We attend college for many different reasons, whether it’s to pursue a better education, meet new people or experience new things. What we don’t do, however, is attend college so we can learn about how the U.S. was founded for the 15th time. University degrees should not require core classes that only exist to enhance our general education.
The college core curriculum is largely unnecessary and presents many obstacles due to its useless nature. No matter where you go after college, or what career path you wish to pursue, it is highly doubtful that during a job interview, you will be asked about what Franklin D. Roosevelt wore to his inauguration.
During my first two years of college, I completed an associate degree in science. As part of the requirements for the degree, I had to take an arts appreciation course. Out of the many options available, I chose a film appreciation course. Now, this class would be tremendous if I were a film major, but I am not. At the time, I was just an ordinary science student, asking myself, “How does watching Nicholas Cage cry over a pig relate to my major, physics?”
The core curriculum instituted within universities is not only useless but incredibly time consuming. According to The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, students are required to take 42 semester credit hours just for the core curriculum. These credit hours require countless hours of studying, months of classes and years of one’s degree, all to fulfill a bottom line created by an outdated philosophy.
The numerous general education credit hours universities require students to take are also ruinously expensive. For four-year public colleges attended in-state, the average cost per credit hour is $456. In Texas, this could potentially amount to a total of $19,152 given that students are required to take 42 semester credit hours for the core curriculum alone.
Imagine how much more successful the education system would be if instead of having to commit four years to pursuing a degree, two of which are spent in basic courses, students could achieve a bachelor’s in two years.
This would reduce the financial burden of a college education, ease the stress of students with an increased workload and save an immense amount of time for every individual looking to further themselves through a college education. Time is one of the most precious resources known to mankind, henceforth, it should not be wasted learning material that was covered in high school.
There may be an argument to make as to why these core classes are vital to instilling a generation of students with an adequate general education. This perspective, however, possesses a fundamental flaw; it assumes that high school never taught us anything.
The purpose of high school is to provide each student with a general education to help prepare them for what they choose to pursue next. Requiring students to take further general education classes in college assumes that those four years in high school were spent doing nothing more than watching paint dry.
College can provide one with an opportunity to further their education, network with those who share their interests and explore true passions in life. The purpose of college should not be to reinforce redundant information and universities should do away with basic courses.
-Jonny Wheatcroft is a physics junior
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