To the Editor,

When students come to university and select a major, they’re aiming too for a deep dive into one field or subject. Instead, students are met with some exploration of the chosen topic and a lot of requirements unrelated to their major. While I’m beginning my last two semesters of classes at Iowa State, I’ll be taking few courses related to my Public Relations major to meet Arts & Humanities requirements and other general education requirements outside of the field I’m preparing to step into. I have to take 45 credits of university-mandated general education classes. My fear is that I’m wasting time and money to take classes that I may not otherwise choose to take.

I fully support having a well-rounded education! But I don’t believe a statistics course I’m disinterested in will provide me with enough knowledge to justify hundreds or thousands of dollars to enroll in the next two semesters. My education won’t stop once I leave the university. Many of the skills I need can be learned on the job or through my own research and experience.

The better solution is for Iowa State to drop general education requirements, allow me to take courses that help me explore my field of study, and save me money and time.

Sincerely,

Audrey Ward