We spend a large portion of our lives in some form of an educational instituion. Many high school students indifferently sit through countless math and history classes they didn’t understand or appreciate. They are forced to take physical education classes and participate in exercise games like ‘over the line’ they don’t like. If ever there was a type of approved torture that would be it.
When going to college, there is a misconception the forced learning, also known as educational requirements, will go away. Students expect to find themselves immersed in their topic of choice and upon arrival come to find the educational requirements that were set in place in high school never really went away.
College calls them general education (GE) classes and everyone is expected to take them. Math classes, history classes and science classes are required of everyone who attempts to get their bachelor’s degree. As if that isn’t enough, you have to take both upper and lower division GE classes. Classes you don’t want at varying levels of difficulty? The torture just gets worse.
The realistic matter in all of these extra classes is they are actually helpful. It may seem like a complete waste of time to take classes that have nothing to do with your major, but in all honesty its probably helpful. These classes help to expand your mind. They allow for other ways of thinking that your specific major might not offer. The thought process that goes into a math class is not the same for an English class. You don’t write an English paper and a science paper the same way.
Although they seem useless and annoying, the University creates these requirements to allow for well-rounded students. It’s nice for students who have yet to declare their major to see what opportunities are out there for them and see if there is a subject they enjoy. It also allows for exploration. Then if people are not content with their major of choice they have options of subjects they have studied they could switch to if they desire.
It is the same logic as to why journalism majors are required to have a collateral. The department doesn’t want its students to be focused on only journalism, which can be considered an insecure job market to go into at the moment, and encourages growth in other areas. By having knowledge of other skills it can work in many college graduate’s favor especially with the current economic crisis, lack of job security and uncertainty of landing your dream job fresh out of college. At some point all of the information that we learned in other classes can help.
Although it may be aggravating to have to sit through classes that don’t really pertain to your major or your passion, but in the end they are for your benefit. We may sit in a math class and wonder when we are ever going to use the formulas they teach us, but they come into play in the everyday situations of life.
