woebegone, I agree with what you say except for this:
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Okay in the US, most LAC graduates have no problem finding jobs, partly because most of them come from extremely well-to-do families with extensive connections.
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Most LAC graduates come from families with connections? That statement sounds immediately dubious. LAC people come from everywhere; I'd say that well-connected families make up the minority. LAC grads have no problem finding jobs in the U.S. simply because people over there know LACs are (gasp!) elite.
longbowmen:
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1)articulation - any school that has a fair amount of participatory learning would hone a student's articulation and presentation skills, be it in the arts/humans/social sciences or the natural/bio med sciences, i dont see why having a LA curriculum will necessarily make you more eloquent
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U.S. schools do involve a lot more class participation - especially for LACs with their very small class sizes and close faculty interaction. And the teaching of these oratory skills is not about the curriculum alone, but more importantly the PEOPLE you're surrounded by. I think it's very fair to say that Americans are generally more outspoken, confident and articulate than Singaporeans. Trust me, their skills and their friendliness will rub off on you whether you like it or not. Moreover, all of my friends in overseas universities can attest to how they've forced themselves to speak up just simply because everyone else in class is basically fighting among themselves to speak. Nobody there is afraid of giving the wrong answers. It'll change you. Until NUS/NTU/SMU have a similar environment, I don't see how the local experience can compare to the overseas one.
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2)critical thinking - ANY fairly rigorous field of study will stimulate critical thinking and analysis (apart from a degree in some hospitality or gardening crapshoot)....in fact, i would think that delving deeper would be more stimulating and engaging than glazing the surface of many subjects
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staying with ONE subject for 4 years would bore me to death. I don't know about you, but I want at least my undergrad experience to be stimulating and engaging. Grad school is understandable.