Gen-eds are more than fillers

My apartment is home to a mini copy of Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” and I owe it to a class I never wanted to take.

As a History major, I’m the last person who wants to drag myself out of bed and across campus to listen to a lecture on triptych paintings when it’s 10 degrees out. But despite popular sentiment about general education requirements, suffering through World Art wasn’t a waste of time.

As much as gen-ed lectures about Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits provide tempting nap opportunities for those with unrelated interests, they can hold a lot of inherent value for those who bother to show up. Being pushed into unrelated fields  isn’t something to get angry about — it’s a valuable opportunity to grow.

Gen-eds are the basis of a liberal arts education, which is what Pitt says it aims to give every student. Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences offers the courses that count as gen-eds, but students from every school are required tosatisfy arts and sciences requirements in order to graduate.

Pitt’s gen-ed requirements are similar to those of most other liberal arts colleges. They require a few writing-focused courses; a variety of humanities, arts, social and natural sciences classes; a second language and international and non-western culture requirements. For most students, this adds up to 19 classes.

The purpose of an undergraduate liberal arts education isn’t to make sure you become an advanced specialist in your field. It’s about making sure you come out on the other side a well-rounded citizen who can make it — in both the real world and your profession.

An Association of American Colleges and Universities survey found that 93 percent of employers said “a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex problems is more important than [a candidate’s] undergraduate major.”

While learned content is a big part of collegiate studies, learning how to apply that knowledge through critical thinking and problem solving is just as important. An employer won’t care how closely you read your political science textbooks if you can’t think on your feet and adapt to new situations.

In the same survey, 80 percent of employers agreed that despite their major, every student should “acquire broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences.”

Being able to compose a well-written report, have basic math and computing skills and reference important historical events are all necessary aspects of almost any job.

A marketing major can use knowledge of international cultures to help adapt their message to wider and more diverse audiences. A political science major working on a candidate’s campaign should be able to calculate statistics for a brief. And while a doctor’s knowledge of health and the human body is important, forming empathy and a connection with a patient by being able to discuss art or books is also vital.

A gen-ed isn’t supposed to inspire a deeper passion in the subject — it’s more of an opportunity to learn a bit about a new topic. But sometimes it can be the catalyst to discovering new interests.

I had absolutely zero interest in taking Introduction to Cultural Anthropology sophomore year, but once I started bothering to pay attention in lecture, I actually found it fascinating and helpful. Now, my senior thesis uses ethnographic research methods, something I didn’t even know existed until I learned about them in that class.

It’s not always evident how or if a gen-ed will be rewarding for you. Still, you might find it surprisingly useful later in life. It may even benefit you before you leave campus.

First-year students in particular benefit from exploring new areas of interest because many don’t have a clear idea of what field suits them best. Eighty percent of students heading to college in the fall have yet to pick a major. And of those who have, 50 percent change at least once.

If you come to Pitt carrying the “undecided” label like I did, gen-eds are a good way to take a bunch of different classes on interesting topics without feeling like you’re wasting credits and time. You can explore different fields across the arts and sciences to find your niche while building a diverse and impressive transcript.

And I don’t care how strongly you think you want to be a doctor, a psychologist or an economist — it’s never a bad idea to take a few classes outside your comfort zone just to make sure.

Complaining about how annoying gen-eds can be is a legitimate grievance. Why would I want to take Introduction to Performance when I could be taking an advanced class about the religions of ancient Egypt? Paying for knowledge you have no interest in gaining is understandably unappealing.

But at the end of your four years, an academic career balancing both depth and breadth is key to success in whatever you wish to pursue.

So when you’re enrolling for classes for next semester, take the most interesting — or the easiest —  gen-eds you can find. When you’re stuck in Russian Fairy Tales for a whole semester, you continue to complain about it — but then try to make the most of it.

You just might learn something.

Amber primarily writes about gender and politics for The Pitt News.

Write to her at aem98@pitt.edu.