You look through the course catalog and come upon a class—Basket Weaving through Colonial Oceania. Many would question why this course even exists. Such classes are universally scorned, to the point that “underwater basket weaving” has become a euphemism for “worthless, impractical class”. Although electives are, by definition, classes that are optional, the choice of electives is still subject to peer pressure. Students normally endeavor to fill their schedules with electives that closely align with their major, lest they “waste their time” with an unprofitable course. An unrelated elective is not, actually, a waste of time. In fact, it is vital for students to take courses outside of their area of concentration. Although some electives …show more content…
A course in philosophy and critical thinking, for instance, may enhance the problem-solving abilities of a student. This is difficult to quantify or list on a resume, but will nonetheless aid a student as he works toward a career. Many classes teach various soft skills, particularly classes which may seem to teach nothing of practical use. A yoga class improves self-control and emotional regulation, while a sewing class teaches patience and attention to detail. These soft skills are vital to a student’s success in any industry, and are best learned in college. Although these skills can no doubt be learned during an internship or on the job, they will be more helpful to a student when gained early. The students who took diverse electives will stand out among their peers as well-rounded employees with many positive traits. Electives provide an opportunity to gain skills that would not otherwise be learned in …show more content…
After all, they say, the purpose of college is to learn a trade, to prepare for a profession. Sticklers for rigorous class schedules claim that students can gain skills and diversify their knowledge in extracurricular activities, and that students shouldn't be coddled with fun, flippant courses. There is one main point that this viewpoint overlooks: college students work hard. Virtually every college student recognizes that they are being granted a valuable (and expensive) educational opportunity. Any student who is taking a full load of major-oriented courses will take those courses seriously, devoting huge amounts of time and effort to each class. These students simply don't have the time or energy to engage in-depth in as many extracurricular activities as would be necessary to equal the benefit of one elective class. Extracurricular activities are not graded and do not help a student pass the GRE, so they often fall by the wayside. In contrast, an elective class must be completed, once started; this allows a student to gain the above benefits and skills without sacrificing career-oriented schoolwork.
Not only would the student not sacrifice school work, the elective may actually improve it. A student who is compelled, by an elective, to take part in something they enjoy will be a student who is calmer and happier. This student will then be better able to complete major-specific classes.
Extracurriculars are there for students to enjoy activities other than their academics, but it is also a way to shows that they can focus on education and outside life at the same time. Some students do not take school seriously enough. Coming to school might just be a way for athletes to participate in the sport they want to. Not every students has exceeding academic skills, however, anyone can succeed if they just try. Being able to multitask will behoove the students in the future. Undergraduates tend to separate their school and outside life. Older adults do this as well; but instead of school, it is work they have to worry about. During exam week, students will want to study and it will take away their eating and sleeping time. Eating and studying is a vigorous way to
The first reason there should be electives is, so students get to select their classes. When there are electives, students will get a say in what class they want to take but there is more to it than that. Electives get students ready for making choices later in life. It teaches students to make
First, electives are important for students because they would allow kids to learn new things.“ These classes could help students find out what they enjoy about themselves while potentially helping them get into career fields,”according to Danielle Diehl,vice president of Future Business Leaders
College students are often worrying too much about becoming wealthy in the future rather than worrying about funding a career they love to perform in the future. Many students feel they need too have their entire life figured out and only take classes that will advance them. While these classes are important, taking elective classes are also necessary to experiance new things and open their minds.too In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, Zinsser uses pathos to explain how students are stressing out about planning their futures.
In an article, an expert said ¨Although academic work is vital, these extra-curricular activities are also significant for students because they teach responsibility and teamwork¨(¨Reasons Why the School Day Should Be Shorter¨). Colleges
A big concern in todays’ world for graduating college students is being able to find a job right out of school. More times than not, there are many problems that occur when a student chooses a specific career path. In the short exert “Why Focusing Too Narrowly In College Could Backfire”, written by Peter Cappelli, he discusses in his opinion, as well as many others, the right path students should be taking. The lead way students should be following to secure they get a job in a field they will enjoy. Many students have trouble picking a college to go to let alone what major they want to focus on. Students are told to pick a major and start taking the classes for it as soon as possible without realizing they might not even enjoy that field of work. There are many struggles in college with picking the correct classes and
In many examples that Selingo selects to write about in his book, he explains that if you choose to take elective classes, you should spread them out throughout your time being at college. Another similarity is that they both display the importance to have completed internships by the time you graduate and are searching for a job. In College Unbound, a communications manager at Southern New Hampshire said “The internships get the job.” (Selingo, p. 144) At Endicott College, one of the requirements is to complete an internship class each year that follows with an internship out in your field of study. More than 50% of the students that graduate Endicott College have a job lined up for them because one of the Internships they
By the time September rolled around students have forgotten what classes they registered for. My school liked to move past things as quickly as possible. To elaborate, each student would receive a book with every class the high school had to offer, regardless of grade and prerequisites. Then, each student had to return a specific form with all the classes they would take within a week of attaining the book of courses. Knowing which class to take and how it would affect your next four years was a shared mystery to all the incoming freshman. While a flowchart detailing how the mathematics classes lead into each other was provided, all other classes looked as if they would never relate to one another. What the school failed to express to us is that once a student is put into a class, there is no switching out or dropping the class if the class proves too challenging or too easy, the class you take the following year has already been determined, and that if you want to try something new, you had better take the prerequisite early. As Rose wrote, “school can be a tremendously disorienting place” (127), and the absence of communication between students and the rest of the school verifies this disorientation. The illusion that students have a choice in how their education grows is perpetuated by a system that thinks it knows best.
Why aren’t students getting immersed in their class materials? Before taking classes that will prepare students to their major, it is required for them to take general education (such as English and math), causing most students to be distressed to get the classes over with. Multiple students only strive to get into a practical career, rather than taking the time to focus what's the material is about. Specifically, I began thinking if other college/university vocational major students have thoughts that liberal art classes would be irrelevant to them for their future career. Furthermore, does being in a vocational or liberal arts major have an effect on how students engage in their classes.
There is value in a required class in the Liberal Arts Education” [Dr. Andrew Mills]. This was how Dr. Mills began his speech. This statement caught my attention and I began to wonder. What is the value or pre-eminence of taking courses outside my major? Will I benefit much from that or is it just a mere waste of my time? Thankfully ,Dr. Mills answered my questions as he intimated that in a liberal arts education set up, one gains character traits that will not only come in handy when looking for a job but that will also make one a great critical thinker with an open mind.
Though it might be beneficial when trying to gain new information for a new subject. For me personally it hinders me from what I need to know. Not only that, but because I must pay out of pocket for tuition, being able to save a few hundred dollars on one class would help my wallet a bit. I find no issue if I voluntarily chose the course I wanted to take because I would enjoy it and retention of the information will remain in my long-term memory. The problematic thing about taking courses “against” my will because of this check list the University needs to fulfill, is like being held at gunpoint. I’m sure that if I wanted to take courses that is far off from my major, I would have gone back to high school because of the unnecessary classes, but now it’s college
First, it can make the course more meaningful and students do benefit from it. Students’ attendance to the classes is no more a disturbing thing, because they should take responsibility for the decisions they have made. On the one hand, they have great passion for the courses they have chosen. As a saying goes, interest is the motivation of for doing anything. When there is an extraordinary interest, there is a strong heart to go through plenty of tough matters. Provided with the proper courses, there is no doubt that the talent of the students will be explored thoroughly. On the other hand, teachers could communicate with the students better instead of watching the students sleeping or going blank. Successful classes not only require teachers’ wonderful speaking or preparations, but also students’ critical thinking which means that they should be the owners of knowledge and take an active part in the classes’ discussions. So it has to be admitted that this will contribute to the effect of the classes.(Choose Their Own Classes)
The majority of students that attend colleges and universities feel it’s unfair to be restricted from taking courses outside their major field of study. We want to maintain our right of freedom of choice; however, last time I checked we worked so hard to get the opportunity to learn on a higher level and be challenged on our knowledge. Additionally, we took out loans to pay for our college, which means we should take any courses we desire that will expand our knowledge on subjects we crave to learn about; also, the requirement amount of credits to graduate. Finally, college is all about finding yourself, you really cannot find yourself with restrictions in life.
Having the ability to choose an elective at a young age can actually help the students in the future! For example, if a student is into photography, and they choose that as an elective, it’s very likely that it's going to become their career job. Studies show that it’s common to get a major, or even a degree from a student's elective from the
First, Electives can help find passions. When a person decides their class they are going to try new things and when they find a class they like. Also if they like it so much they would want to do it when they grow up. Also when they discover.