Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student s field of study Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim In developing and supporting your position be sure t

Students spend a great extend of time and effort in deciding their course subjects while pursuing a degree in their desired field of interest. Correspondingly, the choice of subjects is a well thought establishment which would help the student attain his or her end goal when they complete their college. The prompt statement proposes to mandate addition of subjects which are not a part of student’s curriculum rather from other departments. This would mean that the students will have to spend more time on subjects that don’t align with their curriculum but provide them with knowledge and skills that might help them reach their goals. I mostly agree with the issue statement since including courses which are not relevant to one’s field of study have both positive and negative impacts while the former outweigh the latter. Same would be explained in further paragraphs via examples starting from a demerit followed by two merits.

Firstly, studying a course which is not relevant to one’s field of study would require an individual to spend not just time but also effort if he or she has to study the additional subject. We must understand that it is an additional subject and not replacement to the existing course plan. Although some might argue that any course would require equal effort, the student can rather spend the same on topics that most clearly aligns with his or her end goal and would help bag a job in the area of interest. Take for instance, a computer science student who has to add a subject from core civil engineering subject which does not add value to the current learning plan in any way. There is a possibility that the student has to put in lot of effort to clear that civil engineering subject since the student has no prior link or understanding of the course and that could possibly lead to lesser time for revision of core computer science subject. Imagine how adversely it could affect the scores of the student if short of revision time becomes a reason that he or she receives less marks and ends up losing a great internship or job opportunity. All in all, the extra hustle scholars have to do for additional subjects that do not align with their desired study field might not outweigh the achievements they can get by investing the same on relevant subjects.

Secondly, taking up courses from completely different field of study could open up limitless possibilities and ideas which the pupil might have never imagined. That is exactly how humans have always come up with new ideas – by continuously exploring new fields even though they might not seem relevant. A perfect example to support this idea would be of an automobile engineer working in a Formula 1 team’s cooling system where he or she designs and manufacturers artifacts to keep the system under defined temperatures. Consider that the individual would have taken up a subject which introduces the class about bees and their habitat. Although it seems like the same would never help in Formula 1 where they build a race car, it is evident that the structure of bee hive is the best design for cooling a surface by maximizing area of contact which the individual can use to design the best ever cooling system of the century. Had the scholar not taken up the seemingly irrelevant course, he or she would not have applied the knowledge to current job role would have had to settle for a solution every other team would be using. Knowledge of domains different from current job or research roles can remarkably increase the extent to which individuals can apply their learning for their own betterment.
For the next merit, it very much depends on the scholars how they align their future plans with current study field. Universities allowing students to take up courses from cross departments can shape up the individuals for niche industries and tasks and would make them fit for those areas right after college rather than them having to spend a few years gaining experience in all the domains and applying for such roles. Autonomous industry is a booming trend in United States of America right now where automotive companies are working towards building driverless cars which drive around themselves commuting people across the city and reducing road accidents. A good candidate for the role in this industry must have command over computer science to work on machine learning and artificial intelligence, a master in mathematics to define probability of vehicle’s motion and experience in automotive engineering to know the dynamics of the vehicle. Taking either of the three courses as field of study in college would require the individual to work a few years in the other two industries before even thinking of applying for the autonomous industry. Contemplate if the same individual had the opportunity to choose the aforementioned subjects from a melange of possibilities, he or she would have been possibly the best candidate a company could get. This would only have been made possible if college would open up all courses and students get a chance to explore whatever they wish to.

Some might argue that the mentioned prompt can only be successful if the students choose their subjects carefully and allocate time accordingly to gain something out of it. Well, isn’t that exactly what college is for? Defining areas of interest and matching with future goals to achieve zeal in life. A lucid thought and approach along with proper time management can help scholars gain success they might have only imagined. It should be at student’s discretion to choose courses out of their current curriculum or to continue with only relevant subjects. At the end of the day, it’s the student who pays and spends time to gain knowledge and he or she should not be forced to learn something they do not wish to.