Ross Said:

top liberal arts undergraduate institutes that produce the most succesful mba's ?

We Answered:

It is very easy to be admitted to an MBA program in general.

It is very difficult to be admitted to a top-thirty MBA program and those are the only ones whose degrees usually lead to a top career. Most of them require or strongly recommend two or three years post-bachelor's degree full time paid relevant work experienceforadmission.

I would select the best liberal arts college that admitted me to its undergraduate program. Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, etc. will carry prestige for MBA program admission.

The percentage of students who are admitted to MBA programs is not a helpful statistic. A more helpful number would be the percentage who are admitted to top-thirty programs. A degree from a non-top thirty MBA program is not particularly useful in finding a good job. There are too many job applicants from lower ranking programs and their MBAs often carry little respect.

Leah Said:

Two best undergraduate liberal arts colleges in the US?

We Answered:

Depends on the criteria. The "best" Liberal Arts Colleges, as defined by ratings such as USN&WR put NorthEast Liberal Arts Colleges at the top. Many people think these rankings are distorted for various reasons. For example, many (most?) Northeast liberal arts colleges are extremely, obsessively liberal, to the point of bigotry against conservative/Christian points of view. Conservatives, if they stay in the school at all, learn to keep a low profile. Such schools do not have the intellectual diversity which is the hallmark of truly great educational institutions. Wellesley and Amherst College are two colleges highly ranked by USN&WR, but are "Red Lighted" (ie Do Not Attend) by the book "Choosing the Right College."

Other Liberal Arts Colleges rank high in scales of Rigor and Intellectual Diversity, but for one reason of another do not rank high in the USN&WR list. Two such ("Green Lighted") schools are Hillsdale College and Union College.

Jorge Said:

Undergraduate Business or Liberal Arts?

We Answered:

It may vary by school./

Jeanne Said:

What is the best career for a liberal arts undergraduate with 4 year teaching experience?

We Answered:

I can't tell you what would be the best career, because it depends on what you enjoy doing. However, I can tell you never be "done" with your past experience. Instead, always use it to build the next step.

Take the things you've accomplished as a teacher, like enjoying being in front of a group of people and thinking on your feet, and use that as a reason, for example, as to why you would make a good sales person to heavy industry (where you usually wind up making presentations to groups of people). Just an example but showing how to build from one experience onto the next opportunity. There are lots of non-industrial areas where your background would be useful, too, like perhaps being a tour guide. But heavy industry is usually where the best money is for entry-level positions, given it sounds like you need that kind of money right away.

Another field that comes to mind and both teaching and money-handling experience would help is providing training in things like custom software applications. If you also enjoy using computers (like is suggested by your use of Yahoo Answers), you could contact companies who supply and install accounting software in your area to see if there are openings for new training staff. Again, only one suggestion, it would take days to think up anything approaching a comprehensive list of the possiblities. The sky is the limit!

Tommy Said:

suggestions for a "liberal arts" major [undergraduate]?

We Answered:

Anthropology is trending downward as a discipline for a number of reasons; I am a strong believer in liberal arts education, but would advise any undergraduate *not* to major in anthro. Take a class or two if you're interested, but it's just not a career path as it's currently constituted (not even an academic career path, I'm afraid--schools are cutting anthro lines all over).

That said, I'd consider a double major or at least a very strong minor based on your strengths. If you can pull it off, minors in art or music can complement scientific majors very well. You could probably dual-major in science and English, since while an English degree is rigorous it's not as rigorous or time-consuming as a full philosophy, art, or music degree. The training in critical thinking would help you with the significant amounts of writing and analysis you'll have to do as a doctor.

One key is to consult your Admissions office (do it now!) for profiles of successful med school applicants from your school. Ask your adviser too. This can provide ideas.

The bottom line is that a strong background in bio and chem is going to be overwhelmingly more important than anything else you do. The other stuff is basically icing on the cake--making a great application outstanding, and possibly keeping you sane during your undergrad struggle. Don't worry too much about the rest--and if you want to be a doctor, it has to start *now*. If you want to play a sport, act in the campus theater, etc., you might want to reconsider those activities or reconsider becoming a doctor. If you're taking the science courses you need and you're at a decent school, you're just not going to have the time.

Good luck!