http://www.yecinc.com/index.htmlHot News!en2012-06-10T08:54:05-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sun, 9 Sep 2012 10:32:32 -0400College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-06-10T08:54:05-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/87ae328379ff72f5e729d835271c7a7d-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/87ae328379ff72f5e729d835271c7a7d-8.html#unique-entry-id-8Q. Do you think it is a good idea to apply Early Decision or Early Action?

A. I do.

There are roughly 4000 colleges in the US. The majority has rolling admissions, which means you can apply most any time, but almost all of the most selective colleges have Early Decision or Early Action or both.

Four days ago, I was on the campus of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. For twenty years, it has been one of my favorites – on my list of the top ten “best” colleges in the country. Nice campus, great liberal arts curriculum, and best of all, a very positive, friendly, and unpretentious student body. In my mind, it is every bit as good or better than the most selective, small, liberal arts colleges in the East. And, mostly because of its location, it is less selective.

When asked about Early Decision and Early Action, the admissions director said they offer both. Applying Early Decision means you apply to only one college (Wooster), and if they accept you, you are committed to enrolling at Wooster, unless they really come up short on financial aid and you really can’t afford it. (She didn’t actually say the last part!) Then she explained that with Early Action, you can apply to as many schools as you wish, Early Action or Regular Admissions, you will get a response from them early, and then you have until May to make your choice (Wooster, they hope!). Of course, they hope that you will be so excited about getting an acceptance letter from Wooster that you will drop all other applications and make your decision (Wooster) early.

Then she said, “We do have a regular decision deadline, but we encourage you to apply early, because by the time the regular decision deadline comes around, we have most of our class settled.” Now, that may be a bit overstated, but the message is clear. Like it or not, more and more colleges will be taking more and more of their incoming class through Early Decision and Early Action. High schools, and high school students, particularly those applying to more selective schools, will need to adjust their schedules and move the college application process up by several months.

And, despite a few colleges that publicly resist the trend, or at least, won’t admit to going along with the trend, your odds of being accepted are often significantly higher if you apply early, particularly Early Decision. Some colleges accept 30% of their regular decision applicants and 70% of their Early Decision applicants. Some colleges accept 70% of their regular decision applicants and 95% of their early applicants. Most coaches want their top athletic recruits, whether D1, D2, or D3, to commit early.

College of Wooster’s Early Decision deadline is November 15. They will let you know their decision just before Christmas. Nice present! Their Early Action deadline is December 15, with a January 15 notification date. The deadline for Regular Decision is February 15 with a notification date of April 1. Those dates are quite typical. At very selective east coast colleges, the Early Decision deadline may be November 1. Some colleges have a second round Early Decision deadline in January or February, like Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby. The Early Action deadline is usually between November 1 and February 1. Regular decision deadlines are often January 1 to March 1.

Yes, there are issues about how you can maximize your financial aid if you apply early. My advice is that you have a straight and open conversation with the financial aid office before you commit to applying Early Decision. You need a good sense of how much financial aid they can offer you.

You do not have to apply early. You may not be able to apply early. But, don’t overlook the opportunity just because you are too busy with fall sports.

Start your research early. Apply early. Get accepted early. Sleep late on Christmas morning. That isn’t all bad.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-07-10T08:52:18-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/ff11d8111485721c1a168ec6f6ca835b-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/ff11d8111485721c1a168ec6f6ca835b-7.html#unique-entry-id-7Q. Can you suggest some colleges that would be good if I want to go into business?

A. I think I can think of a few colleges that don’t produce a lot of graduates that go into business, but I can’t think of many. I have visited some bible colleges that probably produce very few graduates that go into business. Maybe there are even some small music schools that don’t produce a lot of business-bound graduates. Otherwise, students go into business from almost all colleges.

I would guess that Babson College in Massachusetts might produce the highest percentage of students who go into business. St. John’s College in Maryland and New Mexico is as “liberal arts” as they come, but I am certain that plenty of their graduates go into business.

Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby offer an economics major, but not a business major, but most of their graduates go into business. College of the Atlantic, which is in many ways quite “liberal arts”, offers a Sustainable Business program. Unity College doesn’t offer a business major, nor does Maine College of Art, but with a degree in graphic design at MECA you are likely to be headed into . . . business. Almost all of the other colleges in Maine offer a business major and business courses.

So which ones would be best for you? You might have some ideas where you would like to live after college – where you would like to be working in business. A nearby college will often provide you with some valuable contacts. So, if you want to work in Bangor, the University of Maine at Orono or Husson or Beal or EMCC could all work well for you. If you would prefer Los Angeles, you might look at Whittier or Claremont McKenna or USC where you could learn how to, or how not to, manage a football program.

You don’t need to study business to go into business. In fact, a strong case can be made for studying something else. You may have a better shot at a job in a pharmaceutical company or an automotive company or an environmental consulting company if you know a lot about chemistry or automotive mechanics or environmental science. In any case, I encourage you to think about what you are good at and enjoy, because you will be more successful and happier in college and beyond if you are pursuing something you are good at and enjoy. If you are uncertain of this (you are not alone), I encourage you to spend some time reading about the content of courses that are offered at the colleges you are considering.

I haven’t answered your question. You can go to any college, even a Bible College, and become well prepared for business, but here are a few colleges that I like and Maine students often like that are especially well known for having strong business programs: Arizona State University, AZ; University of Arizona, AZ; Claremont McKenna College, CA; Pepperdine University, CA; Santa Clara University, CA; Stanford University, CA; University of California at Berkeley, CA; University of Southern California, CA; Whittier College, CA; University of Colorado, CO; University of Denver, CO; University of Northern Colorado, CO; Fairfield University, CT; Quinnipiac University, CT; American University, DC; George Washington University, DC; Georgetown University, DC; Florida Southern College, FL; University of Miami, FL; Lake Forest College, IL; University of Chicago, IL; Tulane University, LA; Assumption College, MA; Babson College, MA; Bentley College, MA; Boston College, MA; Boston University, MA; Curry College, MA; Emmanuel College, MA; Endicott College, MA; Gordon College, MA; Harvard University, MA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA; Merrimack College, MA; Mount Ida College, MA; Newbury College, MA; Nichols College, MA; Northeastern University, MA; Springfield College, MA; Stonehill College, MA; Western New England College, MA; Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA; Loyola College, MD; Andover College, ME; Beal College, ME; Central Maine Community College, ME; Eastern Maine Community College, ME; Husson College, ME; Kennebec Valley Community College, ME; Maine Maritime Academy, ME; Northern Maine Community College, ME; Saint Joseph's College, ME; Southern Maine Community College, ME; Thomas College, ME; University of Maine at Augusta, ME; University of Maine at Farmington, ME; University of Maine at Fort Kent, ME; University of Maine at Machias, ME; University of Maine at Presque Isle, ME; University of Maine, Orono, ME; University of New England, ME; University of Southern Maine, ME; Washington County Community College, ME; York County Community College, ME; Duke University, NC; Elon University, NC; Guilford College, NC; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC; Wake Forest University, NC; Dartmouth College, NH; Keene State College, NH; New England College, NH; Plymouth State University, NH; Saint Anselm College, NH; Southern New Hampshire University, NH; University of New Hampshire, NH; Acadia University, NS; Dalhousie University, NS; Saint Mary's University, NS; St. Francis Xavier University, NS; Clarkson University, NY; Columbia University, NY; Fordham University, NY; Hartwick College, NY; Hofstra University, NY; Manhattanville College, NY; Marist College, NY; New York University, NY; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY; Rochester Institute of Technology, NY; Siena College, NY; Skidmore College, NY; Syracuse University, NY; The New School University, NY; Marietta College, OH; Miami University, OH; Ohio State University, OH; University of Western Ontario, ON; University of Oregon, OR; Bucknell University, PA; Lafayette College, PA; Lehigh University, PA; University of Pennsylvania, PA; Villanova University, ; McGill University, QC; Bryant University, RI; Johnson & Wales University, RI; Providence College, RI; Roger Williams University, RI; Clemson University, SC; College of Charleston, SC; Vanderbilt University, TN; Southern Methodist Univ., TX; University of Texas/Austin, TX; James Madison University, VA; Lynchburg College, VA; Roanoke College, VA; University of Mary Washington, VA; University of Richmond, VA; University of Virginia, VA; Castleton State College, VT; Champlain College, VT; Green Mountain College, VT; Norwich University, VT; Saint Michael's College, VT; University of Vermont, VT; University of Puget Sound, WA; University of Washington, WA; and the University of Wisconsin/Madison, WI.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-08-10T08:50:27-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/5cd7a6334c7f63d9121354e53e1dfc6d-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/5cd7a6334c7f63d9121354e53e1dfc6d-6.html#unique-entry-id-6Q. Do you think it is better to go to college in Maine or out of state?

A. I could be biased since I grew up in Maine and went to Bowdoin in Maine . . . but maybe I am not.

We have some great colleges in Maine. There are another 3950 good U.S. colleges outside of Maine. There are great options in Canada and around the world. Many of these colleges are very interested in enrolling Maine students. Most, maybe all, Maine colleges are very interested in doing the same.

If you are not likely to be eligible for any financial aid, Maine community colleges are likely to be your most affordable option, but that isn’t necessarily a good reason to choose one of them. A college education is an investment. If you are looking for your best return, you don’t necessarily invest as little as possible. If a Maine community college has a program that would serve you well, it can be a great choice. The University of Maine system can also be a relatively affordable option, but you don’t know that until you apply to other colleges, including colleges with higher tuition, room, and board, to see which colleges offer you the most financial aid. Do not limit your college list only to Maine colleges because you think they will be the only ones you can afford.

Enough about the cost of college.

A good college education broadens your world and it creates new markets for you. If you are comfortable with the world you have now, and think it will be a good world for you for fifty years ahead, you do not need to broaden your world in college. A college education close to home may increase your knowledge, and you will meet some new people, but it may not really broaden your world, as I am thinking of that.

I come down firmly on the side of new experiences and different environments. That is almost always challenging and scary. I think that is good. After Bowdoin I lived in Colorado. It was very different. Halfway through Kansas I started wondering if I had any idea what I was doing. I couldn’t even smell the ocean. Colorado was challenging. It took a while for me to get used to it. It was great. It was beautiful. It was fun. People were young and athletic. Denver had big companies, lots of them. There was a small mound of dirt they called Mt. Washington. Same elevation. I still have work in Colorado. I opened up a new market for me. After Colorado, I lived in Boston. Sometimes it seemed people were all competing to be the least friendly. Drivers always yelled at me. It was great. There was a lot of action. After Boston I lived in Texas. They didn’t even know Maine was a state. I didn’t even have cowboy boots. I did have a pickup truck, but it wasn’t a real pickup. I learned to like country music. It was a great experience, even though I haven’t been back since, and have no plans to do so. But, I learned a lot about heat and football and chicken-fried steak and am very glad I did it.

New experiences and new environments are not what you are used to, and they are challenging. Challenge is good! It makes you a stronger person. It develops new markets for your career. They still let me back into Maine. I turned down my country music and they let me right through the York tollbooth.

When you are putting your list of colleges together, I encourage you to be courageous and look beyond what you know and what looks comfortable. If you haven’t been too bad a teenage son or daughter, your parents may miss you and want you to stay close to home. But, it is your life ahead of you. You need to make it. And, if you aren’t too big a jerk, you will make new friends in college . . . many. It happens.

It is a great world, even Texas. College is a great opportunity to experience the world. That has huge value. And, if you turn down your strange music, they will always let you back in through the York tollbooth.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-08-20T08:45:42-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/74b67769f6a4b6dc8ca98ab64aa1dac8-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/74b67769f6a4b6dc8ca98ab64aa1dac8-5.html#unique-entry-id-5Q. Do you really think that college is right for everyone?

A. Do I think it is good for everyone? I do. Do I think it is right for everyone? I am not sure I know what that means. Do I think that age eighteen is the best time for all people to go to college? I do not.

Sometimes I think we make too much out of the idea of college. I am a fan of education. It is a good thing. Generally, the more education, the better. I don’t run into many people who are over-educated. Some people do find that they have a job that they like, and further education may not increase their satisfaction with their work significantly. Many people learn a lot outside of more traditional academic institutions. Many people learn a lot at work – from practice and from others. Sometimes colleges are places where people with knowledge gather to share their knowledge.

Almost all the research shows that a college education will often help you do better in your career, it will give you more opportunities, it will give you more confidence in the world of work, and the average graduate from a four-year college makes about $19,000 a year more, over a lifetime, than someone with only a high school diploma. More talent. More opportunities. More confidence. More income. Everyone can benefit from those.

What about all the students who just go to college and party and waste their parents’ money? I agree. Unfortunately, that happens much too often. It has been that way for many years. Perhaps it happens more often today. Even the biggest partiers will learn something, maybe even a lot. Would they learn more and get a greater return on the investment of their parents’ money if they went to college later? Very likely. So, we need to be cautious with our message that college is the answer to everything and everyone should go. I would argue that everyone can benefit from a college education, but right out of high school may not be the best time to do it. But, many people who graduated from high school, got a job, got married, had kids, and then tried to go to college will say to any students who will listen, “Go to college and get it done before your life fills up with 100 other responsibilities. You will be glad you did.”

But what about plumbers and electricians and carpenters and cooks? We need them. They can make a good living. They don’t need to go to college. Absolutely true. But, what about colleges like the University of Southern Maine or Clarkson University with majors like electrical engineering, electrician, industrial electronics, and power transmission? What about colleges like Southern Maine Community College or the University of Maine with majors in plumbing, pipefitting, property management, or mechanical engineering? What about colleges like Central Maine Community College or Colorado State University or Wentworth Institute of Technology with majors in carpentry or woodworking or architectural engineering or construction management or civil engineering or CAD or construction site management or structural engineering? What about going to Eastern Maine Community College or Washington County Community College or Johnson & Wales University to study culinary arts or restaurant management. More talent. More opportunities. More confidence. And, very likely, more income.

A good, well-chosen college education can be great for everyone, at the right point in their life when they are eager to learn and know why they want to learn. Perhaps some feel our economy needs more plumbers and welders and electricians. I say we should focus on creating as many opportunities as possible for our youth. “Our economy” will be theirs soon. We should help them build one that is full of opportunities.

I am a fan of knowledge and education. So, I like college.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-09-01T10:42:45-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/063efa95e5cd2bf5f8c943def06773e5-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/063efa95e5cd2bf5f8c943def06773e5-4.html#unique-entry-id-4Q. Do you think that getting a bachelor’s degree is a lot better than getting an associate degree at a two-year college?

A. I do. But, I think that college degrees are overrated. Knowledge is what matters.

The issue in the 21st century is whether you will be smarter than a computer or less smart. You may have noticed that technology is playing an increasingly large role in our lives and economy. Computers are doing the work humans used to do. Computers are even putting some people right out of work. But, you already knew this.

So, that leaves two groups of people in this country; those without knowledge greater than computers, who will see their job opportunities decline in the decades ahead because of the growth of technology; and those you have the mental ability to do what computers can’t.

But looking beyond just who gets jobs, for years there has been the cry for more plumbers and more electricians. “We need them and their job pays well.” True, there will always be a need for plumbers and electricians, at least for another decade. But, when I look at all of the complex issues this world faces today – economic, environmental, political, international, educational, cultural, energy, and education issues – I see a need for very smart people. The great demand in the years ahead will be for people with the thinking skills and reasoning skills and creative thought and interpersonal skills and judgment and broad perspective to address these very complex issues. We may not have a choice about this.

Computer decisions are binary. They are either on or off, yes or no, one or zero. As Bowdoin-graduate George Mitchell struggles to make a better world in the Middle East, his decisions are not binary. As Steve Jobs struggles to create a better iPad, his decisions are not binary, even though his products are. As President Obama struggles to figure out how and whom to support in Libya and Bahrain and Yemen and Egypt, his decisions are not binary. These decisions are neither black or white, right or wrong, on or off. They are complex.

To answer your question. I like a bachelor’s degree better than an associate degree because it is more education. Are two years of post-secondary education great? They are. Four years are even greater. Whenever our economy gets bad, this country loses its courage to believe in the value of a liberal arts education – an education that develops a broad range of knowledge and thinking skills. Two years of post-secondary education may give you the skills to fix a computer. Four years may give you the ability to fix a computer and design a computer that is used in a new way that creates a new demand in new markets around the world. Is one more valuable than another? I don’t know. But, I do know that the real strength of this country is and always has been our ability to create and solve and innovate. Those are not binary. Whenever we lose our courage in this country, we start clamoring for more hard-skill training. “We are losing all our jobs to China or India or somewhere. We need better technical skills!” At the same time, countries all over the world are quietly sending their students to the US to gain the soft and higher level skills that our colleges and universities develop so well.

Can you gain these higher-level skills in two years of college? Of course you can, but more education gives you more ability to build higher-level skills from a solid foundation.

I know. Now, you are going to remind me that college is expensive, and two-year community colleges are usually a lot cheaper than four-year colleges. This country likes to whine about outrageous debt for college graduates. So, let’s talk money. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that someone with a bachelor’s degree earns on average about $14,000 each year more over a lifetime than someone with only an associate degree. Maybe a year at a community college costs about $4000. Maybe a year at a public university costs almost $20,000. I encourage you to attend whatever college offers the best program to help you pursue the career that interests you most, but before you argue that a two-year college is better than a four-year college for financial reasons, do the math.

Whatever your job, you will spend a lifetime learning. Some people choose to load up with two years of knowledge before they enter the world of work; others choose four or more. The more knowledge the better, and the better chance you have of ending up on the winning side of technology and the better chance we all have of ending up on the winning side of complex local and global issues ahead of us.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-09-09T10:40:56-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/a4d40042b14760ac97e2c7de55f02fe2-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/a4d40042b14760ac97e2c7de55f02fe2-3.html#unique-entry-id-3Q. Why should we go to college if it is so hard to find a job? Everyone says they can’t find enough skilled workers.

A. The more education you have, the more options you will have in the world of work. You will also find it easier to find a job, if that is what you are looking for. The real bonus to a college education is what no one talks about. A college education gives you a confidence as you enter the world of work that is the foundation of success, however you want to define success. You have to wonder why Shaquille O’Neal is pursuing his doctorate degree these days .

But, too many students are headed off too college in pursuit of fun and a degree. You should and probably will have fun in college, but you should stop going to college for a degree. You need “strategic knowledge” – not just knowledge to help you earn a degree, but knowledge that will help you provide value to a company or others. I am a big fan of education, even a liberal arts education, but, let’s face it, a lot of students graduate from college with good learning skills and a degree, but they also have a pile of not-likley-to-be-used knowledge. That isn’t very strategic.

I am also struck by how many college graduates have, after four or so years, developed a comfort level with college life, but very limited skill to approach the world of work. All colleges try to help students grow beyond this cocoonal lifestyle, but few do it very well. Perhaps Northeastern University with its co-op program is the most successful.

And, now that you are giving up just trying to get a degree out of your two or four years of college, I suggest you give up looking for jobs. I think “jobs” are very 20th century. In a challenging economy, companies aren’t looking for employees, they are looking for money, revenues. You should go to college to gain a lot of strategic knowledge that you can offer a company to help them make money, or reach their goal, if it isn’t to make money. Jobs are great. They provide temporary security and a paycheck and benefits, but looking ahead, you may need to think about yourself as the owner of your own knowledge or skill business. While you are in college, you need to buy or build the tools you will need for your business. Hopefully, those tools include “skills” and the knowledge to support, develop, and leverage those skills.

Since I have already told you to stop pursuing a college degree and to stop looking for a job, I might as well add that I don’t buy at all this idea that there is a great shortage of “skilled” workers, which is what many are saying these days. There is a shortage of “skilled” workers willing to work for the pay that these jobs are offering. Raise the pay of these jobs and you will have no shortage of workers. Which brings me back to why I am such a fan of a college education: more opportunities that will make you proud in your future, and better odds of reach them.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-08-12T10:39:16-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/e42c617a5ecd022b25ae49ca9039cbdd-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/e42c617a5ecd022b25ae49ca9039cbdd-2.html#unique-entry-id-2Q. What are the hardest colleges to get into?

A. It all depends.

If you are a boy, the hardest to get into are probably Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Scripps, and Bryn Mawr. If you are a girl, I would say Hampden-Sydney, Deep Springs, Wabash, and Morehouse.

If your favorite classical composer is Justin Bieber, it would probably be Juilliard or Curtis Institute of Music. If your mother is the only one who has ever said anything nice about your drawings, it could be the Rhode Island School of Design. If you dress like the average male high school guidance counselor, it could be the Fashion Institute of Technology. If you don’t have a car, it could be Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, known as being the highest (altitude) college campus in the country.

I remember years ago pulling on a huge wooden door to get into the Dartmouth admissions office and thinking, “This really is a hard college to get into.”

Other than those, the colleges that I think are the hardest to get into include (in alphabetical order): Amherst College, MA; Brown University, RI; California Institute of Technology, CA; Columbia University, NY; Dartmouth College, NH; Duke University, NC; Georgetown University, DC; Harvard University, MA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA; Princeton University, NJ; Stanford University, CA; Swarthmore College, PA; University of Pennsylvania, PA; Williams College, MA and Yale University, CT. Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Pomona, Claremont McKenna College, and Carleton may be a little easier to get into, but not by much. The University of Virginia, William & Mary, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are also hard schools to get into for out-of-state students.

Not by my design, but over the past twenty years I have ended up helping a lot of students get into these very selective schools. I guess I must not be as smart as they are. For at least fifteen years I was thinking that you needed to be really smart to get into these schools. I finally realized that what they all had in common was that they just got the job done. When they knew they needed to write a great essay, they just worked at it until they got it done. When they knew they needed an A on a test, they just did whatever it took to get that done. When they needed to get to class, to practice, and get application materials in by the deadline, they just got it done. It was as if no one had ever told them that they couldn’t get it done. They just did it. They got it done. I don’t know whether or not they were “smart.” Maybe they thought Mr. Jones, their high school guidance counselor, was a fashionistus. Maybe they thought Justin Bieber wrote the national anthem. I just know they made the effort and they got it done.

There are 4000 colleges in the United States. If you plan ahead, and make the effort, you can get into them all . . . almost.
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-08-15T10:37:46-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/dcab19b211574a73e1dbfac689ec6bba-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/dcab19b211574a73e1dbfac689ec6bba-1.html#unique-entry-id-1Q. What is liberal arts, and would a liberal arts education make it harder to get a job?

A. “Liberal arts” is a semi-well-defined term generally applied to colleges. A liberal arts education is intentionally broad and tries to cover a lot of subjects in the humanities, arts, and sciences – that’s like studying why and how people and things work within the world, used to work, and maybe will work in the future. It is probably easier just to explain what “liberal arts” usually doesn’t include. A typical liberal arts college, like Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby, offers Economics courses and English, History, Sciences, and weird humanities courses like psychology and sociology and philosophy and anthropology and psychobiology and ethnomusicology, but they don’t usually offer business and accounting and engineering and culinary arts and poultry science and forensic entomology and turf management and other “preprofessional” courses that help you prepare for a specific job. In truth, the large majority of universities offer all of the above; they have a liberal arts program among many other “preprofessional” programs. Interestingly, many community colleges, which have in the past been focused on preparing students for a particular trade, are now expanding their liberal arts programs, and will continue to do so, if they don’t loose their courage.

So much for my more boring answer to your first question. To me, the second half of your question is much more interesting. At least to me!

If there is a subject within a liberal arts education that interests you a lot, I encourage you to pursue that. You will be more successful in college and in your career if you are working on something you care about.

Honestly, a liberal arts education is usually closer to subjects you have studied in high school, so if you really need a change of pace, you may want to pursue a more preprofessional program that seems more useful, and interesting, to you. But, if you announce that you plan to pursue a Peace Studies major instead of Molecular Genetics, be prepared for the adult world (which includes many parents) to groan a collective sigh covering over “how’s that kid ever going to get a job?”

You spend sixteen or seventeen years in education, if you go to a four-year college, and the adult world falls apart if their child can’t find a job in the first month after college. If finding a quick job is your priority, a liberal arts curriculum may not be the way to go. Liberal arts majors are generally slower to get jobs, but usually end up making more money over a lifetime. There is research on this, but it is complicated. A liberal arts education will help you integrate many different sets of knowledge to solve complex problems of the world, of a business, of your career. A good liberal arts education will help you reason and analyze, but if that doesn’t “float your boat,” you should pursue something of greater interest and a more immediate return, like naval architecture.

The “most liberal arts college in the country?” I cast my vote for St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. Least liberal arts college? I will split my vote between NASCAR Tech and Cosmotech. But even Cosmotech has a course on theory. That sounds very liberal arts!
]]>College Articles from Bob Stuart2012-07-03T17:47:38-04:00http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/daf5564bb89acae86d7c9755f6f8b726-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.yecinc.com/blog/files/daf5564bb89acae86d7c9755f6f8b726-0.html#unique-entry-id-0Q. What should you wear for a campus tour and interview?
A. I have four answers.

1. Halfway in between what you want to wear and what your parents seem to be saying you should wear. Maybe that is because the admissions office staff is generally halfway between your age and your parents' ages. But, don't go anything beyond 50% of what your parents want!

2. You want to look as if you could fit on the campus and with the other students. True, college admissions offices are hungry for diversity, but they also want to make sure you will fit, and be liked and happy. So, if most of the students have green hair and earrings everywhere, you may want to leave your Rush Limbaugh t-shirt in the car. Let your dad wear his if he feels the need.

3. You want your clothes to go unnoticed. That doesn't mean see-through; it just means that the admissions people shouldn't even think about what you are wearing. That means that you don't want to look very uncomfortable and too dressed up. That also means that you don't want to look ragged. Don't try to make a statement with your clothes.

4. You want your clothes to be you. They may speak for who you are, but they should speak very quietly.

At most colleges, few boys wear ties to interviews these days. Some girls wear dresses. If you dress as you might if you wanted to look just a little dressed up for school tomorrow, that would probably be about right. Many students visiting colleges during the summer wear shorts. Ragged or wrinkled shorts don't work well. Some students wear t-shirts, but ragged and wrinkled t-shirts don't work well either. If you come from a simpler background, do not worry about trying to look wealthy. Simple and neat works very well. At most colleges, jeans are OK, but not ragged ones. A college education can be expensive; you don't need to go out and spend a lot of money on some jeans that look extra ragged.

You will probably ask why you can't just wear whatever you want. You can. But, some things may change for you over the next forty years. You may find that you have to adjust a bit; you may have to dress the style that your employer wants. At some point, you will realize that what you wear really isn't worth fussing about much. College interviews are a first step into the world beyond high school. After college, most people wear clothes to be warm, not to be cool.

Don't wear your iPod. And, as a college I recently visited advised, don't bring your cell phone into the interview. And don't answer it in the interview if you forget to leave it in the car. The student who did answer his cell phone in the interview didn't get accepted.
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