Even at Brandeis, a school renown for its emphasis on depth of knowledge in a broad spectrum of study, there is concern for how a liberal arts education will provide access into the job market. According to a recent New York Times article, such concern reflects nationwide sentiment.In the current state of economic recession and military action, more than ever, students across the country have felt pressured to choose a major and career path that will offer relative career stability and certainty in these uncertain times. For Brandeis students concentrating in the liberal arts, these fears hold true as well.

It is "a phenomenon right now of panicky seniors," Becky King, assistant director for experiential programs at the Hiatt Career, said.

But with a motto of "Truth, even unto its innermost parts," Brandeis students are continuing to pursue study in the liberal arts. In fact, many say finding these innermost aspects of truth is what will give them the edge when vying for job opportunities.

Among the top nine most popular majors students declared as of last fall, only two - biology and computer science - fell within the scope of the School of Science, which contains majors that show a more direct correlation between concentration and career. Students in these two top majors, which more directly correlate with a subsequent career, constitute only about eight percent of the student body, indicating a clear trend leaning toward the liberal arts.

Professor Steven Whitfield (AMST), who received his Ph.D. at Brandeis in American Studies, recognized some of the possible explanations for pursuing a liberal arts education. "The case for a liberal arts education is as strong as ever," he said. "The transformations, the unpredictable but dynamic features of the American economy, make it impossible to draw a clear trajectory from training to needed skill, and therefore education - the cultivation of critical and analytical thinking - is much more important than training."

"Liberal arts ... at their best," Whitfield added, "allow students to detach themselves, if only for four years, from the pressures and limitations of the working world and can provide an oasis of critical distance that will make life choices sounder and more meaningful."

Hannah Agran '04, an American Studies major, identifies with the principles of a liberal arts education, particularly its facilitation of a broad understanding of a certain discipline. "I like that I'm doing something that's a little bit broader and can be applied to more things," Agran said.

Other students like taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss subjects that can never be addressed to any significant extent outside the university arena and in the workplace. "As a philosophy major, I got to explore things that I otherwise wouldn't have," Kristen Stelljes '03, also an Environmental Studies minor, said. "This is my only time to talk about ideas such as of God ... and of what is justice."

But amid this talk of God and justice, why should students so esteem their deep liberal arts education at the risk of sacrificing future security and financial well-being? Because, according to Brandeis faculty and employers, the latter need not be sacrificed.

"A liberal arts education that encourages people to be skeptical and articulate makes them eligible for the most interesting jobs, whether or not students know in advance what those jobs will be," Whitfield said.

Many unforeseen advantages are also to be gained by means of the liberal arts, according to Professor Andreas Teuber (PHIL). With technology and machinery, people are more than ever able to accomplish many complex tasks, but, as Teuber remarked, "we still haven't found ways to have machines frame what the real issues are." A liberal arts education teaches students how to think and solve problems -attributes many employers actively seek out in job applicants.

Stelljes agreed. "A lot of people think it's very useless, but I think that (philosophy) provides you with a framework of looking at a problem," she said.

In fact, Teuber explained how rather than or in addition to the traditional interview process, some businesses will require job applicants to work on a type of puzzle in order to determine each applicant's problem-solving and thinking skills, as well as an ability to think on one's feet.

In addition, the liberal arts provide a broad background and experience in many subject areas, allowing students to draw connections between many seemingly unrelated concepts and to have a wider foundation from which to base decisions about future career paths.

Philosophy in particular provides such a foundation for determining future plans - in helping an individual understand his personality and goals. "When we enter difficult economic times," Teuber said, "people ask themselves what should I do, and suddenly philosophy seems more important to answer these questions."

This idea perhaps explains why philosophy enrollments consistently increase with a strong correlation to the fall of the NASDAQ, Teuber said. Such an inverse relationship is also perceivable with theater majors, as well as others in the liberal arts area.

"(A liberal arts education) is now more important than ever when there is economic uncertainty, when times are tough, (because) a liberal arts education, including a major in American Studies, can give students flexibility and resilience," Whitfield added. "These count for more than pre-professional training."

This assumption appears to hold true in the real world, as verified by the experience of at least one Brandeis student. Agran, currently an intern at Atlantic Monthly, told an editor that there was no journalism major at Brandeis when applying for the internship. Surprisingly to her, the editor's response was "Good," given that her broader academic background was an attribute employers valued among candidates.

Nonetheless, the scarcity of jobs in the present economy is very real and cannot be ignored when choosing to pursue a liberal arts major. Nadav Klugman '04 strongly considers that the economy may present obstacles to his getting a career with an American Studies major. "I'm going to get a graduate degree ... and remain a student, and a lot of it has to do with the economy," he said.

"While being educated in the liberal arts setting is a wonderful thing, it is a panicky, frightful ... thing for a senior," King said.

King emphasizes the importance of taking steps early on in determining a career path and marketing oneself in order to obtain the scarce jobs available in today's economic times that were abundantly available only two or three years ago. Many students finish their undergraduate studies with extensive knowledge in their area of study but insufficient experience for obtaining a good job. Liberal arts schools adequately teach liberal arts subjects, "but the part that all liberal arts colleges fail to do is (teach) about the real world," King said.

According to King, the worth of a liberal arts education has not changed over the period of a few years, but the degree of work required to make employers recognize the value of it has.

"How you communicate your ability, your skill, has become infinitely more important. Competition has risen, and you have to be that much better at selling yourself," King added.

This may mean pursuing more internships and jobs, in addition to working to perfect one's resume and cover letters.

So what are student's doing with their liberal arts degrees? According to Whitfield, the most popular field for American Studies majors to enter is currently law, while "others go into teaching, social work, business, political and social reform and the media."

In addition, both Teuber and Whitfield have consistently found many of their students continue their education after attaining an undergraduate degree from Brandeis, especially in these shaky economic times. "Within my experience, students assume their Brandeis education is not the last formal step they will take before entering the job market. Most students plan to go on to graduate or professional schools, and therefore I would like to believe that they cherish the general education in the liberal arts that Brandeis has given them," Whitfield said.

In the long run, Teuber said he feels a foundation in the liberal arts may also create better citizens, who can better inquire and contribute to their society.

"The ultimate aim of a liberal arts education, the big prize, is liberation," Teuber said. "It tends to liberate you from any narrow position that you might somehow become wedded to ... by introducing you to other possibilities.