Thinking about attending a liberal arts college...?

Question

Shimer University in Chicago. There are less than 100 students, so there aren't really a variety of classes to take. Do you reccomend going there/to a liberal arts college? What are the advantages/disadvantages of going to one? Any other information would be great! Thanks!

Answer 1

I have no trouble with someone going to a small liberal arts college. Someone with a good liberal arts degree can think critically and express himself well.

I wonder about Shimer, though. US News does not rank it and Princeton Review has very little data on it. This means that the school does not want the public to know anything about how selective it is. This is a bad thing. If you have decent SAT scores and good grades, I would suggest going to almost any other liberal arts college instead.

If you want a Great Books college like Shimer -- then I would suggest applying to St John's (they have one campus in Annapolis and one in New Mexico). It has an excellent reputation.

Answer 2

I didn't know anything about Shimer College (not University, though it's affiliated with the University of Chicago; which is an excellent school...) but read up on it a bit to help me answer this question.

I think a liberal arts education is terrific, and a small school has its advantages (e.g. Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Haverford, etc.) A smaller liberal arts school within a larger university (e.g. Princeton, Cornell, etc.) is also fine if you really like a "larger" environment while still preferring smaller classes, more intimate dialog with professors, etc. Liberal Arts prepare you in so many ways...broad learning, problem-solving, etc. You can always get more specific with graduate school, etc.

I don't know about Shimer, specifically, though. A very intriguing sounding program, I think more maintstream Liberal Arts options are worth exploring, as well.

I'd suggest having them pitch YOU on the advantages of their program vs. other top-notch schools and see if it helps you think it through. Read up on other liberal arts schools that are within your reach (if not those above, then the next level...e.g. Colgate, Hamilton, Bates, etc.) and see if this helps frame your thinking about the whole matter.

Regardless, best of luck to you. Wherever you are, work hard, study hard, have fun, be safe, eat well, rest up, stay physically active and enjoy yourself!

Answer 3

I checked their website and It's $30,000 a year - and you are saying they don't have a variety of classes? Why would you want to go there? If you're going to go to a $30,000 a year school, there a quite a few out there that will provide you a strong libertal arts education, with choices of 50 or 60 different majors to better prepare you for your future. Go to www.princetonreview.com and you can walk through a matching process that will help you narrow down your choices.

Answer 4

A liberal arts education is a wonderful thing to have, although applying it to the real-world job market isn't always easy. (There are, however, plenty of jobs that require a college degree, any college degree, and once hired, they'll train you.)

I'd be more concerned about the very small size, both in terms of social opportunities and the limited class offerings. Small is good--it means individual attention--but to me, that's too small. Have you considered Oberlin or Bard, both substantially bigger?