The liberal arts education is one that has been around for centuries, dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, but has maintained the same basic pillars since then. Modernly defined, liberal arts colleges generally have an enrollment between 1,000 and 5,000 undergraduate students, all of whom are pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree. These liberal arts schools, rather than emphasizing each major or minor track, emphasize a well-rounded education that requires prerequisite courses in modern languages, humanities, social sciences and math and science; some schools have additional requirements, but it varies from institution to institution.

In a world where colleges and universities are continuously placing more emphasis on finding, declaring and pursuing a major ASAP, liberal arts schools maintain a focus on a well-balanced education. Going to a liberal arts school is amazing, and here is why:

You take classes you never would think to take otherwise. This one is pretty self-explanatory, considering the whole idea of a liberal arts education is to make you take classes outside your comfort zone. This option means that in one year, it is possible to take French, an introductory psychology course, calculus, a course on social justice, music appreciation, an introduction to religion, and philosophy, and still not complete your core requirements (I can speak from personal experience). As annoying as it seems to take classes that you think may bore you, you may end up majoring or minoring in that subject (I can speak from personal experience in this respect as well). This leads me to my next point:

It is 100%, totally, absolutely okay to not know your major going into college. In fact, it is totally okay to not know your major after your freshman year. While all schools do have some deadline for when you have to declare your major, the deadline usually falls sometime after you have taken enough classes to at least know what you don’t like. Declaring a major can be terrifying, so it may seem like the end of the world if / when you realize that you don’t actually like what you’ve chosen. Never fear: changing a major is easy, and because you are required to take so many classes all across the board, you probably will have completed enough intro courses in other disciplines that playing catch-up shouldn’t be too terrible. I’m not saying that you should change your major halfway through junior year if you plan on graduating in four years, but you get the idea. That reminds me:

Graduating in four years is the norm, and your advisors will help you get there. Before I talk about how great this part about liberal arts is, it’s important to note that, unfortunately, these schools usually aren’t cheap. Let’s be real, college in general is pretty pricey, but liberal arts universities are on the upper end of the financial spectrum. In my opinion, you get your money’s worth, but that is neither here nor there. The point behind all of this is that, because these schools are expensive, your advisors and professors will do their best to help you get out in four years and avoid a) paying the extra arm and a leg for another year; and b) being that old fifth-year senior that all of the freshmen talk about. Sorry to all of those fifth-year seniors out there, but it’s true; the kids talk about you. Getting out in four years not only saves you money, but also helps you get a jumpstart on whatever your post-grad plans are, whether that is graduate school, a career or travelling the world for a year. Whatever you want to do, your advisors will help you do it. Speaking of faculty:

Because of the low enrollment numbers, professors will (usually) make an effort to get to know you in class. There are exceptions to every rule, so don’t freak out if you have one scary professor, but the small classes make it impossible to fly under the radar. Classes can be anywhere from eight students to 40, so sitting in the back and keeping quiet doesn’t usually fly. For those students who get stressed out even thinking about speaking in class, this may seem like torture, but for those (like me) that need to be held accountable in class, having professors call you out is just what you need to stay engaged and stay on top of your work. As annoying as it is to have to pay attention and actually do the 200-page reading that was assigned, you’ll thank them in the long run when you come out of college actually remembering all of the classes that you took. Besides, having professors know you can come in handy when you need grad school recommendations, internships or help finding a job in whatever field you choose. Basically, it’s a good idea to have professors as friends.

You are surrounded and challenged by people who are smarter than you. Some of the best realizations come from classes that make you feel like an idiot. As difficult as it is to admit that you aren’t the best at everything, being surrounded by smart people is good; we all need that reality check sometimes. Taking something like “An Introduction to Philosophy” when you are exclusively interested in science and math makes you think about things in an entirely different way and shows you that the kid who bombed Calculus II is way more capable than you at understanding and decoding Descartes. Taking a social justice class with minority students who have read and studied the subject extensively makes you understand just how privileged you are and just how little you understand social constructs. Taking a music theory class with the School of Music students gives you a new level of respect for those students because fully comprehending music is like learning a new language. Each individual student in a liberal arts school has a different area of expertise, so experiencing everyone in their own element is important for growth.

I could go on and on about the pros of the liberal arts education, just as many others could go on and on about how liberal arts is their worst nightmare. It may not be for everyone, but students with a liberal arts education come out of college with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a well-rounded person.