A Liberal Arts Education

A liberal arts education, from my perspective, is the fundamental underpinnings for taking on

any professional undertaking. Although the definition of a liberal arts education gets

misrepresented or washed-down in modern day discourse, I find the motive to be one that is

precise and necessary for an individual to prosper in society. Liberal arts metaphorically rounds

out the edges and sculpts an individual into a critical thinking, introspective, logically oriented,

and genuine ethical entity. Throughout my education, Loras has sculpted me into a humble,

morally framed active learner and reflective thinker.

A liberal arts college is different not only in its curricula but also in its methodology.

Permeations of Greek Socratic methods can be witnessed in todays Westernized liberal arts

educations in a few ways. An institution dedicated to the liberal arts is one that promotes small

class sizes thus indoctrinating students into an environment of discourse, critical thinking and the

interpretation of multiple peer perspectives. A liberal arts education is one by which the

professors main duty is not research (as is common in most major non-liberal-centric

institutions) but rather teaching responsibilities; making the students and their education

paramount to their economic success. This allows for a unique environment focused on learning

not as a means to an end but rather as an end in and of itself.

Liberal arts provide a tool set for attacking lifes ostentatious endeavors and assessing lifes most

grandiose questions. The multi-disciplinary curriculum derived from a liberal arts education is

one that not only permits one to pursue a task but also question the underlying motives for doing

so. It allows for the implications of a task to be considered from the perspectives of not the mere

discipline in and of itself but also the perspectives of other disciplines. In this sense, a liberal arts

education is imperative to cross-collaboration of multiple disciplines and henceforth for

prospering in an increasingly diverse, inclusive and globalized world. By being a student of the

arts, one can impressively assess information and mitigate the restrictions of monotony that come

from shadowing a single discipline. There is an interesting yet useful paradox that I have

witnessed from a degree in the arts. Namely, that the more one learns, the more on realizes how

much there is that they do not know. This admittance to ignorance and realization that there is so

much that one cannot know implies two things. First, the liberally educated individual inherently

has a high degree of humility and open-mindedness. Second, the liberally educated individual is

subject to life-long learning, life-long skepticism, and endless intellectual pursuits. These traits

are essential to surviving in such a technologically rapid world and will prove to pay their

dividends both economically and morally in the age of accelerations. It is interesting how some

techniques, such as a liberal arts education, never get outdated. This timeless platform for

teaching has allowed me to introspect, maintain a high degree of curiosity and iteratively

redesign myself into a better human being. The dissemination of knowledge from multiple

disciplines has inculcated in me a sense of curiosity. The moral framework by which this

knowledge has been articulated has instilled in me a sense of humility and awe as well as a deep

understanding of the importance of taking into consideration the views of unique individuals

with variant backgrounds and experiences. Being humbly curious has ingrained this overarching

sense of introspection which has allowed me to thoughtfully consider how to make myself the

most effective and ethical decision maker. The combination of these traits has and will continue

to allow me to be the creator of my future and have a positive impact on my community.