The Value of a Liberal Arts Education
June 13th, 2016For many years there has been a great debate over whether a liberal arts degree is as valuable as a career-ready degree such as engineering or computer science. The major you declare does have an impact on career opportunities available, but so do the “soft skills” learned while in school. With a little ambition and drive in addition to the analytical, reasoning, interpretive and communication skills learned in a liberal arts degree program, students are much more marketable than one may think. Liberal arts students are often life-long learners and their own best teachers.
David Kalt, founder of reverb.com, has found great value in hiring people with liberal arts degrees. His opinion is that students studying the liberal arts are often great critical thinkers, well read, and overall well-rounded. Kalt believes that these “soft skills” are difficult to teach in the workplace, yet the specific skill sets needed on the job are teachable once hired.
Many of you know that the Shrop Ed philosophy espouses that what students learn in a liberal arts program is an amazing preparation for life. We believe it helps broaden a student’s worldview and deepen their appreciation for life by educating the whole person and not just training for a specific job. In this global world we live in, it is important to see the world from a different perspective and to learn about other cultures and their way of life. Having a broad knowledge of the world we live in leads to flexible and creative thinking which is exactly what employers are looking for in this global and fast-changing economy that we live in.
Article published June 1, 2016
Written by: David Kalt
As the demand for quality computer programmers and engineers increases, conventional wisdom assumes we need more students with computer-science and engineering degrees. Makes sense, right?
I’ve been preaching this exact message for the past 10 years as I’ve fought to recruit the best programmers. Recently, though, I’ve realized that my experience has proved something completely different.
Looking back at the tech teams that I’ve built at my companies, it’s evident that individuals with liberal arts degrees are by far the sharpest, best-performing software developers and technology leaders. Often these modern techies have degrees in philosophy, history, and music – even political science, which was my degree.
How can this be?
Read more at The Wall Street Journal >>Tagged: Career, Liberal arts
Summer Fun
June 6th, 2016With the school year behind us (or nearly so, for some), it’s time to decompress. Fun with friends, relaxing activities that we only have time for in the summer … there’s a lot to look forward to! But I wonder: when you think about your ideas for summer fun, is reading included?
Some of you are nodding vigorously, eager to dig into books you didn’t have time for during the school year. Others, though, are wondering why in the world we’d include that in our list of fun activities. Reading is something that’s “important” and “good for us,” right? It helps us build vocabulary, polish grammar and understand new concepts, even new worlds.
Many of you have seen the whiteboard in my office filled with book titles that students have supplied, favorites that they urge other students to read. We call it the “Board of Good Books,” and it holds a wonderful array of suggestions. Here are a few:
– My Most Excellent Year
– Pendragon
– Keys to the Kingdom
– The Things They Carried
– House of the Scorpion
– The Giver
– The Beak of the Finch
– The Lacuna
– The Fault in Our Stars
– Brave New World
– The Prince
– Outliers: the Story of Success
– The Catcher in the Rye
– Hunger Games
– 1984
… and many more!
Need suggestions beyond those offered by Shrop Ed advisees? The Lexington Public Library has a list of 50 books recommended for high school students: http://www.lexpublib.org/50BooksInHighschool. For another great list of books to read this summer follow this link: https://www.noodle.com/articles/10-books-every-student-should-read-before-college. Let us know your choices and whether you’d like us to add them to our Board of Good Books.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what I’ve read most recently, it’s The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride. It transported me to a different place and time, with a protagonist so real that I felt I could reach out and touch him. McBride’s writing widened my understanding of both people and history.
“A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it or offer your own version in return.”
–Salman Rushdie
Tagged: Choices, Personal characteristics, Summer
Class of 2017, College Essays Await!
May 31st, 2016The Common Application and the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success have both released their essay topics for next year. Now is when the fun starts! Brainstorming, daydreaming, identifying the best parts of who you are to share through your prose with admission committees can be a wonderful exercise. Become a playwright or a screenwriter; think of vibrant details that can come alive through story-telling, giving readers a wonderful sense of your voice and personality.
We’re often conflicted about offering examples of essays past, as it’s so important that students’ essays be authentic and very much their own. Some colleges, however, have done us the favor of posting “essays that worked” so new applicants can have some useful context.
- Here’s Connecticut College’s link to essays that worked: https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/
- And here’s a similar link shared by Johns Hopkins University: https://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays-that-worked/
Whether or not you’re applying to either college, the sites are well worth exploring as they offer excellent tips and examples.
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On a more concrete level, here’s what you need to know about the Common Application and Coalition essays.
The Common App has been around for a long time and has over 600 college and university members at this time. Their essay topics sometimes change from year to year but for the 2016-2017 year they will offer the same five questions as last year. You’ll choose one essay prompt out of the five given, with a recommended 650 word limit. To find the essay prompts for the Common App, follow the link below.
Read more at Common Application>>
The Class of 2017 will be the first to have the option of applying through the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success if they wish. This application currently serves about 90 college and university members, many of which overlap with the Common Application membership. The Coalition’s essay prompts have themes similar to those from the Common App, with the exception of the last, “topic of your choice.” As with the Common App, applicants will choose one of the five essay prompts, each with a recommended word limit of 550 words. To find the essay prompts for the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, follow the link below.
Read more at Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success>>
We look forward to brainstorming with our Comprehensive advisees who are rising seniors, and reading everyone’s essays when ready for review in the months to come. Summer is a great time for many things, including tackling college essays and applications.
Tagged: Applications, College, Essays
Steps for Smooth Summer Transition
May 23rd, 2016Congratulations once again to those who are graduating and made a commitment to the college of their choice! Not only is it time to celebrate but also time to consider the next steps involved in transitioning to life on a college campus. Money magazine has come up with a checklist to ensure that you and your parents are prepared for what lies ahead. This checklist is a great way to stay on top of tasks that might fall to the wayside during summer vacation.
Our students heading off to boarding school in the fall will find that many of these suggestions apply to them, as well.
We look forward to hearing whether you find this article helpful. What would you add to the checklist?
Article published April 26, 2016
Written by: Kim Clark
You’ve decided on a college, settled on a financial aid package, and sent your deposit in. Maybe you even posted a picture of yourself in school garb for the White House’s College Signing Day festivities. Whew! Time to relax and celebrate the fact that you’re finally done with all those complicated forms, right?
Sure, take a little time to celebrate. But you’re nowhere near done with college forms or chores. In fact, graduating seniors have to do a surprising amount of paperwork in May and June to ensure, for example, that they have a dorm room to move into in the fall, health insurance that can be used on campus, and seats in the classes they want.
Read more at Money Magazine >>Tagged: Boarding school, College, Summer
