Online: Drop U.D. requirements

I’ve taken two semesters of 100-level astronomy. I spent a semester suffering through statistics and two semesters stumbling my way through 8 a.m. Spanish. I know more about Mill than I need to thanks to a political science course.

I don’t know nearly as much as I need to about filing my taxes.

I understand the theory behind University Division requirements at IU: requiring students to take classes in multiple areas gives them a little bit of background in subjects that don’t have any relation to their majors and makes them more well-rounded people.

The problem is that it’s a complete waste of time and money.

Of course, some might say that my Art History minor is a complete waste of time and money, but it is my chosen course of study. I’m paying to take those classes because I want to; they’re not required for my degree. And if I combine it with one of my majors, I could get a job at an arts magazine or a museum.

Those two semesters of astronomy, while interesting, aren’t going to get me very far in my chosen field.

University Division classes are, quite frankly, redundant.

Students coming into college have a small background in every subject already, thanks to high school. Biology and chemistry are both state public school requirements. Students are generally forced to take three years each of history and math, and there’s always some sort of foreign language requirement for that high school diploma. If students have passed high school and reached college, they already have the basics in multiple subjects.

What do the UD classes add? They’re generally inconsequential. Students take the lowest-level classes they can find, study enough to pass, and forget most of what they learned as soon as the semester is finished. They would rather spend their time and energy focusing on the classes that matter: the ones that relate to their fields.

That’s not a ridiculous thing to do.

If IU wants students to be well-rounded individuals, they should have mandatory classes about surviving the real world.

How many college students can do their own taxes (even if it’s just taking their info to H&R Block)? How many can change a tire? How many can swim? How many can perform CPR?

Those are all pretty important things to know. Speaking for myself, I can only do the latter two. If I get stuck on the road in the middle of nowhere, I’ll be calling AAA and my dad. That’s not horrible, but it would be safer if I could change a tire myself.

They’re just examples of practical skills we could all use to survive the real world — things IU would be better off teaching if it wants us to be as amazing as possible when we graduate. Things that would help us better than a class that isn’t in our field.

Granted, none of that should really be IU’s responsibility. Actually, I think most or all of that should be taught in high school (I still think chemistry did absolutely nothing for me and should be replaced). But if IU is insisting on developing our skills, time and money could be better spent on practical skills than on extraneous classes.

It is good — necessary, even — to take classes outside of the one subject, but there are better ways around it. For instance, the Journalism school requires students to have a second concentration, which is somewhere between a minor and a major. That second concentration, especially if it’s just bumped to a double major (as many are), is a great way of making sure students have a background in another subject. And since it’s more than a couple classes, students are walking away with something. A couple classes are easy to forget, but passing eight requires actually learning the material.

I’m all for IU making sure that after students toss their caps and head off into adulthood, they have the knowledge and background to succeed. I just think there are better ways to ensure that, whether it be classes aimed at practical life or mandatory extra minors.

Few can really be a jack of all trades, and it’s a waste of the students’ time and money as well as the school’s to force them to try. Leave that to the high schools (which do it anyway) and let students take classes that are going to benefit whatever careers they choose.

— hanns@indiana.edu