By Adam Sapp
Admissions Officer, Claremont McKenna College

You have probably heard the phrase "liberal arts college" during your search, but may not be sure exactly what it means. The term "liberal arts college" tends to refer to a class of schools whose main goal is to develop well-rounded students by immersing them in all areas of study: social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, and the arts. These schools do not focus on training students for a specific career path, but rather equipping them with critical-thinking skills applicable to all career paths.

While liberal arts colleges come in many forms, most tend to be smaller private schools, where students live on campus and are part of an all-encompassing academic and social environment. The majority of liberal arts colleges are independent institutions. However, many large universities have a liberal arts school within them. Although each institution is different, the independent liberal arts colleges often have a few characteristics in common:

• Small student populations, between 700 and 2500 students
• A high percentage of students living on campus, anywhere from 70 to 100 percent
• Small classes, averaging between 12 and 30 students per class
• A focus on undergraduate education (although some offer limited graduate programs in a small number of areas)
• Pre-professional advising systems for law, medical, business and Ph.D. programs

Faculty-student relationships are the backbone of the liberal...

Click here to read the rest of this article from College Toolkit