“College isn’t just about making better engineers but about making better citizens”
A thorough college education should produce well-rounded students who are passionate about the quest for knowledge. Frank Bruni, author of the New York Times Op-Ed article “College’s Priceless Value” argues that general education courses are the portals into a more meaningful college experience as well as a more thoughtful existence. He acclaims his emotional experience while reading King Lear in a gen ed course in college to having enhanced his way of thinking. Although this experience is wonderful for Bruni, general education courses do not typically have this effect on students. In theory, a broadened education seems very beneficial to creating students educated in all areas. However, in reality, a medley of random courses that are pushed upon students provide only basic information on subjects which students tend to forget after receiving a grade in the course. More specifically, reading King Lear in a required lit class was not a world-changing experience for me. Bruni may have felt inspired but Shakespeare is nothing new to me since I was required to study a lot of his works in high school. Exploring individual passions I feel are more beneficial to motivating students to learn since students are not going to reach their full potential in classes they are uninterested in.
Along with broadening students’ horizons, General Education courses are credited with aiding students in finding the major that is right for them. In his article “Why You Need to Take Gen Eds and How You Can Appreciate Them”, Chuck Cohn writes, “Maybe that Political Science class you take freshman year will take you by surprise and lead you to switch to this field of study”. Although I know this rings true for many students, those who have already found their passion will not be swayed into changing majors by classes they are uninterested in taking. Although gen eds help some students with finding their unique paths, they are a waste of time and money for others.
General Education courses are portrayed as miracle workers for creating better human beings in both Bruni and Cohn’s articles, but in reality are classes students power through to get to subjects they are truly passionate about. Getting inspired by King Lear does not make someone a knowledge seeking student and taking a few gen ed classes is not the same as students learning to seek knowledge on their own well into adulthood. I feel this act comes with maturity and is not just simply created by an exploration of forced classes, as was the case of Bruni.
Interpretation & Adaptation 
I agree with you. I feel that most college students dread taking general education classes when registering because most want to start learning about things that will make them successful in their career. However, I think general education classes are a huge part of creating a well-rounded student and person, that will make everyone even more successful in their careers and lives after having taken them. Also, I think there are many students who come to college with a major or career in mind because they felt like they had to pick something; but having to take different education classes can spark a new interests they never knew they had. Overall I believe in general education classes and their purpose to create well-rounded students, while also presenting the opportunity to explore new and different subjects.
I do agree with a lot of the things you are saying and some general assumptions of most people. General Education courses are truly in place to not only help complete a students overall education, but also to attempt to give them pieces of many different areas of education in hopes of them finding a great interest in one of them. It is hard to say exactly how much or if any general education requirement should be put into place because everyone is different and every class will impact a student in a different way. Without a more strict set of guidelines that a student must complete, they may not get the opportunity to find out their true passion. This being said, students are spending money on each and every class and do deserve a right to decide exactly what they want to learn to help them prepare for a future career. If I had to make a decision, I think the moderate set of requirements for a student to experience multiple areas of education is the right way to go because in the long run it will benefit more students.
I completely agree with the idea that general education classes are required because they make us students well rounded in all subject areas. One thing that stuck out to me in the article you posted was, “Don’t miss out on this potential discovery just because you failed to take these classes seriously”. I noticed that I have done this in some of my classes. I did not take them seriously and I did not put in the same amount of effort that I put into the classes required for my major. Unlike Bruni, I did not have a life changing experience while reading King Lear, but I have been able to learn new skills and approaches. I believe that this is the exact reason why the university requires so many gen ed semester hours.