by Albert Fernandez
One thing is unquestionable, that the elements of general reason are not to be found fully and truly expressed in any one kind of study; and that he who would wish to know her idiom, must read it in many books. –John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University
If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
--Abraham Maslow
A Shimer College education—which teaches, as we often say, “how to think, not what to think”--prepares the student for lifelong learning. It offers balanced study of the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences, and aims at development of the general ability to think critically. This ability is applicable to any subject and to any kind of work that demands more than the implementation of routines.
A general education will not necessarily be the best choice for everyone. Some individuals are steadily drawn to a particular profession from an early age. And fast-track specialization in a field that is in high demand may well pay off economically at least in the short run. But many, perhaps most, college students need prolonged experience across the disciplines before they can decide on a career path with confidence. And even after college, people today are more prone than ever to want to change career, or career-influencing circumstances such as geographical location or life-style. They need an education that equips them with flexible, widely applicable abilities.
It should also be kept in mind that today’s most marketable skills can rapidly lose their value as a result of market saturation or other socio-economic changes, which are occurring at an increasingly fast pace. Robert Allen, in The Economic Benefits of Post-Secondary Education, provides data showing that even though individuals with specialized credentials tend to receive higher salaries in their twenties, as a group they fall behind liberal arts graduates by the time they reach their forties. An article published in July 2002 in the Waukegan News-Sun reported that the majority of CEO’s of U.S. companies have liberal arts degrees. Not surprisingly, employers increasingly favor applicants with the kind of skills that general education promotes: applicants who can write and communicate effectively, deal with a broad range of problems, and interact with a wide variety of people, even if they have to be trained in the technical aspects of the position. A May’s Department Stores executive, quoted in the Indiana University placement web page, comments, "We look for people who can think critically and analytically. If you can do those things, we can teach you our business." So the kind of education provided by Shimer, stressing critical discussion of texts and issues that have withstood the test of time, from all the fields of learning, may not only be the most inherently interesting, but also the most pragmatically valuable in the long run.
Shimer graduates enter a wide spectrum of professions, including medicine, law, and business, and for students who are considering graduate school, Shimer College is an especially good choice. In 1998, the University of Wisconsin at Madison conducted a study that showed that Shimer ranks third among all U.S. colleges in percentage of graduates who go on to earn doctorates. Since the two colleges ahead of Shimer are both engineering schools, Shimer ranked first in the nation among liberal arts institutions by this measure. Recent Shimer grads have gone on to institutions such as the University of Chicago, the New School for Social Research, and the London School of Economics.
Although Shimer College is a core-curriculum school committed to general education, this certainly does not mean that our students have no opportunity to study a subject in depth. Indeed, knowing how to delve deeply into a topic is an indispensable component of general critical ability. Elective courses and tutorials, some of which are focused on a single text, complement core courses by providing experience in concentrated study. Students can also apply Shimer tuition and receive Shimer credit for specialized courses taken at other institutions.
Most importantly, Shimer is one of the few colleges that require completion of a senior thesis, on an independently conceived topic, for graduation. In addition, the Shimer program includes individual semester projects, as well as comprehensive examinations that do not simply review course material but also challenge students with topics and texts to which they have not been previously exposed. A good general education, as we conceive of it at Shimer, combines breadth of knowledge with the capacity for studying any given subject in depth.
To help Shimer students make the most of their education, the College offers placement and career counseling services, including a career and job information center, an online Shimer-dedicated position search engine, admission test preparation software, and individualized career counseling by staff and alumni. To learn more about the College’s job and career services, visit the placement page on Shimer’s website or contact the Director of Placement.
Shimer’s Career and Job Center is located on the second floor of Armstrong House. There you will find posted information, arranged by general subject area, on graduate programs, fellowships, study abroad, jobs (full- and part-time), and internships. Since there’s space to post only a fraction of the information we receive, you should also check the filing cabinet, in which other graduate program information is arranged in folders according to specific subject. The library also shelves school bulletins and basic information on the application process, job hunting, and choosing a career. Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Programs thoroughly covers the subject indicated by the title. You can take a GRE or other admission test booklet or other literature on the main table. Except for what’s on this “take one” table, please do not remove or disarrange materials in the Career and Job Center.
Financial aid is, for most applicants, a crucial aspect of graduate school planning. Fellowships, grants, and teaching assistantships are available in virtually every field of study. Seniors should consider applying to national fellowship programs. Some of the most well known--and most competitive-- are the National Science Foundation, Boren, and Fulbright fellowships. If interested, you should talk to the Placement Advisor as soon as possible (the Fulbright program, for study abroad, has the earliest deadline, in October).
If you are planning to attend a graduate or professional school you will need to take one or more standard admission tests in your senior year, for graduate school (GRE), law school (LSAT), medical school (MCAT), or business school (GMAT). The College will reimburse Shimer students for one test-taking (see the Dean’s Office to arrange for this coverage). The GRE, which is the test most often taken by Shimer seniors, consists of a general test and one or more subject tests (depending on the admission requirements of the graduate school). The general GRE is given year-round, by computer only, and you schedule it by calling 1-800-gre-call. GRE subject tests are given less frequently on dates posted at www.gre.org (usually November, December, and April), where you also sign up for the tests (about a month before the test date). The other testing services also have websites, given below, where you can register for tests and access helpful information. In addition, registration and information booklets for most of these tests are available at the Placement Library.
In the Career & Job Center you will also find printed and digital materials designed to help students acquire financial, time management, and other practical skills. Look for the “Life Skills” booklets and CD in the General Guides shelf (these materials may be used outside the C&J Center).
Students should feel free to contact the Advisor (xt 7188) if they want help/information relating to finding jobs, internships, or applying to graduate school. Seniors should fill out the graduating student placement questionnaires that are distributed at the beginning of the academic year. They will help the Advisor help them to have a life-after-Shimer.