I have rarely seen a job application that doesn’t count “attention to detail” as one of its requirements or qualifications. Clutter is frowned upon. Science and math are stressed more than arts and humanities. The majority of college classes are hands-off, lecture style. Students write papers in standardized format— times new roman font, 12 point, one inch margins.
I am not the most detail-oriented person. If I planned my own wedding I would probably forget the cake. My room may be a little messy, but I know exactly where everything is. I thrive in hands-on, creative environments, but shut down in STEM subject classes. My best grades come from classes where I’m doing things as opposed to those where I only sit and listen. And I personally believe that I should not get a letter grade knocked off my paper if the font isn’t Times New Roman.
Often, it seems that academia is a mold shaped for a Type A person—one a Type B person must struggle to fit. I cannot express how often I have been advised not to major in the Arts, to choose something more stable, more dependable. A shuttle driver I had met five minutes ago suggested I switch from Arts Management to “just regular business, because it’s more predictable.” Sounds like the exact reason why I chose against it.
Regardless of major or concentration, it is clear that colleges and universities have definite room to grow regarding the variety of students they attract. Schools always say they want their students to be creative people. If that’s really true, why not cater to them?
