Madam, - There has been much recent discussion about our university system and whether various arts subjects are "commercial" enough to prepare graduates for the modern business world and the challenges they may face there.
Quite apart from these subjects having great educational merit in themselves, I would respectfully challenge this assumption in many instances. I have had the opportunity to take part in European recruitment for two organisations, Boston Consulting Group and Goldman Sachs, which are very popular with many international graduates.
Some of the most successful people in these companies have come from arts or science backgrounds. They have developed first-rate minds by studying what they had a passion for, and then applied those minds to a career where they thrived.
I would not wish to extrapolate from one incident, but I was concerned by a recent recruiting event which involved leading candidates from Irish and UK universities. There was a clear gap - not to our advantage - in the ability to form independent and original thought between the UK and Irish candidates. All of the latter had high points in the Leaving Cert and good college grades, but clearly they had studied what they thought they should, rather than what they really wanted to.
Only one incident. Undoubtedly there are lots of counter-examples. But definitely food for more balanced thought. - Yours, etc,
HUGO MacNEILL, Killiney, Co Dublin.