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College is a business. Always was and it always will be. College, whether it’s free or paid, will always come with its fair share of gripes. Professors that couldn’t care less if you pass or fail. Professors you may not even be able to understand. Bad class times that don’t workout with your schedule. All of this, while annoying, can be worked around. But nothing is worse than the harsh reality, the fact that the modern-day college curriculum is flat out bullshit.

The face you make when you see your course outline. Source: pexels.com

Why?

It’s the question we all ask when we first look at our college curriculum. A quick look at my curriculum I saw some classes that raised a few eyebrows. Art? Foreign Language? Another art class?! It is remarkable that an Information Technology major must take such classes while missing out on others such as Computer Forensics and Network Security. You know, classes that may be of actual interest and use to the student. It’s outrageous that we must waste our time, with a class that we do not want to take and will simply waltz through for the sake of our GPA.

As a community college student, we were even required to take Physical Education classes. Reminiscent of high school we mustered through two credits of Phys Ed, the majority of which were only ½ a credit each. Count it, four gym classes for an Information Technology major. As a college professional, nothing frustrated me more than fitting a gym class or an art history class into my busy schedule. It was borderline insulting to me and is currently causing the hairpulling and skin curdling screams of college professionals across the country.

The problem runs deep.

These downright ridiculous necessities of what is contained in a degree is a major catalyst to why college students everywhere are no longer taking the idea of school seriously. A college degree is an achievement and should be treated as such. On the contrary, I’ve spoken to many a student who just see it as a piece of paper necessary for better employment opportunities. I myself have spoken adamantly about how wrong it is to exploit college students everywhere by making them take BS classes. It is nothing more than a way of keeping students there longer, forcing them into another semester of meal plans, parking permits, tuition, books, college apparel and many many many more bills.

The negative consequences of such nationwide decisions snowballs even further as students feel they learn more from internships, jobs and other hands on opportunities more so than their college classes. This should come as no shock as students who should be learning about other branches of their field are instead literally bowling for credits or learning who painted the Mona Lisa and when. Students are learning less relevant material, engaging less and interest has tanked.

So what can be done about this?

I don’t see them ever reducing the number of credits that a degree entails. That just won’t happen. Although this would allow students to only take the classes associated with their desired field of expertise. This would cost colleges everywhere millions of dollars and as previously stated, college is a business. However, simply replacing those classes with related areas of study would increase, student interest and engagement and just make more sense. It creates students who are better educated in their respective fields. This easy no brainer of a solution just uses one’s common sense and that is exactly why it will never happen. The college curriculum is bullshit, and it seems like it always will be.