General Education Courses: No Need for Them
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.
College is incredibly expensive for students who are paying out of pocket and for students taking out loans. Financial stability has gradually become an issue with college students and families; General Education classes have taken up a great role. Taking General Education courses means that students will be spending far more money than necessary. According to finAid.org, students would be saving a lot more money by completing General Education Requirements at a community college. In other words, General Education courses amount to higher tuition. Higher tuition will then become loans, which will soon become college dept. Also mentioned on FniAid.org,
“Thus students who tr...
... middle of paper ...
...ents’ primary focus should be on what their major requires of them before graduating. The time spent taking General Education classes could be time spent interning for a dream job, working to pay for college or taking required classes. General Education courses cause more stress and empty pockets amongst college students and families.
Works Cited
"FinAid | Answering Your Questions | Cutting College Costs." FinAid | Answering Your Questions | Cutting College Costs. Mark Kantrowitz, Web. 12/15/2013
Jackson, Dr. Bruce. Why Is General Education Important? Columbia College. Web. 12/15/2013
Pracz, Alyssa. "General Education Courses Are a Waste of Time and Money." Northern Star Online. 13 Apr. 2011. Web.12/15/2013
"University Bulletin." : Undergraduate Degree Programs: General Education in the Curriculum. The Pennsylvania State University, Web. 12/15/2013
In comparison to a 4-year university a 2-year community college is much more affordable option. Even if a student ultimately transfers to a university, those first two years at a community college can still save a student ten-of-thousands, and some cases hundreds-of-thousands, of dollars, “In 2011-2012, after accounting for grant aid from all sources, net tuition and fees… at public two-year public colleges was effectively zero for students from the two lowest income quartiles.”(Jenkins). Along with saving students money overall, community colleges allow students to work while going to school, so it gives students the pros of both not going to college, and going to college. The one downside of community college is the lack of degree options, but there is still a large selection of degrees that can be acquired at community college, just not as many as a 4-year university. When comparing all three of these options, the community college option seems like the only option where the pros heavily outweigh the cons while with the other options, the cons can easily overpower the
Jimenez, T. C., Graf, V. L., & Rose, E. (2007). Gaining access to general education: The
Domenico, Desirae M., Ph.D, and Karen H. Jones. "ERIC - Education Resources Information Center." Education Resources Information Center. N.p., Fall 2007. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.
Education week, 22(41) p.12. Retrieved September 28, 2003 from EBSCO database (Masterfile) on the World Wide Web: http://www.ebsco.com.
"College costs and the CPI." Arkansas Business 9 Sept. 2013: 7. General OneFile. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
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....
One of the reasons for my dislike of high school is that I, like almost all other students, was required to take classes that were of no interest to me, whatsoever. Sure, there were classes that I partially enjoyed but that enjoyment quickly evaporated after a short while. At the time, I really wished I had the opportunity to “pick and choose” classes that I wanted to take. I thought it would all change when I started college. In ways it has. I am now able to choose classes I am most interested in, but I am also required to take elective and other classes that are unrelated to my major. Though, now, I am not so against it. I have actually enjoyed taking unrelated classes. This is because I have learned that there are, in fact, multiple benefits of taking classes outside of a major. Required classes are beneficial because they allow a student to discover unknown interests, gain a wider area of knowledge and expertise, as well as it gives that student the ability to use an area of knowledge from one area to aid in another.
General education classes are focused on expanding the intellectual horizon of students. Many of the classes for general education don’t have anything to do with specific career choices but are required regardless. While this seems to be nice and good on the surface, it has problems. If colleges only cared about letting students expand their horizons instead of helping people graduate in a timely manner, there would be many more “college surfers”. Those people go to college aimlessly in order to pass the time. They do not have a definite goal and are not able to get a degree in order to graduate and contribute as a member of society. This would mean that taxpayers are wasting millions of dollars for nothing. Although it is important to keep learning as you grow older, there also needs to be a bigger purpose to life than just class cruising. Also, as stated before, if college was for everyone to learn and grow and there wasn’t a focus on grades then the college degree would have no
Instead, they have to take classes that have close to nothing to do with their major, but are only taking these classes to fulfill the general educational requirements. I believe that taking these classes could potentially hurt a student’s cumulative GPA if getting a low grade. Taking these classes are not just a waste of time, but it is time wasted that could have been used towards major classes. Upon graduation, some feel that they are at a disadvantage because more time could have spent on learning more within their field of study instead of time spent on irrelevant
In my case, I wanted to go to DePaul or UIC to get my bachelor 's degree; however, I had to go to a community college first in order to get general education and other classes needed for my major because it has lower tuition. However, going to a community college doesn’t solve the problem because even community colleges are increasing tuition every semester or every year. According to Oakton’s website, last year’s tuition for one credit class was $100.10, and now it has increased to $111.25 per credit hour. It is not that big of a difference, but it can be for some students. If community colleges keep increasing their tuition, then students will not have any choice, and they will have to deal with the
These smaller city based education outlets offer an alternative to more expensive, larger four year institutions. They allow students to earn associate's degrees or general education credits in a more cheaply manner. The typical community college costs a little over $3,000 a year. Compare this to the average cost of a four year public college, over $8,500 (College Board 2015). They currently enroll almost half (45 percent) of all post secondary students and that number is slated to grow in the coming years (Hanover 2014). The appeal of community colleges is easy to see these days in light of this information. Many experts say that community colleges are a “Fad” that will be replaced in the near future by internship/apprentice programs offered by corporations. Until then the community college is still the most affordable post secondary education outlet to
To begin with, I believe that college is affordable. I believe that if a person really wants to go to college than that person will achieve that goal by any means. A person who is determined to achieve higher education will exhaust all resources to make sure that this happens. There are many options to achieve this goal. These options include starting at a community college and transferring to a four-year college, applying for financial aid, obtaining a grant or scholarship, and taking out loans. These are all options that are available to anyone who wants to achieve higher education. Depending on the student and his or her goals, the best option may be starting at a community college. This gives the student an opportunity get general education courses out of the way and save money before transferring to a four-year college. If the student chooses to attend a four-year university, the student can apply for financial aid. Grants, scholarships, loans, and financial aid can help the student financially. The money will be applied towards expenses such as housing, classes, food, and books. If a person truly wants to attend college then that person will try every option before giving up. There is more to getting into college than just applying and hoping for the best.
Whether or not to attend College after graduating High School is an important decision in a young person’s life. There are a number of factors to consider such as funds, grades, and other social issues that must be considered. The government offers different types of funding for students like Pell grants and student loans. Therefore, everyone is able to attend some college, even if it is just the local Community College in the area. Attending College is the supreme option for most High School graduates, which will enable them to earn their maximum potential income, while also preparing them to make well informed decisions throughout their lifespan. College can also help to improve a person’s social skills and provides a multitude
Secondly, college is where a person goes to discover him/herself. This is one of the many goals of the college system, and that discovery process is hindered by unneeded, mandatory classes. Students should be able to try many different classes to discover what interests them the most, not to be fed knowledge that they very well might know already (and is perhaps of no interest to them). If required courses were eliminated, it would free up much time that students could then use to pursue their own interests. College exists to help people become unique individuals, not to put every person into the same standard mold.
Kantrowitz, Mark. "FinAid | Saving for College | Tuition Inflation." FinAid! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans. The Smart Student Guide, 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.