To dwell for a moment upon the specific area of English, I think that much more emphasis out to be placed upon the mechanics of the language. Too many students lack a thorough understanding of the grammar and origins of the language. I personally developed a keen interest in linguistics through the happy accident of taking a few courses with a professor who specialized in the field.

Again, though, it makes me go back to my original question: what is the role of higher education in the world today? Historically, the liberal arts college never existed to act as a place to learn vocational skills. Instead, it was an institution of “higher learning” which provided a foundation of knowledge upon which the upper crest of society rested. Being able to read books in Latin and Greek was a great advantage and mark of high class in a society where fewer than 20% of the entire population was literate. The actual vocational skills of the “Gentry” class — perhaps banking or government — were learned after this education, through apprenticeships.

Now, as higher education gears itself towards all high school graduates, the “point” of going to college has drastically changed. As you pointed out, most people going are not there to obtain the knowledge necessary to be culturally suave at cocktail parties. Instead, they are primarily there to obtain a degree which will give them a good job. Ideally, both having the degree and the skills that come with it will have prepared the recent graduate to enter the job marketplace at a great advantage. I would say you are right that someone with an English degree does not necessarily have the advantage that they seemingly should. If I’m interpreting your stance correctly, you point to the general education requirements as the reason for this lack. However, I think it should be up to the individual major to require certain “vocational” classes that are related to your specialty. For example, I think it’s ridiculous that as an English major, I could not apply for the at least 35 job postings I saw this summer for grant propsal writers at non-profit organizations. Nor could I apply for any copy writer positions. The reason I couldn’t is because both types of jobs require a specific skill set in writing and proofreading which I had never been taught as an English major. While I intend to study to literature for the rest of my life and am applying to grad school, I would strongly support classes offered in grant proposal/copy writing skills. That way, even as I’m preparing to go to grad school, I would be qualified to take these job positions related to my field for the year that I’m taking off between school. Instead, I met the requirements for a receptionist position.

So, to sum up my ramblings, I think we’re both right. The leading institutions in higher education need to strategize about ways to remain true to their strong liberal arts background (including keeping classes like Latin and Greek), while offering classes which provide specific vocational skills unique to the individual field. If this could be possible, I think skepticism about the importance of the “humanities” might greatly decrease, and students with such degrees will be respected both in the classroom and the job market.

A college degree is society’s official stamp of employment approval, for better or for worse. That being the case, that stamp might as well carry with it a set of upon which an alumnus can reliably rely. Naturally certain “liberal arts” skills such as writing, research, and so forth are important for all careers (though the business world seems terribly uninterested in hiring anyone who possesses them) but any properly implemented academic coursework would include all of the above.

The fault, methinks, lies with the colleges. General Education courses have standards considerably lower than the norm. Those unfortunate professors collared into teaching them have low expectations, and the students barely rise to meet them. I can vividly recall gen ed courses in which the students rarely, if ever, read the required texts. For that matter, in one class the professor had to routinely stop her lecture to reprimand the students for chit-chatting too much. Is anyone really learning the lofting values of a liberal college when such is standard operating procedure?

I’ll admit that a more demanding set of entrance requirements would greatly improve things. I can recall vividly one sociology course in which an earnest but rather woefully unlettered coed raised her hand to suggest that the printing press was the most important new invention during the Industrial Revolution. Many is the English class where professors lament the inability of students to write a coherent, organized essay. Many such teachers simply throw up their hands- it is not, after all, the purpose of a 300-level course to instruct the students in the fundamentals of composition.

Don’t misunderstand me: I believe very strongly in the ideal of a liberal arts college. I also believe that many people genuinely seek such an education. I recognize, however, that many, perhaps even most, college-bound students see college as nothing more than a box to check off before they get their first job. For that segment of the population, there is little point in studying Greek art or English poetry- though it may enrich their souls, it will do little to enrich their bank accounts.

And there is one other good reason to let the upper crust completely ignore the rich cultural value derived from a liberal education: it makes our knowledge and our skills a helluva lot more bankable.

I have been accused of being old fashioned (at the ripe old age of 23ish) but come on, this is ridiculous. First of all, was I the only person on the planet that screamed and jumped up and down when I got my acceptance letter to this school? Was I the only one who felt going to college was an honor, a privilege, a responsibility, not to be taken lightly, but to be worked for and earned on a daily basis? Were my freshmen roommate and I the only ones who sat down and calculated how much money our parents were paying PER CLASS for our college education (boy, it made it easier to get out of bed for 8:30 French once you know that answer)?

Second of all, I know we have all been told since birth that we are exceptional, truly special people, but when did that come to mean that every single person on this planet is above the rules. Now, I get it- our parents do it, politicians do it, CEOs of large corporations do it- they do things that imply that they think themselves above the rules, outside the laws. So why should impressionable 18 year olds when reading the rules of the college think, “When they say no drinking in the dorms, no pets in the dorms and no plagiarism, they mean me too.” Clearly, each and everyone of us are so special that we can just make up our own rules as we go along and expect the world to conform around us.

Third, every single person who applies to The University of X or Y College had the opportunity to read all of the rules ahead of time. As far as I know, every school out there has their student and campus handbooks available to prospective students and most have them posted on line. Also, every single person who goes to a school SIGNS A CONTRACT that states in it, “I agree to adhere to all the policies laid out in these handbooks.” So why does everyone gripe that they think the rules are unfair, or should be changed because they are paying so much money. You knew what you were getting into- or should have if you had done an amount of research fitting for the size of your investment. Don’t like the fact that you have to take General Education Requirements- go to a school that doesn’t have them. Want to study in Guam- make sure to sign up at a school with a program there. Plan to refuse to live with a roommate for your entire stay at a school- attend a school that only has single dorm room. Do not think that a school with 1500 incoming freshmen and 20 single rooms will accommodate you before all others. As strange as it sounds there just might be someone out there who needs it more than you.

If you are the consumer and college is the commodity- shop harder for what you want. During my four years of college it seemed like there were so many people there who had come because it was a good name school, in the top 20, had a Pre-med program, blah, blah, blah. But they hated the campus, hated the dorms, hated the environment, the attitude etc. It is like buying jeans by picking up a pair of a single name brand and then complaining when they don’t fit. Instead of screaming that the inseam isn’t cut to your liking, the pockets are in the wrong place and the designer clearly didn’t take into account hips, buy a pair of jeans that fit YOU. Try on a few pairs, look in the mirror, wiggle around in them to see if they fit. Read the tag for care instructions and think if these jeans will fit in with your lifestyle. I don’t think anyone could get away with saying “I’m paying $100 for a pair of jeans, so the designer should show up at my house and alter them for me for free.”