To the Editor:
While I share Deborah Wassel '07's feeling of obligation to "do something great" with my life, and I appreciate her support of gender equality at home and the workplace, I consider part of her argument ("Women at Work," July 18) unfair. Specifically, her statement that a Dartmouth graduate who forgoes a career to raise children would be using her degree for nothing "more than changing diapers and packing lunches" is simply untrue.
Parenting certainly includes somewhat mindless daily chores, but it also involves the nurturing of ideas, and the shaping of minds and morals of new citizens. These are tasks which a well-educated thinker can carry out with greater success.
What's more, Dartmouth is not a vocational school. Obviously a B.A. is necessary for many of the careers Dartmouth graduates pursue, and I imagine that improved career prospects are among the main motivations of most students in attending college (myself included). However, the school remains a liberal arts institution (this is why we have majors like history and biology, but not "law training" or "hospital preparation"). A quality liberal arts education allows for the development of ways of thinking, and for an ability to experience the world with a well-informed, critical eye. Whether I use these skills as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, as a community volunteer or as a mother reading with her kids after school, my Dartmouth education will not be wasted.
