An often-asked question that leaves students stumped is “do you want to join a 4-year university or a liberal arts college?” – it’s usually hard to answer this question because they are not sure about what the difference between liberal arts colleges vs universities.
Choosing a college is extremely important for the career and the future of both graduating students and prospective graduates and you must understand and research the various options before making a choice of college.
What Is the Difference?
There are essentially 2 kinds of universities – traditional national universities and liberal arts colleges. Both liberal arts colleges, as well as universities, are places for students to get higher education; however, they are different in terms of their learning styles, amenities and experiences and often one wonders which is a better option. In this article, we will delve and have an in-depth discussion of the difference between liberal arts colleges and universities.
Definition
A liberal arts college is essentially a college or university curriculum which places emphasis on general knowledge and focuses on developing the broad intellectual capacities of students.
In contrast, a traditional university is a technical, professional and vocational curriculum which specializes in specific fields that the student must study and seek employment in after they graduate. Most of the liberal arts colleges are private universities instead of public, although, there may be exceptions to this.
Curriculum
Liberal arts colleges focus more on undergrad education and offer an education that is more general, interdisciplinary and broad, rather than being skill specific. Most of the degrees awarded by liberal arts colleges are in liberal arts disciplines such as natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.
Universities, on the other hand, comprise professional schools such as engineering, medical, law, business, etc., graduate schools and undergrad programs. A university may be a better choice if you are interested in getting a career-focused technical degree in computer science, engineering, accounting, etc.
Courses Offered
Liberal arts colleges require you to take a variety of courses in order to provide exposure to a wide range of liberal arts courses that have a broader knowledge base. In liberal arts colleges, the classes are not career focused like the universities do. A liberal arts college allows you to gain skills by thinking critically, writing effectively, identifying significant evidence and drawing meaningful conclusions.
You can pursue cross-disciplinary programs at a liberal arts college and you can even craft your own individualized major if you wish. The flexible curriculum of liberal arts colleges allows students to explore and try out different subject combinations before choosing a major. If you wanted to study a combination of psychology with media studies and Asian studies, a liberal arts college is the right place to do it.
On the other hand, universities focus on the major of each student and require fewer general core subjects. Universities offer classes which are customized to specific career needs of each student, especially if you want to pursue a career path in technical areas. This means that you must enroll in mandatory courses for most of your freshman and sophomore years.
So, if you have made up your mind to become a doctor, an engineer, a nurse, etc. then you may find that the courses at a university may be a better fit for you. While, if you’re not very sure about what you want to do, then the flexibility offered by a liberal arts college may be more suitable for you.
Reputation and Institutional Affiliations
Although liberal arts colleges may be popular in the US, usually, it is the large national universities that have more recognition and reputation and even internationally, they have a more established reputation compared to liberal arts colleges. Typically, liberal arts colleges are private colleges, whereas, universities may be public or private (including the state-owned universities).
Cost
Liberal arts colleges tend to be more expensive compared to public universities and according to the liberal arts college rankings by US News, the tuition and fees cost over $40,000; however, they offer scholarships and financial aid to students, which may bring the cost down. Depending on the financial need, the fees can be discounted greatly for low-income students. The tuition fees of public universities are much lower compared to liberal arts colleges and private universities; however, the options of financial aid for international students are much lesser in universities, especially the state universities.
Campus, Class Size, Class Style and Faculty
The biggest difference between universities and liberal arts colleges is in terms of the campus and community vibe. The college building and facilities are located centrally; however, at universities, the campuses are sprawling and are much larger and wide spread, especially state universities, when compared to liberal arts colleges. For example, the Stanford campus is spread over 8,000 acres with over 700 buildings and 50,000 trees. In universities, you can see a co-mingling of both the undergraduate and graduate population, whereas, in liberal arts colleges the total school population could be just a fraction of what you would see in universities.
Typically, in the case of liberal arts colleges, the students live on campus and they need not venture too far from the campus for academic or social life. The community at liberal arts colleges is tightly knit because of the smaller population and this makes it easier for faculty members and students to interact closely. The class sizes at universities, especially state universities, the introductory or 101 level are quite large and you could have hundreds of students attending the classes, whereas, in liberal arts colleges, the class sizes are much smaller and they also have smaller student-to-teacher ratios.
In liberal arts colleges, the classes are more seminar style rather than lectures and this ensures greater student engagement. Seminars provide students with more opportunities to participate, speak, ask questions and participate in classroom discussions. The students have greater opportunities to interact and engage with their professors and classmates, both within and outside the classroom. On the other hand, since the number of students is larger, universities mostly have lectures. And, some of the classes may be taught by graduate students who are TAs or teaching assistants rather than professors.
The focus in liberal arts colleges is largely teaching oriented and student focused, whereas, in universities, the faculty is more research oriented, which means that the universities may have several leading scholars in their specific fields among the faculty, which means that they are less accessible to the students.
Extracurricular Activities
Universities offer more extracurricular activities and events both on and off the campus. Some universities have their own popular sports teams, fraternities and sororities. Universities have a lot more to offer in terms of clubs and student organizations compared to liberal arts colleges.
Preparation for Grad School
Overall, liberal arts colleges offer a stronger preparedness in terms of academics and they offer research opportunities even at the undergraduate level. Since the students and professors share close relationships, students can approach the professors for LORs (letter of recommendation) when applying for graduate programs.
Although there are many research opportunities offered by universities, they are mostly for the graduate students. At the undergrad level, the research opportunities may be far and few and highly competitive. However, one of the biggest advantages of universities is that you have a higher chance of being admitted to the same university for your graduate program.
Career Opportunities
Both Universities, as well as liberal arts colleges, offer career opportunities for their students. Universities tend to host more recruitment events and career fairs on campus because they have a larger student body. The larger alumni body of universities provides students the opportunity to network, make connections and more career options. On the other hand, liberal arts colleges, have a stronger bond with their classmates, professors and alumni, which means that they can get more referrals for internships and jobs.
Wrap-Up
Ultimately, the decision of whether to attend a liberal arts college or a national university is not restricted to getting into a top-ranked institution, but going to a school that is the best fit for you. Both liberal arts colleges and universities have different cultures, objectives and strengths that make each kind of institution appropriate for different kinds of students. Ultimately both have their strengths and weaknesses and you must understand the choices and make an educated and informed decision on the institution that is best for you.