There is a single, common cliche that students hear when they apply for college: be a well-rounded applicant. But should the same thing be expected of students when they get to university?

In a world that is increasingly focused on technology, harder-science fields such as engineering and math and their corresponding majors in universities are arguing for more focused degree plans.

By having the student take less and less classes outside of their major, they are meant to become stronger in the field of their choice, but I don’t believe that is the case. A comprehensive liberal arts education keeps a student aware of the many perspectives the world has to offer both in and out of the major of their choice.

Many schools offer conservatory style education in the fine arts, limiting what students take to only within the arts, and one or two classes outside of that as graduation requirements.  For students of the arts, this can be detrimental to their ability to create. Having classes in science, math, history, writing, etc. bring students of all disciplines together in ways that simply aren’t possible anywhere else. They are able to share ideas and opinions that can inform and inspire each other’s work. Interdisciplinary learning is key to having a campus with students who are connected to each other.

Many students form valuable relationships in classrooms, and the more varied the kind of students they meet, the wider the reach each of their work has. Liberal arts education ought to remain a normal part of university life. There are people who believe that students should not be taught this way in higher education.

Technology is becoming such a prominent part of daily life, it is seen as beneficial to have students who are studying elements of technology to be kept focused on that. Students will advance faster in their studies and be able to participate in the industry much faster.

This plan is meant to bring about more groundbreaking research, discoveries and ideas from younger people. Those students are meant to study the things that have the power to change how they see the world, and nothing else. That kind of intensity won’t work for every student.

I think most find it incredibly helpful to have a class, not just an activity or student organization, that has nothing to do with their major.