The Liberal Arts Experience

When I was applying for colleges, I was for more concerned about getting accepted to any school rather than any particular kind of college. So when it fell to a choice between CNU and Radford after my other 5 choices rejected me outright, it was an easy choice. But that choice was really between two liberal arts institutions. I always thought of those liberal arts classes as some sort of natural phenomena. Most people don't question why the sun has the appearance of rising every day, it's just a part of their lives. Something they accept and live with. So it was also with the fulfillment of my liberal learning classes. I didn't choose them any more than I chose to go to CNU. And with an attitude like that, I can't help but wonder if I was putting in enough effort to get any qualitative experiences out of them. An old English teacher of mine once said that we'll become real scholars when we start taking charge of our own education, and that idea has sort of stuck with me ever since. Much of that original attitude about those liberal arts classes is still with me, though, and while I can intellectually appreciate them it's not as genuine as I'd like. I wonder if those feelings devalue my educational experience at CNU?

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