There is a constant argument between fellow students of mine on whether or not General Education courses benefit student’s majors. General Education courses are basic classes such as, English, Science, Mathematics and are required by most universities. Many students look at the years of college they’ll have to endure and many realize that most of their years will be focused on General Education courses and less on classes for their intended major.
Many of my fellow students and I believe that General Education courses are non-valuable and cause more strain on one’s education. Two of the most common responses as to why the courses are perceived this way is that the courses focus less on a student’s classes for his or her intended major, which
General Education requirements for students results in a longer time to actually work on minor and major requirements. Allysa Pracz, Oral Communications teacher at Northern Illinois University, holds a just and honest opinion that General Educations classes are useless because they may have nothing to do with one’s major. For instance, a college algebra course would obviously have no effect on a student studying Creative Writing. The only question left to answer would be, why do such requirements exist? It could also be understood that courses required in fact focus on what students should have learned in high school. Pracz recalls her freshman year in college, stating, “I remember as a freshman taking classes such as ENGL 103 or COMS 100. Yes, both classes may be beneficial to some, but they mostly just rehash concepts and skills that the majority of students already possess or will pick up in other courses throughout their academic careers.” College students should be somewhat familiar with the basic concepts of many subjects offered, such as writing papers or algebra. It could also be proven that students are not quite interested in classes that they see as useless. For instance, students who major in Apparel Merchandising would have no interest in taking biology courses. Disinterest could ultimately result in bad grades and a low GPA for students.
Colleges give students the opportunity to research and study their preferred subjects in depth. In college, the majority of students are required to take a number of courses, which are known as general education. They expose students to the fundamental ideas of life and intellectual activities. These courses provide diverse perspectives on how human beings think and feel, solve problems, express ideas, create, and discover new knowledge. They also help students achieve the skills essential to deliver reasoned and persuasive arguments both orally and in writing, and identify, acquire and use the knowledge to solve problems. Whether you want to pursue a career in the medical field, engineering, humanities, art, or sociology you need to take these courses to earn a college degree, because they intend to deliver the basic life coaching skills to students that is necessary in life. Education provides students with the understanding of the ideas, cultural movements and informed decision making, which enables them to live a successful life.
In the article "Why Focusing Too Narrowly in College Could Backfire," writer Peter Cappelli argues that while specializing in post-secondary school is beneficial and could possibly lead to a future career that is currently trending, parents and students should look into broadening their skills by taking courses that widen their communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This may enable them to work where there are prevailing industries.
The students are encouraged to pick a career that will give them the greatest financial and personal rewards. It does not matter the courses that are taken, so long as that the courses taken are necessary for the chosen career. Differing from theory 1, the grades are not viewed as the most important factor in a college education; they are merely used as positive and negative reinforcement. As a result, the students only learn what they need to succeed and have no incentive to learn anything else, as it will not benefit them. To the believers of theory 2, and one of the things that make this theory unique, is the belief that education is simply about growth, not about who attends the best college or has the best
As postmodern educators feel their way through an ever changing multicultural classroom environment, it is imperative that each hold firmly to their philosophical positions and do not let society influence them in a negative way. At the same time all teachers should be continually reflecting inwardly to make oneself accountable to their profession.
Many students feel that some classes are a waste of time and money because they learn nothing about their chosen field. They have to take classes that have nothing to do with their major but must take the class to meet the core education requirement of the college. If these students receive a less than average grade in a class they feel is unneeded then that lowers their overall GPA.
After someone completes high school, their first step is figuring out what kind of career they want to pursue. Most careers require a college degree just to apply. At this point, they should decide what their major is going to be and see what college is best for them to attend. Every college requires “general education” classes that the students must pass to graduate. Taking these extra mandatory classes is just time lost that college students will never get back. General ed classes are also a waste of money, as many students acquire major debt from trying to pay for these required classes. If students were able to only take courses that help them in completing their major, more students would actually finish the classes and get their degree instead of dropping out. Universities should not necessitate students to take these general education courses that have nothing to do with the their major.
There are many benefits to offering the humanities courses as a liberal arts degree and has been an option for students for ages. Conversely, due to the rising, uncontrolled costs of college tuition, colleges and universities need to streamline a goal oriented education at the end of each student's college commitment to make their financial commitment justifiable. Additionally, the students enter college with the anticipation that they will be gainfully employed which will eventually make them wealthy. The decision at Centenary College to cut courses in the humanities is controversial for a variety of reasons. For instance, in advanced degrees such as engineering, some feel it is not necessary to take unrelated courses, such as, music, arts, religion, and philosophy. These are all just extras that are taking time away from students who want to major in something that does not involve these things. On the other hand, some humanity courses are important because they are believed to teach
Alyssa Pracz, a journalist at Northern Star, makes the point that “[p]rofessors, however, tend to teach the material as if everyone taking the class is planning on majoring in the subject” when, in reality, students just see the class as another general education course. Additionally, students struggle in some of the subjects which have nothing to do with their particular majors. Pracz also states, “As a result, many students' grades suffer, sometimes to the point of lowering their grade point averages so much that they are unable to get into the major they planned on pursuing”. Ultimately, if a student has a huge passion and dream for his life, and cannot pass a certain general education course then his whole future is foiled. General education classes are redundant and do not aid the student whatsoever in cultivating skills required for his future job. Colleges and universities think general education courses are helping students when they actually are hurting them.
Second, choosing their own courses makes it possible for students to learn deeper and become more professional in their field. Now there is a hot word called general
STUDENTS’ ASSESSMENT ON THE EFFCTIVENESS OF CLASS ADVISORS AT THE PARENTS FOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION (PAREF) SPRINGDALE SCHOOL FOR BOYS
In the beginning, focusing on only one subject economize so much time. When you have a general education, you will have to spend a large amount of time on those fields, and its homework as well. Actually, you had already spent 12 years on a lot of subjects, and now you need to concentrate on just the subject you choose. You won't waste time on unimportant things that you don't need for your job. That's why general education isn't a good choice.
This approach focuses on the importance of quality curriculum and the need for revision so that it consists of learnings that students find enjoyable and useful. The classes in college are intended to broaden the student's outlook on life. This is the goal of general education. When the information is not applicable, the motivation to learn decreases and the only incentive to attend class is because class participation is weighted on the final grade for the class. Instructors ought not to be dispassionate, thus, translating that same lifelessness into the students.
I believe that a student should be able to choose some of the classes that he/she is interested in. This is the basis of the existentialist philosophy that was developed in the nineteenth century. A student should be allowed to choose classes that they are interested in other than the classes that are required by the school curriculum. Even though
One thing that varies faster than the gasoline price may be the debate around the value of a right path for a young adult— which major guarantees a smooth access to a decent job offer. According to the article, “Not All College Majors Are Created Equal”, the author, Michelle Singletary, indicates that college degrees are not the same based on the different majors. She starts her article with a question that she asked her college students, “What’s your major?” Singletary immediately determines her student’s future by the major that the student is choosing. Later in the article, she states her opinions on how majors have played a great important role in one’s career life by using different examples and statistics. Indeed, college majors are not