Gen Ed part of a whole education

September 24, 2007 —

What is going to college all about anyways? Besides all of the obvious stuff (meeting new people, making experiences to last a lifetime, yadda yadda) doesn't it all just come down to classes? We all came to SVSU to learn a set of skills that will prepare us for a life in a professional career.

If this is the case, then you have to wonder - why in the world do we have general education requirements? General education - it's that nebulous region of classes where papers and hours of free time are sucked in, and random knowledge worthy of Jeopardy is spit back out. Unless your future career requires you to balance a chemical equation, point out Djibouti on a map, and quote Shakespeare's King Lear all in the same day, then there is not much of a purpose to all of these extra classes, right?

At times like this, when I'm marveling at the worthless knowledge that I've accrued, the voice of my dad pops into my head.

"Matthew, stop picking your nose."

Ok, so dad said a lot of things. But he also said,

"Matthew, did you go to college to be trained, or to get an education?"

I think he could really be onto something there - I haven't picked my nose in years, and I couldn't be happier. I've also gained a new perspective on the general education system.

According to Wikipedia.com, training is the "acquisition of...skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills." That sounds pretty good to me - come to college, gain some skills and knowledge. But, Wikipedia tells me, an education is so much more. Education is "training, plus the imparting of positive judgment and well-developed wisdom." So from what I gather, an education is more about being prepared for life, not just your career.

One good example of a good education paying off is the use of the English language. I'm a computer information systems major. That means that I should be, by definition, completely illiterate. Ok, so maybe I'm not - but the way I've seen people some people write at work and in class, I would be surprised if they ever sat through an English class in their life (picture a manager that can't figure out the verb tenses in a sentence).

Or take a look at our government. I wonder how many college students (regardless of their degree) know what Congress is and what it can do, or what rights we have as American citizens. How many people crack open a newspaper once in a while to see what their country is doing with their implicit permission? Not knowing these things is like a stockholder not knowing where his stock is being spent - a scary thought.

And that's where general education comes in. Instead of looking at all of these extra classes as hurdles to jump on our way to graduation, we need to see them as chances to gain a new perspective on the world around us. Sure, communication can be tedious for a biology major, but I'm sure it'll come in handy if he or she ever has to give a presentation in front of a crowd of peers. And I'm sure many of my fellow CIS majors don't want to read Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams, but will gain a better understanding of the arts as a result.

So I'll admit that I haven't always been the biggest fan of general education. If I had my way, I'd probably be out of here in two years with a degree. But I would leave my college experience behind me without ever appreciating all that I could learn in an institution that is determined to give me a proper education.

And Djibouti is in Eastern Africa, in case you were wondering. Score one for general education.