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• 1 media/_MG_0291.jpg 2017-09-20T15:58:45-07:00 Purposes of College 17 plain 2018-07-22T16:00:47-07:00 Many students are surprised to learn that their view of college is different from many other students and their professors. Some students see college as a job training: they enroll, choose a major that matches a career, graduate, and enter the workforce. Some students do follow this path. Other students may see college as a series of "hoops" that they must jump through in order to receive accreditation for a particular career path. For these students, college may be frustrating; they may ask themselves, and their professors, "Why do I have to take an English, math, psychology, or biology class when I'm not majoring in English, math, psychology, or biology?"
  
  One answer to that question is that a bachelor's degree doesn't signal job training; instead, a B.A. or B.S. degree shows both a basic mastery in a discipline and a general education. School trustees, boards of governors, state boards of education, and accreditation agencies require a broad range of courses to ensure that college graduates, along with their major's knowledge, have completed a range of coursework. This is why a biology major may have to take an art class, and why an art major may find herself in a biology class. One mission of many colleges is to create graduates who are good citizens; to be a good citizen, one must have a range of knowledge and know how to apply that knowledge.
  
  Another answer is that mastering any discipline will require skills in other fields. If you're frustrated by the university's writing requirements, think about what kind of professional communication won't require writing? Scientists need writing skills to apply for grants, or to explain the importance of their research. A business person will need writing skills to communicate clearly with employees. Often, a major's required courses include important knowledge from other disciplines, such as a sociology major requiring a statistics class.
  
  College is also the first step a person makes to become an expert in a subject. From kindergarten to high school, students learn basic knowledge: how to read, how to write, how to perform basic arithmetic, etc. Many classes at this level require memorization, as students are learning their subjects' foundational material. When students choose a major in college, they're beginning the process of becoming experts in a discipline. They study all aspects of a subject learning the broad range of their major and what it means to study that subject. Some students may decide to continue their studies after earning their bachelor's degree. Those students continue their education in graduate school and earn master's or doctorate degrees. Their graduate course work is more specialized, as the educational goal at this stage is for students to become experts in their fields who create knowledge and guide a discipline.
  
  Universities are institutions in which knowledge is created, shared, and ultimately used to solve larger issues (specific to academic disciplines) that will, hopefully, make the world a better place. Hopefully, you will contribute to these larger conversations as you work to find your place in society, and develop your skills in a way to make you a productive and successful citizen. And yes, this CAN and DOES relate to you future career(s)! AND, believe it or not, scholars work to communicate with each other and solve these problems through writing.