My college featured in the Straits Times
The Straits Times (Singapore)
April 30, 2008 Wednesday
Cheers to a liberal arts education
BYLINE: Sandra Davie, Senior Writer
LENGTH: 1009 words
WITH her A-level results, Raffles Junior College student Nazish Zafar could have easily attended any big-name American university.
But she surprised friends and family by choosing Carleton College in Minnesota.
The liberal arts college is consistently ranked among the top five in the United States, but is not a familiar name here.
‘Why is it called a college, not a university?’ some asked her.
But Ms Zafar, 24, who graduated last year with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in sociology and anthropology, is glad she stuck with her choice.
A generous four-year scholarship from Carleton was a reason she went there, but she was also sold on the broad-based curriculum and intimate learning environment promised by the college.
And Carleton did not disappoint.
Her courses ranged from Russian language, culture and society to Middle Eastern social theory, and women and the Islamic construction of gender. She did courses in computer science, qualitative thinking, statistics, and video production and editing.
It all added up to a grounding in varied disciplines and taught her to see issues from various perspectives.
Her invigorating undergraduate experience is what liberal arts colleges are known for, and Singapore will be offering the same brand of education through a liberal arts college of its own.
She says she liked the fact that her courses traversed two or three discipline areas, showing students the connections across different areas of knowledge.
For example, National Identity In Israeli And Palestinian Literature - a course she did in her first year - meant reading novels and poetry, watching documentaries, and analysing articles expressing views from both sides of the conflict.
‘It gave me a refreshingly nuanced, multi-dimensional understanding to the region,’ she recalls.
In Year 2, she visited Moscow for three months, living with a Russian family. Her Russian language skills improved by leaps and bounds.
She added two months to that trip to be a volunteer at a community of foster families caring for orphans.
In her final year last year, she and a college mate won a $10US,000 ($13S,600) grant to launch a health education project in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Their Napkin Project aimed to educate women on the benefits of breastfeeding through messages printed on napkins handed out by street vendors.
Ms Zafar, who hopes to work in the social-humanitarian field, says the six-month stint gave her valuable on-the-ground experience.
After a stint as a relief teacher in a primary school here, she is now working at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports before starting her doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Singapore wants a liberal arts college too, but it will not be an independent private institution as in the United States.
The committee studying the expansion of university places here is concerned that the low teacher-student ratios and extensive interaction between faculty and students and among students can drive up tuition fees, to as high as $43US,000 a year.
It feels that Singapore students and parents unfamiliar with the benefits may not be willing to pay so much.
Hence the suggestion for a liberal arts college set up as an affiliate of a larger university, to leverage on the resources of its parent institution and keep fees affordable.
Liberal arts graduates Tan Shin Bin, 24, and Alexander Lim, 26, say whatever the form, Singapore could do with a liberal arts college.
Ms Tan, a former Hwa Chong Junior College student, went to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where almost all classes were discussions or seminars attended by between three and 15 students.
‘Because there were so few of us in a class, you are forced to participate. My education in Wellesley taught me to speak up and take a stand on issues,’ says Ms Tan, who now works for a statutory board.
Mr Lim, who went to Carleton, says: ‘You are constantly challenged on your beliefs and assumptions by your professors as well as classmates.’
Taken aback initially, he soon learnt to deliver intellectual punch for punch.
He feels there is a need to educate parents, students and employers here on the benefits of a liberal arts education.
The former Anglo-Chinese Junior College student says he gets quizzed about liberal arts colleges at interviews.
‘Very different from the US where it is a big deal to be a graduate of a liberal arts college as they are super selective,’ he says.
American liberal arts colleges have a history going back to the 1800s. The education they espouse has been questioned, with more Americans opting for a more career-relevant education.
But, by any measure, the liberal arts colleges have been a success story.
The last comprehensive study done on graduates of liberal arts colleges was 10 years ago but the findings still hold true.
It found that only 3 per cent of American college graduates attended residential liberal arts colleges, but their alumni accounted for 8 per cent of Forbes magazine’s listing of the nation’s wealthiest CEOs, 23 per cent of Pulitzer Prize winners in drama, 19 per cent of the winners in history, 18 per cent in poetry, 8 per cent in biography, and 6 per cent in fiction from 1960 to 1998.
They were also over-represented among recipients of prestigious scholarships.
Famous alumni include former president Woodrow Wilson, author Dan Brown, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, news anchor Diane Sawyer, actress Meryl Streep and Senator Hillary Clinton.
And should Mrs Clinton become the next US president, she will boost the tally of 19 per cent of US presidents with a liberal arts education.
sandra@sph.com.sg
NO REGRETS
Ms Nazish Zafar’s courses at Carleton College included:
YEAR 1
Russian Culture And Society
Elementary Russian
Women And The Islamic Construction Of Gender
YEAR 2
Biology Of Conservation
Introduction To Video Production
Middle Eastern Social Theory
YEAR 3
Introduction To Statistics
Sociological Thought & Theory
Art Of Oral Presentation
Qualitative Thinking
YEAR 4
Orphanages: A Cross Cultural Studies Analysis
Elementary Chinese
Class, Power And Inequality In America
6 responses so far ↓
ted // May 1, 2008 at 8:13 am
Nice thing to have, but don’t suppose Liberal Arts College will ever be available to the likes of the masses…
Just look at the profile of the Singaporeans interviewed for this article.
waynesoon // May 1, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Ted,
What do you mean “available to the likes to the masses”? I think is an exceedingly unfair characteristic of Singaporeans in liberal arts college, especially my college.
Many Singaporeans here come from middle class families, in fact a number of us stay in Tampines and Toa Payoh all our lives. Not all Singaporeans or those who graduated from the Singapore education system had perfect A-levels scores, in fact one had scores that didn’t allow them to even enter NUS but still did exceedingly well at Carleton in his ECAs and lead leadership positions at Carleton. This meant in admissions, grades are not everything as compared to NUS. Lastly, many of us are on scholarships here; I would never, never, never had the opportunity to study at Carleton if not for a scholarship from Carleton College. This is true for many Singaporeans as well as other people from other countries who have studied in the Singapore system.
And I think if you know Nazish personally, she has overcome great odds in her life to be what is she today. I really feel that your comments has diminished her achievements without you actually knowing or speaking to her.
ted // May 2, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Likes of the masses means exactly that. Liberal Arts College are usually exclusive, at least that is the general perception, no?
And by profile of the Singaporeans interviewed, do note that the only way I or anyone else can generalise or extrapolate anything from the article is based on the colleges they hail from (in the article). If they came from any other neighbourhood or non top 5 JCs, I would have been pleasantly surprised, yes?
You mean a typical person from the neighbourhood school system (Primary –> Secondary –> College/Poly/Others) have as as much chance to get a scholarship as one that hailing from one of the schools listed above?
Citing examples of people studying in prestigious college but hailing from a humble neighbourhood like Toa Payoh is a tad of a stretch. Ever seen people with high income owning expensive motorcars parked in open air car parks of such estates? Not all well to do people need to live in landed/condominiums to demonstrate their wealth.
And no, I do not know Nazish personally — and I don’t see where did I have anywhere pointedly pour an ounce of scorn over her achievements. Good for her to achieve so much if she really had to overcome much odds, even so, I must say that she is already quite blessed compared to most disadvantaged people in Singapore. (My initial comments were not even directed at her, so a little touché here eh?)
Call it sour grapes if you like, though, may I point out that even if you have been acculturated to view the world courtesy of your experience in a LAC, such as your current college, people out there are entitled to see things differently even if it is painted in the colour of cynicism.
jabir // May 3, 2008 at 3:55 am
I suspect that the reason ‘the likes of the masses’ aren’t so visible in US LACs is less because they are somehow exclusive as simply because not enough people have heard of them and how accessible they can be. this is why the general perception, which is mistaken, should be changed. LACs are very generous with financial aid, and given the bonded scholarship system in Singapore, I think perhaps it has not been in the government’s best interests to promote this tertiary option, until recently.
also, alexander lim was not from a top 5 jc. and the incoming class for carleton will have someone from cjc. in fact, because the selection criteria for LACs are very holistic, it does not necessarily matter whether or not one comes from a top 5 jc in singapore.
Nabeel // May 28, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Please excuse me for my comment but I am presenting my honest opinion here. As a foreign student in Singapore who knows the value of a liberal arts college and the opportunity it provides by challenging mindsets and teaching students to think beyond their tiny little shell, I think MOST Singaporeans won’t choose a liberal arts education because they can’t see the value in it.
I see these Singaporeans as mind-numbed robots who don’t know and don’t care about the world they live in. They surely care about their country and don’t possess the ability to hear anything negative about it (although they can say tons about other countries). When amongst themselves, they would criticize Singapore for the most minute and trivial things - things that don’t matter.
If I didn’t know a handful of smart Singaporeans, I would’ve concluded that all Singaporeans are dull. It’s the same back home though. All these people who study hard, work hard and play very little never get any exposure to real life until they step out of their shell and realize there is a whole world out there. That is when they find their place in the world.
Having said all that, let me clarify that I don’t think all Singaporeans are not the same - obviously. I love this tiny little nation and I wish for it to become even better and go even further. Which is why I criticize. If you are the mind-numbed type of Singaporean I just talked about, you won’t understand what this (positive criticism) is.
Nabeel // May 28, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Correction - last paragraph. “I don’t think all Singaporeans are the same - obviously.”
Oh, btw, the kind of people I am talking about can be found making money, working in banks and filling their houses with material possessions that they won’t be able to take to their graves with them.
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