Does a liberal arts education almost “force” a student to go into grad school? How can a student acquire a job in the workforce without obtaining a more focused education?

Has the term liberal arts become so broad and loosely used that it can apply to many varieties of undergraduate education in America?

The Blaich article cites some benefits seen in students after completing a liberal arts education (such as improved standardized test scores). There is also more room for individualized attention in terms of student to teacher ratio. Seeing some of these benefits, would It be more beneficial colleges to adopt this liberal arts model?

The Jaschik article cites that many parents do not even consider sending their children to high sticker price colleges because they are unaware of the aid offered by some colleges. However, what are parents to do even after giving these colleges a chance and receiving very little aid in return? Won’t most of them have to go back to their more affordable alternatives?

Why do parents feel that a vocational school education will give their children a better chance at obtaining a liberal arts education? Can it be argued that a liberal arts education can provide both the benefits of educating and preparing a student for the workforce? Does the root of the problem lie in the fact that most of the public does not know what a liberal arts education is?

The employers in the articles emphasize that they want a worker to have knowledge of a broad range of topics as well as a focused area. This idea seems to point towards the liberal arts so should more national universities take up this liberal arts curriculum? How are students going to obtain these broader skills that the articles are emphasizing?

It seems that high school graduate rate has barely gone up or perhaps even decreased over the last couple of years. Yet there is still growing competition in the work force and many college students may even have to start obtaining some sort of post-secondary education. Why is there this increased competition when there isn’t a large percentage of students obtaining their bachelor’s degree?

Some of the articles argue that a liberal arts degree will not get a student anywhere in terms of a career. However who says that liberal arts only includes these “less competitive” majors? How are colleges going to implement some of these collaborative skills that employers are looking for?