Rethinking the Linear Thinking of Education Decision-Making

By RUDOLPH W. LURZ

 

“What should I major in to get into medical school?”

“Where should I go for undergrad if I want to be a lawyer?”

“What club should I join if I want to get an MBA?”

As a teacher, I often fielded questions like these from ambitious honors students, starting as early as 9^th grade. These are the wrong questions to ask. This kind of rigid linear thinking results in rejection letters. Even worse, it starts a life of unhappiness as you check off each of the boxes on a plan you created as a high school freshman that no longer fits who you are today.

I don’t blame students for asking these questions. The image of a university as a job training center has been placed in their heads by both parents and policy makers. It’s the wrong way to look at higher education. Over a quarter of the jobs of the next decade haven’t even been created yet. The careers and research of the future don’t require a checklist. They require a sharp, flexible mind.

Like their 21^st century counterparts, education critics in the early 19^th century argued for more relevant courses to fit the needs of contemporary businesses. Job training was demanded, and subjects like Greek were considered antiquated and useless for the modern world. The faculty of Yale College answered these critics with the Yale Report of 1828, which defended the traditional liberal arts curriculum. The authors state,

“From different quarters we have heard the suggestion that our colleges must be new-modeled; that they are not adapted to the spirit and wants of the age; that they will soon be deserted, unless they are better accommodated to the business character of the nation. At this point we have an important bearing upon the question immediately before the committee, we would ask their indulgence, while we attempt to explain, at some length, the nature and object of the present plan of education. The two great points to be gained in intellectual culture are the discipline and furniture of the mind; expanding its powers and storing it with knowledge” [emphasis authors’].

To be prepared for the brave new world of the 21^st century, students should take the advice of these 19^th century educators. Students today should seek new furniture for their minds. They should follow their passions, even if their academic interests are leading them in radically different directions.

Early in my doctoral program, I opined that liberal arts majors should take a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) or business minor, and STEM majors should take a liberal arts minor. I envisioned a program that would promote divergent courses of study to encourage innovation and creativity. My dissertation research suggests that a STEAM approach (adding the “A” for fine arts), along with liberal arts study, give students the critical thinking capacity to pursue a myriad of careers.

The data support these positions. Students who major in the humanities are almost 10% more likely to be accepted to medical school than those who major in biological sciences (acceptance rates of 46.16% and 38.88% respectively). Music majors have one of the highest rates of acceptance to medical school, with one study placing that percentage at over 60%. My wife’s medical school decorated its hallways with outstanding artwork and photography produced by its students. The stereotyped image of medical schools filled with hyper-competitive “gunner” biology majors is not an accurate image of what those programs look like today. Medical schools, along with graduate programs in business and law, seek balanced applicants with diverse educational backgrounds.

There is no linear educational pathway to a dream career. Students do not have to sacrifice their favorite subjects for their future careers as 18-year-old incoming freshmen. As a matter of fact, choosing a diverse, and even a divergent, course of study is the best possible strategy for undergraduates. America’s colleges provide ample opportunity to pursue unique education plans through a plethora of major and minor programs.

Do you enjoy chemistry, but your favorite class is British literature? You don’t have to throw your love of Shakespeare on the sacrificial pyre of job training. Major in English and minor in chem. Do you have a passion for business, but also love playing trombone? Major in finance and minor in music. There are thousands of combinations. You will be much more interesting to a future employer, along with graduate admissions committees, if you come to the table with a unique educational background.

When I answer my students’ questions today, I tell them to major in whatever they like the most, and minor in whatever they like the second most. Not only will that make them more likely to get into elite graduate programs, but they’ll also be happier with their chosen course of study.

Dr. Lurz is an author, teacher, coach, and founder of Lurz Higher Education Consulting Services. He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and cat.