Campus Carrier Editorial Board
Berry is a liberal arts college where we take various courses that can help us educate ourselves and decide a particular career path. Here, the general education classes are a bit of a challenge. When a freshman asks, “What is an easy class I can take?” the usual (and unfortunate) response they’ll receive is, “There isn’t one (except maybe Survey of Wellness).”
For the most part, Berry’s general education classes seem to be treated as major classes. This can either make someone frustrated or grateful that they are given a challenge, but the typical response is frustrated. Even though this can possibly cause someone’s grade point average to dwindle, Berry is doing the right thing to intensify a general education class like they would with a major one.
According to the University of La Verne, national statistics may vary but most state that around 50-70 percent of students change their majors at least once. Also, 50 percent of college graduates pursue careers not related to their majors. A lot of people are not completely sure of what they want to do after they graduate and general education courses can help.
A way to decide a major or a different career path is to take other required courses, whether it be chemistry, sociology, women’s and gender studies, etc. Even though they are introduction classes for that certain subject, a lot of time and work must be put into them. This can help us determine our interests.
Also, Berry professors are passionate about their subject(s) of choice, and teaching an “easy A” course would seem like a waste of their hard work and enthusiasm. For most of the professors, their introduction classes are for majors and non-majors. They have to try to benefit the majored more and make the classes challenging.
Maybe these “hard” general education classes aren’t too terrible after all. Who knows, maybe one could even change your career path.