessica Kleiman, a contributor for Forbes
Magazine, even questions if, among college students, we “are so hyper-focused
on career success that we lose sight of all the other things that make a person
interesting, well-rounded and, ultimately, a good hire."
So, we say thank you liberal arts, for making us knowledgeable, empathetic, and versatile...but we still totally hated chemistry.
