Simply, university is meant to be a time to explore one’s self. Yet almost all post secondary institutions traditionally impose some unequivocal academic curriculum, nearly deciding the path of a student’s career long before they can question their own passion. Then, the minimum conditions of the institution must be met in order for the student to be awarded with the respected credit. Because of this, universities influence students to pursue standard, foundation courses, even if the subject adds zero value to future career aspirations. Moreover, there are many students in North America that suffer both mentally and physically to pass these foundation courses that in turn do not support their career choices overall. Though many external factors weigh in on the traditional college curriculum, such as: budget cuts that lead to smaller class sizes, higher applications and fewer available seats, and low engagement on campuses, it is the looming disconnect between a student and the input of their future that has me really shaken. It is why I believe college and university students should have complete and total freedom when choosing post secondary courses.
Budget Cut 2013
Recently, Alberta faced a devastating 6.8 per cent cut in post secondary education funding during the 2013 budget, and this affected Mount Royal University (MRU), our institution, significantly with a “7.3 per cent deficit” (Budget FAQs, mtroyal.ca) in the institutions’ budget. New students had their 2013 fall registration delayed, while MRU scrambled to react to the distressing funding cut of more than 7 per cent, when recently promised a 2 per cent increase (Budget FAQs, mtroyal.ca). Diploma degrees, such as the engineering transfer program and the journalism certificate, were completely removed from being offered – even to those students who were already accepted into the program (Quirico, Swan, “Alberta’s Post Secondary Schools React to Budget Cuts”). Not only did the cuts halt new enrollment, class sizes suffered as well. Courses once seating over 25 students were now cut down to 15 or maybe 16 students. And if you got in to the course that you wanted consider yourself lucky, because I know I wasn’t one of the fortunate ones. Not only was my registration immobilized, but I too was left scrambling to pick suitable classes in order to graduate. But how was I to do so when all the required courses were filled? If I wanted to graduate on time, did I have to choose my plan C courses in order to fulfill my requirement as a full time student?
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
General Education courses may be one of the most hated requirements in college by students. These courses are required amongst all college students regardless of one’s major or minor. General Education courses may vary with schools but usually consist of: the arts and humanities, social science, natural science, mathematics, and writing. These courses should be optional; students should be able to take them at their own interest such as with elective courses. Without General Education courses it is understood that students will not have completed or received credits needed to graduate. Required college courses should be based solely on one’s major or minor. Students should not be required to take general education courses for the simple fact that they are deemed “important”. General Education courses causes more money, unnecessary time spent taking classes that do not correlate with one’s major, and also lower grades. However, general education classes are said to be the basic skills needed for college students.
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
Cutting Towards Education Education is considered to be a very important step toward a person’s future success. But the Saskatchewan Party is cutting the education funding budget, they believe cutting the education budget would help balancing out their budget but in reality, these cuts created job layoffs, rise in both tuitions and education taxes and most importantly impacting the future university student lives because it will be harder to payoff their post-secondary debts. The Saskatchewan Party believes that their budget will be balanced if they consistently cut the education fundings and dramatically increasing the taxes on education then it will help with the province deficit; “The budget says Saskatchewan's pre-kindergarten-to-Grade-12 school system will receive $1.86 billion in school operating money in 2017-18, which is $22 million less than the previous fiscal year” (O’Connor). According to budget documents, property tax revenues on residential properties will go up 10.6
Since the 1980’s the cost of attending colleges have increased rapidly. Rising costs of for Medicare, highways and prisons have caused many states to reduce a percentage of their budget for higher education. Colleges and Universities currently face a very serious challenge:
In today 's society, there are multitudes of pressure high school students face. One of the biggest pressures put on high school students is the decision of going to college. From the moment students enter into a secondary education, they are constantly asked questions about their future plans. Teachers and parents expect students to perform their best, while giving them no chance but to look towards college. In some cases, however, college might not be the answer. Other options exist as alternate avenues after high school, however, these are not as often expressed as the idea of a four year university. Although a college education and degree is most often more impactful than a high school diploma, there is too much pressure
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...
As the cost of college tuition continues to rise each year, many individuals are questioning if a college education is worth the time and effort needed to obtain a college degree. In today’s society, however, a high school education or diploma is not enough to insure a chance at having a good future. For many students, the decision on whether or not he/she should pursue a higher education is a major conflict for many young adults who are graduating high school. Therefore, while some students wonder if going to college is worth the price tag, in the end, the benefits associated with earning a college degree are proven to uphold numerous opportunities for individuals in the future.
On December 10, 2009 at Hamilton University in Clinton, New York, college professors debated current college curriculum (Liew). They talked about how their college could make the leap from being good to being great. At the 22nd American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges conference held in Long Beach, California on November 14, 1996, the topic of changing curriculum was discussed (“Mich”). The University of Louisiana, Lafayette, is eliminating its philosophy major, while Michigan State University is doing away with American studies and classics, after years of decline in enrollments in those majors (Zernike). The purpose of a college education is to meet the student’s needs so that they can compete and understand the connection between a degree and a job that will enable them to compete with other world economies, give them a well-rounded education that will enable them to earn a higher income, and retain a lifetime full of knowledge....
Students go to college in search of knowledge, a new lifestyle, and the hope of a job after graduation. For many young adults, college is a rite of passage into an independent, mature new lifestyle. Not only is higher education a rite of passage, for some, it is also an opportunity to have a better life. Overall, college is a wonderful part of many people’s lives, yet the way the college education system is conducted wastes students time and money. College is basically composed of two parts: general education classes and major specific classes. General education courses are the source of wasted time and money, and should not be required of students. A few of the problems associated with general education classes are that they are basically a repeat of high school, unfortunately they can be the demise of students, they are costly, and they waste time.
There are many arguments to support the abolishment of core classes in college. One reason is a financial one: a great bulk of tuition money that the students pay to college is for their courses. It is not right to have the college take this money and make the student's decisions for them. The students should have the right to make this
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
College. It is the seven-letter word that almost every child will hear thousands of times while they are growing up. They constantly are bombarded by the idea that they must go to college if they want to be successful. However, what if this is a false statement. What if college isn’t as great as everyone makes it out to seem. Well, these days some people believe that young people are better off, not going to college. Over the years the economy around the world has changed. It has prospered, and it has fallen. As the economy went downhill the government began cutting funds in areas that they felt were necessary to exterminate. One of the largest areas of funding that was cut was education. Colleges began receiving less money from the government, resulting in a rapid increase of college tuition fees. Due to this, a lot of people believe that college tuition is too expensive for what you get, and not worth the money. However, most people believe that college is necessary in order to further their education, and in order for them to earn their degree. They think that this degree has the ability to help college graduates get a job and work up to a career that only someone with a college level degree is able to achieve. The truth lies in the facts, and statistics. College is the seven-letter word that all people should be thinking about. A college education is a valuable investment that everyone should strive to achieve, and is completely worth the expensive cost.
Colleges and universities need to be structured so that they prepare students for specific career roles, as well as give them a level of appreciation for the world in which they live. Brewer’s succe...
There has been a number of debates as to whether college students should be given the opportunity to choose their courses. Like any contentious subject, while others are of the opinion that, courses should be chosen for college students, others believe that, students should be given complete freedom to choose the courses they would love to study. When students join college, they are forced to study for subjects they do not want to. Many students complain that they are not allowed to choose subjects they are interested in; rather, they are forced to take compulsory subjects. In addition, students complain that, they are forced to spend their entire years in college doing things they really do not need. This is very wrong because, college students should have more freedom to choose their own courses for several reasons. To start with, students are always interested in studying different subjects, and they love courses they choose to study. Moreover, if students are allowed to study the courses they choose, it will be easy for them to concentrate and work hard so as to excel in this subjects.