Get a Major in Wizardry Arts

Get a Major in Wizardry Arts

(Photo by Andy Welsher on Flickr Creative Commons)

The New York Times featured an article called Taking the Magic Out of College written by a very mature and intelligent high school senior, Lauren Edelson. Edelson writes about her experience on college campus tours. She is growing tired of hearing college comparing themselves to the fantasy world of Harry Potter that her generation grew up with and adores. Yes, this smart young lass is a Harry Potter fan, but she is no fool for the smoke and mirrors world that is being marketing to her.

Photo by: Ed Brambley from Flickr's Creative Commons

# 1 Smith College Dorms (Northampton, Mass.)
Tuition & Fees:  $37,758 / yr
Room & Board: $12,622 /yr
Weekly tea parties & Candle-lit dinners with teachers: Priceless

As an all-girls college, it makes perfect sense to focus on romance and creature comforts.  This liberal arts college woos the ladies with intimate housing arrangements. Students live in spacious wood-frame or brick houses on a beautifully landscaped campus – “complete with a pond and a waterfall”.  It is a tradition at this school to have weekly tea party socials and candle-lit dinners with faculty served in the comfort of their homey dorms.

#2  Loyola University in Maryland Dorms (Baltimore,MD)
Tuition & Fees: $36,240 / yr
Room & Board: $9,740 /yr
Food catering service: Priceless

As with most universities, there is no such thing as a “school cafeteria”. Students get “dining services.” Perhaps what makes these dorms special -aside from the unusually large walk-in closets, is the dining options. There are over 10 full-blown restaurants spread out on this campus. Students can chose between Sushi, Indian, Italian, or southwestern cuisine along with American delis. This Jesuit-based college offers catering services if you would like to host a study group.

#3 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Dorms (Needham, MA)
Tuition & Fees: $37,900 / yr
Room & Board: $13,485 /yr
Required to live on campus: Pricey

In addition to high-tech data ready connectivity of their residences, there is a homey feel too. Students enjoy fireplaces in the residence hall lounges, private baths, air conditioning, and cable. This college also features "Just-In-Time Cooking,” a service where dining faculty prepares food to order. The eclectic and varied menu in the dining hall includes vegetarian, vegan, and healthy choice selections. Unless given an exception from the Dean of student life, all students are required to live on campus.

#4 Scripps College Dorms (Claremont, CA)
Tuition & Fees: $37,950
Room & Board: $12,600
Sea foam graduation gowns: Priceless

According to their website, #4 on their “Top Ten Reasons to Attend Scripps College” is the designer chimney tops on the campus buildings. Designed by architect Gordon Kaufmann, the chimney tops were crafted “with individuality in mind”. Their top ten list of reasons to attend this all-female college also include: the secret gardens (#7), fresh baked cookies (#9), and the sea foam graduation gowns (#10).  As far as dorms go, Students enjoy rooms with balconies, walk-in closets, private bathrooms and community living rooms with a grand piano and fireplace.

#5 Bennington College Dorms (Bennington, VT)
Tuition & Fees: $39.760/year
Room & Board: $11,100 /year
A weekly dose of chocolate-covered strawberries: Priceless

This campus resembles nothing less than a beautiful country club retreat. At Bennington, “dorms” are referred to as “houses”. Students can choose a house based on its architectural style – from modern to traditional New England. Most houses have a kitchen and living room complete with fireplaces.  As with many of the colleges on this list, the dining hall serves entrees from Thai to Cajun to Italian with a wide range of options, including vegetarian and vegan selections.

Three students at Jacksonville University have been punished for installing a stripper pole in an on-campus apartment and having a pole-dancing party. About 12 women competed for a hundred dollars lingerie store gift certificate. None of the women took their clothes off. The male students bought the steel pole from a hardware store, built a stage and attached the pole to the stage and ceiling of their apartment. When university officials ordered the men to remove the pole, they agreed, but not before having a party. Signs reading 'Pole Dancers Wanted' were posted around campus and the men bought large quantities of beer. They charged five dollars entry for men, and women were let in free. The party ended when the beer ran out. A university spokesman said the party's hosts broke university rules against indecent behaviour. The men, who received probation and were forced to write letters of apology, took down the pole and converted the stage to a ping-pong table.

This news was taken directly from: http://www.delta.tudelft.nl/archief/j36/n29/18971  

I'd like to quote Liberal Arts Dude in his blog about life after a Liberal Art Degree. He graduated with a degree in Sociology. While he fondly reflects upon the intellectual lifestyle he had in college, he thinks twice about the value of his degree and his academic achievements as it relates to the real world job market.

I graduated from college in late 1994. Because I was used to high achievement, being taken seriously as an intelligent person by my superiors, and having my opinions and insights valued, I was emotionally shaken up at what I got. I did not go to graduate school immediately like many of my peers. I wanted first to "experience the world" and then decide if I wanted to go for a PhD. So off I went to "the world" armed with my Sociology degree, a lot of hope and optimism, and the self-confidence of someone who felt as he has proved himself and his capabilities. I was in for a rude awakening.

Maybe a list of my first jobs (and salaries) after college will help illustrate what I am trying to say:
1. Internship for an international development NGO (1995)–unpaid
2. Coffee server in a coffee shop (1995-96) $7/hr
3. Temporary research assistant (1996)–$200 for one week's work
4. House painter (1996)– $8/hr
5. Dishwasher/prep cook/waiter for a restaurant (1996)–$7/hr plus tips
6. TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) operator (1997)–$8.50/hr
7. Office temp worker (1998)–$12/hr
8. Publications Assistant (1998) 26K/year

The whole time I was working in my less than desirable jobs I was constantly looking for something better and more in line with my educational credentials. But I just kept getting rejected for one position after another. I eventually landed a position working for a professional association of the discipline that I got my degree. It was not until I started on that position that I began earning a salary above the poverty level.

What is it that I am trying to say and what does this have to do about Sociology? Simply, that Sociology was good to me for intellectual and personal growth. It allowed me to develop as a person and to take on responsibilities that gained for me the respect of my teachers, fellow students and my parents.

However, Sociology, once I entered the job market, did not provide an easy way to make the big bucks (or any bucks for that matter). What I learned pretty quickly was that all the good grades, honor societies, and affiliations with professors did not matter in this new arena called "the job market." What mattered were other things which, unfortunately, I did not focus on in my time in school: a marketable major, professional connections, professional experience, software and computer skills, internship experience, etc.

–Liberal Arts Dude

Might I add that you do not need the four-year college experience to develop as a person. Job experience is one way. Travel is another. Want to learn more about something? Take a class, go to the library, or go see a show. For all those who think that they must enroll in the four-to-six-year liberal arts vacation package in order to prosper or grow, well you can start expanding your mind now by thinking outside the campus. Education of any kind is certainly good. But skipping a liberal arts college experience will not stunt your growth.