I always get asked why I go to RIT if I’m a liberal arts student and while it is a good question many people don’t realize the benefits of being a liberal arts student at a technical university.

At RIT I’m exposed to over 200 different majors with many of them being outside my college. Sure we are known for our STEM programs but we also have one of the best business schools for job placement in the country. In fact, we have one of the best job placement statistics in the country.

But that’s besides the point. Being a liberal arts student at a tech school allows you to expand your field of knowledge to realms you wouldn’t be exposed to. For instance in my degree we have to take an elements of web building class which teaches you how to code in HTML and Java. This provides you with a skill that basically allows you to create your own blog formats and themes. You don’t have to rely on anyone to design your dream blog because guess what, you know how to do it yourself.

You’re also exposed to a huge amount of writing and editing opportunities. A good portion - statistical- of STEM students don’t favor writing. During my first year I helped a lot of my friends edit their lab reports and their presentations. This not only helped my editing skills but it also opened my eyes to things outside my field of study.

There’s always the person who will mock you because they see your major as obsolete or easy. But you learn to deal with it and to hold your head high because you know that your major is just as important. If we didn’t have the liberal arts students we wouldn’t have amazing works of literature or the next academics.

So when people ask why I’m a liberal arts student at a tech school I always say because it’s forcing me to push myself out of my comfort zone and enhance my academic exposer.