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I am finishing my Ph.D. in mathematics and am currently applying to many different schools. I would like to customize my cover letter somewhat for liberal arts colleges.

In general, what defines a liberal arts college? What is it like to work at one? My university career has consisted solely of reasonably large state institutions with a research focus. I have only the vague notion that liberal arts colleges focus less on research and more on teaching.

What kinds of achievements/work should I point out to a hiring committee at a liberal arts college? The answer to this may be obvious based on the answer to the previous question, but a little redundancy would be appreciated.

Austin Mohr
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In general, I tend to think of the difference between a college and a university is the presence of graduate programs and multiple "schools" at universities, while the focus of a liberal arts college is the teaching and development of undergraduates.

Research experiences for undergraduates are considered to be important parts of the modern experience, so having experience in those areas are considered useful, but is by no means the dominant concern.

aeismail
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  • This answer is correct (though, not all liberal arts colleges insist faculty do research with undergraduates), but in the past 12 years a lot more has been written. Let me link to a few threads for the sake of future readers. https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8295 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10522 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/28710 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/202665 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/200505 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17405/ https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/19846 – David White Mar 31 '24 at 13:51
  • Continuing: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/57560 https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/104103 – David White Mar 31 '24 at 13:52