# Why are liberal arts colleges so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 9, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722 "2019-05-09T14:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722/41 "2019-05-11T22:41:53Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > In terms of pure sticker price, SMU is as much as Harvard and more than MIT SMU is the Harvard of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. TCU is the Yale. UT Arlington and UNT are U. Michigan and U. Cal. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722/42 "2019-05-12T01:14:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My nephew graduated from high school last year. Heā€™s a brilliant kid, math prodigy, high honor roll, great ACT and SAT scores, the works; he is also an exceptionally talented singer. Define ā€œprodigyā€. A lot of old folks are impressed by a kid who scores a 5 on an AP test. > [@](#): > > Additionally, though heā€™s majoring in computer science, he very much wanted to continue to sing (and take classwork around music). Valpo was happy to let him do that (I think, but donā€™t quote me on this, that heā€™s minoring in music); U of I pretty much told him ā€œitā€™d be one or the other.ā€ So, heā€™s at Valpo, and thriving in both programs. There will be very specific programmatic requirements for a degree in computer science at a school like Illinois. It will be one of the best educations in the area he could receive. It would be very difficult to squeeze any music hours into a typical 120-hour degree. I highly doubt that (given he was offered no aid) he would be forbidden from doing both. He was probably rightly informed that a student who wants to be competitive in a CS program at a place like UI would be best advised to avoid distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722/43 "2019-05-12T16:12:17Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > There will be very specific programmatic requirements for a degree in computer science at a school like Illinois. It will be one of the best educations in the area he could receive. It would be very difficult to squeeze any music hours into a typical 120-hour degree. I highly doubt that (given he was offered no aid) he would be forbidden from doing both. He was probably rightly informed that a student who wants to be competitive in a CS program at a place like UI would be best advised to avoid distraction. Music programs are seldom open to dilettantes in college at places where Music is offered as a major - most music coursework - beyond the music appreciation coursework that will fill a general ed requirement, is only open to people who major or perhaps minor in Music or Music Ed. It isnā€™t high school band or choir. Music at that level is hard - its going to require more practice time than your CS courses are going to take, plus you tend to get individualized lessons - there isnā€™t room for ā€œand I want to take a few music coursesā€ā€¦so yes, heā€™d likely be forbidden from doing both since unless he declares an intent to major in music, he wonā€™t get into the music coursework. And they probably wonā€™t allow him to double major in two unrelated and time intensive fields unless he shows incredible gifts in both. A smaller private school without a Conservatory (you canā€™t, for example, take much music at Lawrence in Appleton without having been accepted - via audition - to the Conservatory) will have more flexibility - since the music major program - if available - will not have enough students to fill all coursework. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722/44 "2019-05-13T20:07:10Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > SMU is the Harvard of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. > > TCU is the Yale. > > UT Arlington and UNT are U. Michigan and U. Cal. > > šŸ˜‰ Thatā€™s like saying that Olivet College is the Harvard of banjo camps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-liberal-arts-colleges-so-expensive/833722.md?page=2)