Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a lecture about who knows what, asking yourself why you are there?

Well you’re most likely there because you have to, not out of free will. On an average, college students need to take general education courses which can take up to two years to complete.

That’s two years that could be going towards advancement in our own specific chosen career.

Instead of being able to immediately enroll in only courses that peak a student’s interest and desired majors, they are forced to take classes similar to what they took in high school, classes such as

English 1A, Math 103, and Comm 1.

It is especially tough on students who struggle with certain subjects such as math or English. I find it very difficult to sit in a math class crunching numbers and formulas when I would rather be writing or reading a book. I thought that I had left my days of headaches and stress over not grasping math in high school.

These courses make many students feel as if college is just a second high school, and that they are forced to take courses they are not interested in. This can lead to students feeling discouraged from pursuing higher education.

Becoming a well rounded person comes from life experience and personal desire to do so, not from countless lectures.

Even if the goal for general education is to make the students more knowledgeable on all subjects the students will only learn what they approach with a positive attitude.

The biggest issue with forcing general education courses on students is the economical aspect.

In a perfect world everybody would be able to afford schooling. Sadly, that is not the case.

At an average community college like Fresno City, the tuition per semester for a student is $1,144.00 with a rate of $46 per unit.

If a student chooses to go to a state college like Fresno State University, the tuition would be about $3,149.50. However, after a certain amount of units students are charged a flat rate per semester.

Students are also expected to pay for textbooks and other course materials that may be needed for the classes.

With 12 units per semester (the number considered to be a full load) that’s at least four classes. And with classes, comes textbooks.

With an average cost of $100 for one textbook, students taking at least four classes are forced to add another $400 to their college expenses, thus hurting our pockets even more.

For this reason many students fall into heavy debt. Heavy debt can impede them from completing significant life achievements like the purchase of their own home, car, or sufficiently providing for their families.

Tuition and a higher education do not come cheap and unfortunately, it seems that we are wasting money on classes we have already taken.

Rent, books and food are also all aspects that need to be taken into consideration.

“I’m on a ramen noodle every night budget,” said FCC art student Consuelo Rodriguez. “With rent, car insurance, phone bills and school supplies to fund all by myself, my stomach definitely pays the price.”

There is simply no time or money to throw away on courses that ultimately do not help us reach our goals.

While GE gives some students more time to figure out what they want to do with their lives, it isn’t fair for the students who are prepared and ready for the next chapter of their lives to be held back by artificial school standards.

A solution to this complication would is to make the classes optional.

As Joser McCarty said, “General Education classes need to stop; they’re the worst.” As adults, we should be able to notice and take action upon the subjects we need extra help on or should beworking on to better oneself.