COLUMN: General classes way too broad

General education classes are required for all undergraduate students to complete. They are commonly referred to as gen-eds, and they are also known among the masses as the brutal nemesis of one’s college career.

When a student finally packs their bags and leaves the family nest for that exciting first year of college, many do not know what to expect, especially when it comes to classes and professors. In fact, a large number of incoming first years are essentially clueless when it comes to what they want to major in.

However, there is an equally large group that has a general understanding of what they want to do with the rest of their lives. The first day of class rolls around and these kids are ecstatic about soaking in all the knowledge they can about their major, but wait, the schedule does not allow for specialized classes yet. Decided or not, first year students have to complete a seemingly un-ending string of general education classes, which suck up valuable time and money that could be spent towards their future careers.

I understand general education classes such as psychology, speech and biology allow for students to explore a wide range of fields in order to decide upon a major, but what if a student knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, what they want to study already? If this is the case, as it was with me, taking an entire year of general education classes seems slightly pointless.

I’m not saying general classes should be completely taken away, because I believe they do serve a purpose. However, I do not agree with the large number of courses we are forced to take. By reducing the number of general education requirements, students could still explore their options of possible majors, but save time and money by not having to take quite so many.

The next problem that arises with general classes is the broad range we are forced to take. Students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree are required to take 12 credit hours of communication and information literacy skills classes, three credit hours of quantitative skills classes, 12 credit hours of community and social interaction courses, 17 credit hours of human experience classes, 6-8 credits of the natural world courses, and three credit hours of aesthetic experience courses. These numbers really add up. And almost none of these classes pertain to one’s actual major, which are obviously more important. Although most of these courses are entry-level, many students do not perform well in every single one of these subjects. For example, someone could be simply brilliant in advanced math courses, but hopeless at writing papers. For this student, required general education courses could alter their GPA in a negative way, and even cause them to take the course over again, which means sinking even more money into the university. Not everyone excels in seven different categories, and with such a broad range of required gen-eds, students face immeasurable stress,  pulling their hair out over classes they struggle in, and will have no use for in their future careers.

Simply put, this just does not seem fair to me. Students should still be required to take general education classes, but should also be able to personalize how diverse they want these classes to be.

The next problem is, of course, money. With the cost of tuition at an all-time high, students are constantly scrambling to find ways to cut costs for the long and inevitably poor years of college. Work studies, student loans and scholarships all assist with the cost of post-secondary education in a substantial way. However, if universities simply lowered the amount of required general education classes, students could take the money spent on these credits and put it towards classes that actually benefit their future — classes that make them more marketable after four years of schooling. The amount of credits would stay the same, but students would have that much more experience in their specific field to put toward a successful career, rather than a Speech 101 or general biology class.

Finally, let’s face it, if the subject does not interest or apply to a student in any way, which is often times the case for many general education classes, the motivation for them to succeed in the class sinks to an all-time low, which could negatively affect their overall grade, affecting their GPA.

Gen-eds do serve a purpose. College is a time for exploring many different avenues of learning, which is exactly what these classes promote. They also provide a nice transition into how college courses are run. However, when the requirements for broadening ones’ horizon are too extensive, students get frustrated, angry and broke.