All college students have been there. They are sitting in a class that is not related to their major and they are wondering why they are enrolled in the class. It could be world literature or pre-1870 US history or something that just seems boring. The topics being covered are neither interesting to the individual nor are they going to be useful in the future. In this situation, most college students take the easy way out. They do the bare minimum to pass the class and move on with life.
From practical standpoint, the logic to try and skim by non-major related courses is solid. To begin with, people select their major because they find the topic interesting. With classes that are not related to their major, there is the issue that classes simply do not interest them. College students already have short attention spans. A class that does not represent their interests just makes that issue worse. College students will also pick their major classes over all the other classes. Furthermore, they will utilize more of their effort and time on these classes because they are of their interest and are going to be something they will end up applying in their future. In order for a student to pay attention in a class, they have to feel as if they are somehow benefiting from the class.
The thing is that these classes do serve a purpose. Colleges and universities push their students to take these classes because they are trying to form well rounded individuals. The concept may seem liberal and pointless, but it is not. Composition helps students learn how to write down their ideas in a formal and purposeful manner. Literature demonstrates to the students that there is more than one way to express emotions, ideas, and beliefs. Art appreciation classes can help inspire creativity in the students. Economics classes inform students on how the economy works and fluctuates. Political science reinforces the importance and value of an individual completing their civic duties. These different topics are easily discovered by those that did not go to college. The real world exposes them and they have to learn to adapt to reality. Without these classes, college students would brew in only their major related classes and would end being dumped into the real world with no slight clue of how it functions. They only know what they learned in their classes and would basically walk around like caveman who are experts in one select career field.
This does not apply to all college students. Some take it upon themselves to be well rounded individuals but most do not. Likewise, students in college need to learn to take advantage of the situation they are placed in. If they are forced to a class, it would benefit them more if they actually tried in the class. Not only would they be smarter, but they would also have more information that could help them relate with others in the future. In the end, college is about learning new information and making new connections to better oneself for the future.
