The Negatives Of A Small Liberal Arts College
While liberal arts colleges offer huge benefits, they also have some disadvantages. Foremost is financial consideration. There’s a big difference in the cost of education in a state school and a private one. In the U.S., the average cost of going to a public school is about $13,000 while you need about $31,000 to go to a private school. This is the reason why some students seek financial aid in enrolling in a liberal arts college.
Debt is another problem students may face. For students who finance their liberal arts education through student loans amounting to thousands of dollars, paying them can really be a burden.
Liberal arts colleges are usually located in small towns. While some students may like the close-knit atmosphere, others may not. What happens most of the time when everyone already knows each other is that gossip spreads so quickly. Cliques may also exist.
The school’s lack of diversity is another disadvantage. Many students want to be exposed to different people and ideas and a liberal arts college cannot offer this opportunity. There are also fewer people to meet because everyone knows everybody already.
Some students find liberal arts colleges too nurturing with professors acting like parents and their students are very sheltered. This is so unlike the real world, they would say. With only smaller classes, teachers can focus on their students providing a more personalized or one-on-one instruction. Interaction between students and teachers is always possible and teachers have the opportunity to really get to know their students well. This setting sometimes discourages students who want to explore things on their own.
Few majors and class options are another problem in small liberal arts colleges. Normally, colleges focus on specific courses only and do not cover all fields of study hence, they differ in their strengths. For instance, one college may put more emphasis on scientific and pre-professional fields and offer only a few courses on drama, music and the arts. Another college may focus exclusively on humanities and the arts such as drama and music or may focus more on the arts with a few courses on the scientific fields.
Some liberal arts colleges do not have much financial resources and this is evident in their equipment, facilities, libraries and faculty. Although these colleges rely on their own resources, what counts is that these resources can serve the students well.
Activities are also not so many compared to large universities that offer various clubs and organizations. There are also no major sports teams which is why some students find liberal arts colleges lifeless.