Guzman 1

Aaron Guzman

English 1201

Mrs. Hughes

April 26 2020

Students Benefit From General Education Courses

About seventy percent of high school graduate students decide the next step for

themselves is college. College is very expensive. Something that adds greatly to that expense is

extra classes that don’t go with a students major, these are called General Education courses.

There is a heavy debate on whether these courses are necessary for students to take. Whether

it’s keeping students in college, helping future workplace success, or helping students find the

right career path, ​requiring students to take General Education courses benefits students' lives

and society by creating well rounded individuals through courses that dive into topics that affect

our daily lives.

Historical Context

In recent years, the soaring costs of college tuition have angered many students and parents,

leaving many wondering where they will come up with the funds to pay it. While college is still a

pretty good investment for most career paths, the cost of an education has outpaced general

inflation by almost double, leaving many families unable to pay without taking on large amounts

of debt. The best schools can sometimes take a lifetime to repay. A big part of it has to do with

how colleges themselves have changed and the ways our cultural outlook on higher education

has evolved. More students than ever are heading to college, and expect bigger and better

resources from schools each and every year. Part of those better resources are extra classes to

help create more well rounded individuals (Walters 17).

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A big fear for students when going to college

is acquiring student debt. This causes a lot of

stress on the student while at school.

Keeping Students in College. ​Many believe General Education courses are beneficial to

students. Lei states that General Education courses include remedial math, remedial English,

academic success, career success, and diversity/multicultural courses, which have been

implemented in recent decades as part of the general education curriculum in many

undergraduate institutions. These additional courses are implemented to ensure college survival

(General Education Curricula 25). Students have always struggled to stay in college. Seventy

percent of students dropout of college before finishing their degree (Lei 27). Students tend to

get too caught up in their specific study, when they are over saturated in that one study they get

less of a joy for the major they are in. General Education courses have helped increase the

amount of students who complete their major because the courses provide a more balanced

path for students. Freshmen struggle the most to stay in college. Thirty percent of freshmen

drop out after one year (Lei 27). A big part of this is many students go to college without

knowing what to pursue. Students then discover that college is not for them. General Education

courses help students decide what is best for them. The courses give the students a wide range

of options to explore if they are undecided.

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​ big question when it comes to General Education courses

Helping future workplace success. A

that is often asked is if taking the courses helped students future when it came to their careers.

Milea states that overwhelmingly past students have agreed that general education has greatly

helped them in their career success (What Matters In College Student Success 73). When

students are able to become more knowledgeable in multiple fields they are able to bring more

to a business. Businesses like this and put students with a vast portfolio at the top of their list.

Milea states that when it came to the start of her success, part of it was due to the fact that her

employer was very satisfied with the school she graduated from, since it was known as a school

that produced well rounded individuals (What Matters In College Student Success 71). Today

most schools have implemented General Education due to the fact that it has been proven

successful. They are so prominent that there is a ​misconception that they are unavoidable. Lei

states that there are other options that can limit or completely disregard General Education

courses. Many online curriculums can help you avoid them. Also some colleges utilise block

tution where classes don't cost money but the entire semester does. This makes the problem of

paying for General Education courses disappear (Evaluating Benefits 22).

General Education Courses help

students in their careers by

possessing more skills in the

workplace.
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Enhanced Communication Skills. ​One of the biggest ways to determine one's workplace

success are their communication skills. Mandatory written and oral communication courses are

some of the most important skills you can possess in today’s business world (What Matters In

College Student Success 85). This is why no matter what school you choose, you will likely be

required to take several courses designed to enhance your ability to communicate. Many

universities even offer practical communication courses in areas such as delivering

presentations and professional writing. Communication skills are such an important part or

education that allowing many students to go without taking those courses would be a drastic

problem for society.

Students get to learn how to talk in front of

crowds when they are in a classroom with

other students. Many of these classes are

General Education Courses.

​ ritical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate an issue in

Improved Critical Thinking. C

order to form a judgement. This is a very important skill to have in the complicated, modern

world, and one that will serve you well in your life and career (What Matters In College Student

Success 85). One of the main purposes of General Education requirements is to teach and

improve critical thinking. Not only are most General Education courses geared toward

analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information, but the wide range of knowledge you can

gain from it will expand your overall understanding of the world and give you more knowledge to
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work with when applying critical thinking skills later in life. A student that only takes specialized

courses might miss out on courses that are focused on improving critical thinking.

Helping students find the right career path. ​A lot of students go into college with one idea in

mind. They believe the path they decided for themselves at sixteen is the path they will follow

for the rest of their lives. However, this is rarely the case, humans change what we like and

dislike all the time. The things we enjoy when we are teenagers are very different from the

things we enjoy when we are in our fifties. Lei states that due to this, the average student

changes their major at least three times throughout their college career (General Education

Curricula 32). If a student does not get to experience General Education courses they might not

choose the career that will best suit them for the rest of their life. General Education courses

give students a chance to experience other career options that they would have possibly have

known they enjoyed.

More and more adults today are

finding the right career path for them.

However finding the right career path

is still a struggle for many people.

Counterclaim

Many believe that General Education courses are a waste of time and money. Ying argues in

his article, ​“Liberal Arts (General) Education in Chinese Universities: Concepts and Practices.”

practices of General Education in China have not been beneficial, therefore the country has
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moved away from General Education practices to specialized practices to create high skill

workers quicker. Yes, you can train workers for one specialized job much quicker if you just train

them for one specific task, but if you build around that same individual with multiple forms of

knowledge, you create a better person, not just a better worker. That same person will have the

freedom to explore different career paths to improve his life if he chooses. When you create

better people you improve your society.

Conclusion

College is a very important step in our lives. Most of us will or already have pursued it with the

intention of doing it right and getting the best of ourselves and our education out of it. Whether

it’s keeping students in college, helping future workplace success, or helping students find the

right career path, ​requiring students to take General Education courses benefits students' lives

and society by creating well rounded individuals through courses that dive into topics that affect

our daily lives.

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Works Cited

Lei, Simon A, and Stacey Y Lei. “GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULA AFFECTING

SATISFACTION AND RETENTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: A REVIEW

OF LITERATURE.” ​Opposing Viewpoints,​ Opposing Viewpoints in Context, 2019,

go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/headerQuickSearch.do?inputFieldNames%5B0%5D

=OQE&quickSearchTerm=General+Education+Courses&searchType=BasicSearchForm

&userGroupName=dayt30401&nwf=y&prodId=OVIC&stw.option=&ebook=&quicksearchI

ndex=OQE&spellCheck=true&hasCoProduct=false&collectionId=&seriesId=&contentMo

duleId=&edition=&prevQuickSearchIndex=OQE&prevQuickSearchTerm=General+Educ

ation+Courses.

Lei, Simon A, and Stacey Y Lei. “EVALUATING BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF HYBRID

COURSES: PERSPECTIVES OF COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS.” ​Opposing Viewpoints​,

Opposing Viewpoint in Context, 2019,

go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Journals&resultListType=RESULT

_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docI

d=GALE%7CA602231376&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZXAY-

MOD1&prodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CA602231376&searchId=R2&userGroupNa

me=dayt30401&inPS=true.

Ma, Ying. “Liberal Arts (General) Education in Chinese Universities: Concepts and Practices.”

Chinese Education and Society,​ Routledge, 8 Jan. 2018,

web-a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=aefe2af

7-734b-4dc9-82e6-787da553bb9e%40sdc-v-sessmgr03.
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Millea, Meghan, et al. “WHAT MATTERS IN COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS?

DETERMINANTS OF COLLEGE RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES.” ​Opposing

Viewpoints​, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, 2018,

go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Journals&resultListType=RESULT

_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=3&docI

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MOD1&prodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CA543610935&searchId=R10&userGroupN

ame=dayt30401&inPS=true.

Walters, Thomas. “A Timeline of College Tuition.” ​BestCollegesOnline.com,​

BestCollegesOnline.com, 22 Aug. 2019,

www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/a-timeline-of-college-tuition/.