Having the chance to attend college and receive a higher education is an amazing opportunity and privilege. Still, students have to take general education courses (gen-eds), also known as “perspectives” at Augustana. The question arises if it’s all worth it.
Attending college was something I never thought possible in high school, given the cost and challenges. When I finally stepped foot on the Augustana campus, ready to take classes geared towards my major, I was told I needed to take perspectives to keep me well-rounded. I was reminded of high school. Classes outside of one’s major can be used as a gateway for students to discover something new and possibly turn it into a new passion, but having to take a gym class when a student’s interest is psychology doesn’t make sense.
Augustana is not the only college to require taking perspectives, but when those classes are not easily applicable to students outside the classroom, it raises questions. The different classes that students have to complete can be daunting. It’s best to get the perspectives done and out of the way before a student’s last year in college so they’re not stressing about getting a seat in a class they have no interest in for their future.
One of the negative effects of perspective requirements is the overall cost of attending college. Classes can be expensive, and for students who do not have a high income, the cost from perspectives alone can turn them away from attending.
Aside from completing the long list of perspectives, students must also complete the requirements for their majors and minors and get their upper-division courses completed. Adding this, with the rigorous assignments given out by professors, takes an even bigger toll on students to get their classes done.
Taking perspectives can be exciting but also extremely boring. Being told that one of the perspectives I have to take is math, or quantitative reasoning at Augustana, I asked myself and my advisor why I had to take it when my majors are English and creative writing. I was told that it was to keep students well-rounded, as Augustana claims, but I was still miffed at the prospect of taking a class that I had no interest in.
While I am arguing that there should be fewer perspectives requirements, I am not opposed to students learning things they may not have had access to in their high schools, as the perspectives at college could be their gateway into becoming who they want to be. I find it hard to understand how college level educational institutions still have us taking courses that most of us took in high school or that have no relation to our major while we are trying to get our degree.