A College Education You Can Trust?

Parents these days spend a fortune to send a child to college and in return often get a corrupted, confused, incapable child. Is there is a better way? Guest writer Annalee Blonquist—a student at Mount Liberty College—shares her inspiring, unorthodox education journey that just might be right for other families who want higher education without the soul-threatening consequences.

By Annalee Blonquist:

Thanks to a couple of moves and two inspired, humble, courageous parents, my educational journey from birth through high school never looked “normal.” I skipped kindergarten, attended a small Presbyterian school from 1st-5th grade, was homeschooled from 6th grade until halfway through my junior year, and finished out high school at a local private school (with the opportunity to help earn my education there).

At first, I just thought I was “weird.” As I got older, I felt lucky to be taking “a road less traveled” (especially when that road took me to school days at the beach!). I met people I wouldn’t have met elsewhere, read books I wouldn’t have read otherwise, and caught a glimpse of a potential I almost couldn’t fathom to be mine. (Yet, I still figured that someday, I’d end up at a “normal” college, complete with dorm life, football games, and a steady diet of instant Ramen.)

By the time I graduated high school, I had a taste of what education could and ought to be – and what it was never intended to be: a series of checkboxes, an exercise in jumping through hoops, or the pursuit of a piece of paper that represented boxes checked and hoops cleared. I wondered why, if God created us each as unique people, should I try to fit myself into the same educational box as everybody else?

Once I let myself consider that my unique educational path might continue beyond high school, I began to wonder what opportunities might lie “outside the box”. One of those opportunities came in the form of a Facebook post just a couple of weeks later - a post about a school called Mount Liberty College. It was intriguing, and, at the same time, a little terrifying to consider. It would indeed be different, I realized. A small, brand-new college that only offered one degree and had no access to federal financial aid. There were no traditional dorms, no campus jobs, no sports teams.

And what exactly does one do with a B.A. in classical liberal arts?

Yet, something about these differences called to me, and very soon it became clear that I was meant to be at Mount Liberty.

As I began my coursework – diving into subjects of philosophy, rhetoric, government, history, literature, human nature, and more – I realized how much I really didn’t know, and how much I desperately wanted to learn it all! I was exposed to so many new ideas, so many questions, and so many truths all at once, and I was surrounded by peers and professors who are contributing additional meaningful ideas and questions and truths to the continuing Great Conversation. It’s an incredibly humbling experience. It is also an incredibly joyful, fulfilling, and stretching experience. In the words of one of my classmates, this education is not transactional, but rather, transformational.

Admittedly, it took a couple of semesters for me to fully recognize that transformational effect, but I gradually found myself becoming more curious, more empathetic, more creative, more articulate, and more passionate. I thought about things more critically – whether it be the breaking news or the daily challenges of my young adult life. And in my conversations with new acquaintances, I could draw on a new depth and breadth of understanding, allowing me to better connect with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Most importantly, I discovered a personal identity that went far deeper than my charted career path – a lover, seeker, and ambassador of truth.

Often, people who find out what I’m studying will ask, “Well, what do you want to do with that degree?” That seems to be a valid question, since “Classical Liberal Arts” covers a fairly broad range of disciplines. But a better question would be, “What do you want that degree to do for you?” or “What value is found in that degree?” My enthusiastic answer is, “So much!”

Our world doesn’t seem to realize that life stretches far beyond our jobs, and our identity is not (or should not be) wrapped up in and limited to our careers. Of course, the world demands that we earn an income and pay our own way, so we should be concerned to some degree (no pun intended) with how we will do that – but not at the expense of the rest of our lives.

While I look forward to using my degree in the professional arena (my current areas of interest include family/social policy, entrepreneurship, and religious education), I am most excited for the day when I’ll have children of my own and can pass on this love of truth and learning, this newfound wonder for the world that my education has developed in my mind and heart.

Now, I could go on and on about how much I love Mount Liberty College and all that I've learned there, but this post isn't about me. It's intended for you.

Yes - you, the one who is craving a real education, that isn't gained just for the sake of a degree or specific career (and doesn't cost an arm, leg, and years of debt).

The one who wants to see history through the eyes of those who lived it - not watered-down textbooks - and recognize all that it can teach us today.

The one who wants to find the truth, live by it, and persuade others to understand that the truth truly does make them free.

The one who wants God to have a prominent place in learning truth, in gaining and maintaining liberty; after all, He is the author of both truth and liberty!

And, most importantly, the one who wants these things - this different but exhilarating path - more than he or she wants to follow the crowd.

If you are that one, I would encourage you to take the road less traveled; go learn more about Mount Liberty College and discover the joy and growth that come as you begin to really, truly, deeply learn.

Visit the Mount Liberty College website here: mountlibertycollege.org.

Annalee Blonquist, Mount Liberty College Student