Why I love the College GenEd Curriculum

In the College, the sector and foundational requirements often appear as an obstacle for many students, with some students trying to get them done as soon as possible while others feeling worried about the additional number of courses to fit into our 4 year undergraduate degree schedule. However, I’ve come to appreciate the wide range of courses that we can take because of the General Education or “GenEd” requirement. To fulfill each GenEd, there is always a huge list of courses that we can choose from every semester. There is no set order for fulfilling GenEd requirements, providing a lot of flexibility in creating our course schedules.

Before settling on Economics as my major, I struggled to pinpoint exactly what I wanted to do, especially during my freshman year. From all the buzz words in consulting through club information sessions and panels, I had thought that I wanted to go into consulting or product management as a career. This made me want to plan out my course schedule to ensure that I would focus only on gaining those skills relevant to my career. However, having to fulfill the GenEd requirements, I have learned how much I really appreciate the encouragement by the College to explore career paths through the GenEd classes. I believe that without the GenEd requirement, I may have never explored some interest areas that I now have today. The College’s unique GenEd requirement, alongside the major course requirements, has expanded my perspective and eased the stress of choosing a career by providing opportunities to explore various subject areas. Because of the GenEd requirements, I decided to explore the legal field last semester through taking courses such as “Law and Society” as well as “Introduction of Psychology.” Similar courses have helped me realize my interest in learning more about how corporations interact with US policy and government, encouraging me to register for the course Employment and Law this semester. In other words, the GenEd requirements have played a crucial role in shaping my academic journey, allowing me to discover new interests and gain clarity on the career path I truly want to pursue.

Not just academically, but the diverse friends I’ve gotten to meet through these GenEd courses have made the College experience more unique. For example, the flexibility of GenEd courses has given me the opportunity to take classes with friends pursuing pre-med—an experience I wouldn’t have had without these requirements. Despite not having any overlapping clubs or major courses with my roommate, I will be taking a class with her through the “The Physical World” GenEd requirement this semester. Hence, the GenEds have not only helped me narrow down my career interests but have also given me the opportunity to study with diverse students. I believe that this is the beauty about the College. The idea of the GenEd requirement by the College almost is like an encouragement to keep learning just for the sake of learning.

- Yoonjung C.