Going into my freshman year, I had my mind firmly set on my career path. At the time, I had wanted to major in accounting, and I was determined that I wasn’t going to be one of those people that changed their major (it has since changed three times -- plot twist). When the first day of classes began and I went into my first accounting class I immediately knew this wasn't what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and it was time to start searching for other options.

When I started at my liberal arts college, I thought the extra hours of general requirements were just a waste of time and money. Why did I need to take art and religion classes anyway? Turns out all of those extra hours and classes were more than worth my time. Since my freshman year, I have taken classes that I never would have considered taking had I gone to a public school and they have helped shift me in the right direction to ultimately finding my perfect major and minor.

A liberal arts education is much more than just the extra hours, it helps you become a more well-rounded individual, more so than you could've ever thought of yourself to become. You have the opportunity to experience a wide range of subjects and fields that, if you're like me, could spark your interest and ultimately form a career path. You can be a biology major and an English minor, a communications major and a religion minor, the combinations are endless! On top of that, if nothing else you’ll at least gain a little extra knowledge (because I promise, you’ll end up remembering the titles of famous works by Beethoven from your music class you had to take), which can never hurt, am I right? Aside from the classes themselves, a liberal arts education is highly sought after in the job field. Liberal arts can open so many doors to new opportunities for you, more than you would've expected.

So, here's to the late nights studying for those music and religion exams, the art classes that became a blast, and the communications credits that sparked a fire. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to attend a liberal arts college, and I won't ever take it for granted.