For most of us, General Education Requirements aren’t actually the worst thing in the world. I know, but hear me out. 2 years ago I would have called myself crazy too. But I have come to find those homework-heavy, attendance based, mandatory courses are super important to your college experience.
Upon arrivial, very few of us know what we want to do, and if you do you’ll probably change it 3 times before you actually declare. Sure there are those people that have wanted to be a teacher their whole life, and they very well may be a teacher after they graduate. But if you’re anything like me, and the majority of college students, you come in having no idea what direction you want to go and that’s exactly why we have Gen Eds.
Gen Eds are required so you have a chance to figure out what direction you want to go, or don’t want to go. The best advice my mom ever gave me during my freshman year of college was “Part of the way, you figure out what you want to do by figuring out what you don’t want to do.” With this mentality it’s a lot easier to see why you end up taking classes like Geography, Nutrition, and Theater all in the same quarter when you’re planning on majoring in journalism. Having all students take classes in categories like Arts & Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences and Natural Sciences, students are encouraged to expand their horizons and take classes in subjects that they never would have considered before attending college.
Regardless if it becomes the worst class you’ve ever taken, or leads you to a major you fall in love with, that Gen Ed has done its job. As boring and pointless they may seem, taking classes that you think won’t interest you at all, actually might spark something that you’ve never thought of before. There will be some busts, no doubt, but Gen Eds are there to help you out, not kill your GPA.
Go out and take advantage of one of the only times in your life you are encouraged to explore every subject imaginable. And in the end, Geology 101 may just give a new appreciation for the hills around Ellensburg.So thank you Mom for the still relevant advice, and thank you Central for continuing to remind college students that it’s okay to not know which direction they want to go yet.