I have heard time and time again from fellow students in the STEM field that taking anything outside of their major is a "waste of time" and we should not have to take classes outside of science and math. I am a biochemistry major and I feel that taking general education courses have opened my eyes and taught me a lot.

Don't get me wrong, I love taking classes that pertain to my major and that will help prepare me for my career in the future, but I disagree that general education courses are a waste of time.

We are programmed to be very black and white, and that things are the way that they are "just because science says so" when you are involved in classes about things like biology, chemistry, and calculus. STEM majors gain a great deal of knowledge about how things came to be the way that they are today, but it is very black and white, in terms of thinking. When going into my general education classes, and learning about things that are more "grey" I find it very refreshing.

Learning how to think outside the box is something that I have learned in many different ways, in classes other than the ones that I need for my major. Taking classes outside of your major might seem like a waste to most people because the knowledge they gain they feel won't be used in their life ever again once they leave that classroom. But in my opinion the most valuable life lessons, I have acquired through taking a class I normally would not. There is a difference between learning something and being able to apply it to a real-life situation and memorizing a formula. STEM classes do not leave a lot of room for creativity or imagination, which is fine. But classes in other fields challenge the mind to think in ways that classes like chemistry, does not. It is nice to walk into a classroom and talk about what we are learning and bounce ideas off each other, which again is rare in STEM classes.

I am not going to lie, when I came into school my freshman year of college, I too was in the mindset that I was wasting my time and I just wanted to take the classes that I had too and get out of there. But, now being a junior I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to be able to branch out and become more knowledgeable of other areas of study. I would never have taken a psychology class, or an economics class, if I did not have too, due to the fact that I was very narrow-minded in what I wanted to spend my time learning about. But I am so glad that my school forced me to get out of my comfort zone and learn about things that might not interest me at first, but will for sure help me out in the long run, and prepare me for the real world.

Taking classes like communication, oceanography, psychology, sociology, and economics I feel made me a more well-rounded student. I would not be the student I am today if I had not taken the classes that I have, because I expanded my knowledge way past just science and math. I realized that I have interests and succeed in classes outside of my major, which make me want to continue to gain knowledge.

Finding out that I could succeed in a class that intimidated me at first, is one of the most rewarding feelings I have felt in college. To go into a class not being interested in the subject at all, and coming out wanting to take more classes in that field, is something that I find very valuable. It is important to get out of the bubble that you are put into once you declare a major, and put yourself out there because you never know, that one class could change your career path.

The statement from college kids that general education classes are a "waste" and argue that they are wasting their money for credits that do not go towards their major, I just frankly disagree with. Gaining knowledge in all areas of study is something we came to college for, and when given the opportunity to learn about different things is given to you, in my eyes it smart to take that opportunity.

Leaving college I will be a biochemistry major, yes. But I will be more than that, and I will have knowledge that was given to me from different classes and professors that will make me a more well-rounded person, and candidate for a potential job in the future. For that, I thank my college for doing because, without the push, I would not have the skills and information that I have acquired through the general education courses I have taken throughout my college career.