Topic > General education classes should not be required

In recent decades, college has become a more easily accessible path than in past generations. In a recent press release, the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that, “Of the 2.9 million young people ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2014, approximately 68.4 percent were enrolled in college in October” (BLS Economic News Release from April 2015). When a student graduates from high school, most of them intend to continue their education in college. They have the idea that, while they are there, they can detach themselves from all the general lessons and focus only on what they want to learn. However, almost all students find that this is not the reality. Just like in high school, they find that they have to spend about two years in general studies in order to attend and graduate with the major of their choice. No general education lessons should be required because most of the information learned has already been covered in past years. Most courses do not benefit a student's major, and the total amount of hours required for these classes can become a large waste of time and money. My first reason why general education classes shouldn't be required in college is because the topics they are learning have already been taught in high school. In an article by Jessica Williams, she sums it up by saying, “We spend 13 years in 'general education' courses. Why are we wasting time dwelling on what we already know we're not interested in when we could be spending that time adding to our resume” (Williams). For most students, if they take a course where they have already learned the material or even have in-depth knowledge of the topic, they will most likely become bored and disinterested in their work… middle of paper… . ...they attend classes that they find interesting and for this reason they are more likely to put in more effort. In conclusion, college is a milestone in a person's life. What they do with their time and money during those years can be crucial to what they get out of it. General education classes should not be a requirement because most of the curriculum has already been taught in high school, some classes may have nothing to do with your major, and it can be a waste of money to spend it on classes that are relevant to them. they are not interested. By making it mandatory to take general courses, you are taking away time they could dedicate to their interests and specializations. College should be a time when you focus on learning what you will do for the rest of your life, not try to learn every possible subject a school has to offer.