Jorge Said:

Is Psychology a part of Liberal Arts?

We Answered:

Yes. At most universities anyway.

Cody Said:

Liberal Arts Major... i thought.. :S?

We Answered:

A lot of people don't realize it but the sciences and maths are indeed liberal arts. As much bad press as the liberal arts get, you'd think people would take a minute and see which subjects they're talking about. Biology, BioChemistry, and Molecular Biology are liberal arts. Biochemical Engineering is not (nor is Science Education).

BioChemistry is nothing more than a combination degree of both biology and chemistry and an examination of their interaction. Molecular Biology is nothing more than a subfield (specialization) of biology.

Think of it this way - there are liberal arts and practical arts. The liberal arts teach us the why and what of things - why is the ocean blue or what do whales eat or why if A+B=C then C-B=A.

The practical arts teach us the how to of things. How do we make sick people well or how do we teach them to do algebra. Business, education, engineering, technology, etc. are practical arts. Some areas of music (arts admin, production), theater (acoustics, costuming), and art (graphic design) are practical fields and not liberal arts.

Some subjects are studied both ways - education is a social science (liberal arts) as well as an applied professional science (practical art). Even some of the true applied sciences (medicine) can be studied as a liberal arts field (medical ethics).

So no, your counselor (who likely has a master's degree that they don't give to stupid people) isn't wrong. Science and math have been a part of the liberal arts since the medieval times. So were music, grammar, rhetoric, and logic.

Want another surprise? It's possible to get a Bachelor of Arts in Biology or a Bachelor of Science in Art. But it's really not as confusing as it sounds - it's just a matter of what we tend to call "the arts" not including all of them.

The whole arena of post-secondary education is often very confusing. As you navigate your way, remember that you'll get the best answers from people that have navigated it already. Your friends and classmates (unless they have a degree) don't know more than your counselors and teachers (who have a degree) because the latter have "been there, done that" and the former only think they understand. ?

Vanessa Said:

is it true that we can bargain scholarship from liberal arts colleges?

We Answered:

Many schools will negotiate your scholarships and financial aid.

Kenneth Said:

Is it true that small liberal arts colleges give more full ride scholarships than everything else?

We Answered:

It seems foolish to generalize that way. Athletic scholarships are much more common at the bigger universities. As for academic scholarships, it all depends on the size of the endowment: how much money the school has available for scholarships. For that, one good indicator is the age of the school. Yale is an old school and the music department recently announced that they have so much money that they will not charge tuition any more, for anyone accepted into the music department. A school that has only been in operation for one or two generations is less likely to have lots of money available because they get is from donations from the alumni and then invest it. A school that only has a couple generations of alumni has had less opportunty to get donations.

Marion Said:

What universities are good for the arts (graphic design,fine arts,performing arts)plus the liberal arts?

We Answered:

I'm a senior and I go to Pepp and we are a liberal arts school and we have many majors. I'm a science major but my liberal arts friends and fine arts fine seem to be doing alright. I love Pepperdine and if you're into going to a small school where you actually know people in the best location ever you should apply! My mom initially wanted me to go to Cal-State Northridge but once I got my financial aid paying it translated into me packing only $10,000 a year here versus $25,000+ at any UC or Cal State annually! We have bomb financial aid for those qualified. I have friends who go here completely free and others virtually free but I also have a few that pay the entire amount it just depends on your parents and your income my mom makes a lot and I barely pay 20% of the total cost of tuition room and board which is about $52,000 total if you live on campus (in Malibu and you can tell everyone that's where you live! hehe). Students who are Church of Christ really hit bank with the scholarships and me serving in church during high school completely covered my tuition cost I just payed the room and board...but you do not have to be religious my roommates last year were Atheist and Buddhist and one of them had a full ride scholarship from some outside donor. My roommate is Catholic and she has 90% of her tuition covered by the school. Small private schools are usually pretty generous with financial aid. Cal Lutheran is another one known to be super generous with financial aid.

Oh and 60% of the students here study abroad. My Theater major friends went to London and did something theater related down there. Another one went to Thailand and two more are going to Switzerland. I've been to Spain and the Dominican Republic and I'm going abroad again to Argentina (I'm also a Spanish major lol). Apply!!!! And Malibu is gorgeous the only thing is transportation sucks without a car I didn't get one until my Junior year.

UCLA, for me, is way too huge though I'm applying for med school. If you like anonymity and walking a mile or six to class UCLA is perfect. They also have a lot of major options and connected Grad Schools for planning your future. And if you don't have a car it's not as hard to get around since there's tons of stuff nearby in Westwood versus Malibu.