How to Maximize Your Liberal Arts College Experience

Liberal arts colleges are often critiqued for not properly equipping their students to achieve success in the "real" world. Those who have recently graduated from liberal arts colleges and are actively searching for employment may find themselves dealing with employers who hold preconceived ideas about their education. So how can students at liberal arts colleges give themselves an edge in the inevitable transition from classroom to cubicle? Going into my senior year at a Christian liberal arts university, I have accumulated a few ways to maximize your college experience. Here's what I have learned.

1. Know your school.

Chances are, at some point in time during your career, you'll move away from the city or state that you graduated in. Unfortunately, while your university's name might sound familiar to those who live in the area, the hiring manager 2,500 miles away has likely never even heard of your college until it showed up on his desk, courtesy of your resume.

Potential employers, business partners, and clients will probably know nothing about the college you went to- its up to you to tell them.

One of the first things career advisors tell young professionals is to create a 20-30 second elevator pitch to sell themselves. I would advise doing the same for your education. If you graduated from your university's top-ranked engineering program, don't be shy about it. Be prepared to discuss your university's prestige and awards. Understand the vision, purpose, and mission statement of your Alma mater. Showcasing knowledge of your university communicates involvement and dedication- it lets employers know that you can immerse yourself into a new culture and represent it diligently.

2. Get involved.

If you're intelligent, you'll graduate with a degree. If you're smart, you'll graduate with experience.

Employers know that your resume probably won't be too impressive, considering all you have to show for the past four years is a diploma, some part-time summer jobs, and maybe an internship. However, there are other ways to build your resume and create more talking points for interviews. What liberal arts colleges may lack in size, they certainly make up for in content. Essentially all universities have clubs, student events, forums, and a myriad of extracurricular activities available for students. The difference is, at a smaller college, those opportunities become conveniently accessible, and students tend to care more about community involvement than Saturday's football game. You can't walk to class without someone inviting you to a guest speaking forum, or asking you to attend a fundraiser for the debate team. Consider your personal interests and passions, and then seek out opportunities to connect with others who share similar beliefs. Even if you can't find a club or group that suits your needs, create your own; starting clubs at small universities makes for both a great experience and a highlight on your resume. For a recent graduate, extracurricular involvement or leadership might just be the X factor that lands you the first interview.

3. Use the resources.

Let's face it- private universities, especially liberal arts colleges, are generally on the expensive side. As a student, its important to know what you (or your parents) are paying for. Is it the education? The beautiful campus? The experience? Actually, its all of those, and more. You're not paying for the experience so much as you're paying the people to make that experience happen for you. Presumably unlike large state universities, faculty and staff members are actually there to willingly and earnestly serve you. Remember, you're paying their salary; you have every right to use any and all resources available to you. Nearly every week I find out about a resource or program that my university offers to its student body, and new services are released on a regular basis.

My friends at state universities are shocked when I tell them about my weekly coffee dates with a professor, or the free tutoring services offered by the university library. The downfall of a large student population is the inability to effectively reach every student, but at a liberal arts college, the benefit of having fewer students is the ability to invest more into every individual. Next time you need someone to proofread a paper or help you apply for scholarships, do some research and ask around. There's a good chance someone is being paid to offer you that service.

4. Don't limit yourself.

During my freshman year, I was introduced to the stereotypical liberal arts college student- modest, shy, and underwhelming. I have never understood this. Last year, roughly 80% of college students attended a public university. Based on this statistic, you would imagine that privately educated students would hold their head a little higher, yet self-imposed limitations consistently seem to be a common theme on liberal arts college campuses. Why?

The human brain likes proportion. We naturally compartmentalize small causes with small effects, and large causes with large effects. This can be dangerous for recent graduates if they use the size of their university as a reference point to base their career goals on. Fortunately, the size of your college can only affect the size of your goals if you allow it to. There is a stark difference between acknowledging potential barriers and falsely eliminating oneself from real opportunities based on a perceived lack of ability. Remember, the manner in which you perceive yourself is directly correlated to how others perceive you, and as such, always practice envisioning success for yourself, whatever that definition may be.

At the end of the day, a degree is only as valuable as the person holding it.

A diploma is just a piece of paper- in my opinion, your degree is not nearly as important as the way you project it. If you majored in history, own it. Be prepared to explain to recruiters why you studied it, how you use it, and what benefit it can bring them. Make them wonder why they didn't study history in college. You may have heard that a little confidence goes a long way to achieving your dreams, but I think you will soon find that a little confidence may change those dreams entirely.

What do you think? What other tips or advice would you give to students at liberal arts colleges?