Destini C.

$1,000 Resolve to Evolve Scholarship Winner - Freshman

Mmmmmm...the luscious, mouth-watering scent of tonight's dinner slowly lingers its way into your bedroom as the time draws nearer to finally eat. That triggers your appetite, and within thirty minutes you've already taken your seat at the table. Mom sets the food in the center, in perfect view, and you begin to evaluate your options. Steamed spinach? PASS. You'll take the cheesy potatoes instead. Baked turkey? NOT IN THE MOOD. You'll just eat the stuffing right out of the middle.

Sometimes, it’s important to make the more appropriate choices rather than going for your preferences all the time. This applies for college course selection as well. Previously, college classes were chosen for each student by an administrator; in today's world, however, the responsibility of selecting courses has been placed in the hands of the students. This doesn't seem like such a bad thing but it’s quite predicable that students would choose courses that most represent their personal interests rather than selecting courses that better prepare them for their future careers. With classes such as "Politicizing Beyonce" at Rutgers University or "History of Rock 'n Roll" at Citrus College, most would opt to take them rather than to face the uncertainty of taking more appropriate or challenging courses that have the potential to lower their GPA.

To a certain degree, I can understand this train of thought. Especially if one’s desired college was allowing such courses to be taken. That is why colleges should not permit these kinds of classes. It will not only benefit the students, but the college as well. The students will be more prepared for the world ahead of them; meanwhile, the college would be credited for producing such outstanding alumni. Even though students are faced with and willing to accept a growing responsibility as they materialize into the world of college life, colleges should still provide and enforce the essential classes that they will eventually recall and apply in the real world. Colleges should not try to befriend their pupils but rather “parent” and encourage them to work harder so that it will show when those four years are finally up.

Colleges aren’t all to blame: it all boils down to the students. They want to excel but some are not willing to put forth the effort to do so. So perhaps it isn’t the college’s fault for employers’ reactions to the courses that these students signed up for. No one forced them to do it. Students need to think ahead of time. They must establish the actuality that what they do now will in fact affect their futures. In my opinion, this is a 50/50 situation. Not one is to put to accusation. Colleges created these classes but students did not have to take them.

Perhaps colleges should require classes that will benefit the future careers of their students and withdraw the ones that do not. Perhaps instead of “Politicizing Beyonce,” it is best to simply leave it as “Politics.” I’m not saying take out all the fun in college – it should be an extraordinarily remarkable experience! But for the sake of the pupils, colleges should make sure they are getting the proper education they need to be successful. When students graduate, they can surf the web for as much “Zombies in Popular Media” as they’d like. But for now, in college, they need to work hard and focus on what truly matters so that they will not struggle in the future or disappoint potential employers.

I believe that some of the classes available at colleges and universities are unnecessary and should be replaced with classes more beneficial for it will all add up in the end. All the tremendous effort that was spent during college will create astonishing results later in life. Colleges must help their students as well, and make them realize how their decisions now will impact their future.

So perhaps when you sit at the dinner table and view your options, you should eat that steamed spinach. Maybe you should have a slice of turkey as opposed to simply eating the stuffing right out of the middle.