I cant be the only one, can I?

I went to college right out of highschool. I was a promising student who got a fullride into Purdue, had a 4.1gpa in HS, was ranked 29th in my entire state(indiana) academics wise for that HS graduating year. The thing is: 12 weeks into my first semester I effectively said fuck it and dropped out, it was like highschool all over again. I was going to major in archetectural engineering, minor in computer programming, and they had me taking shit classes like world literature?! Anyone else see my problem with that? I'm certainly not mocking a degree or nothing, I think that college education is very important, its the college system itself I have a problem with. I'm certainly not alone when it comes to the "college = expensive daycare" topic. But what I want to know is why does the system think General Education courses (Math, english, etc.) are necessary for students who are majoring in subjects that have less than zero need for them in the actual field? Is it just a ploy to weasle more money out of the students (back to the expensive daycare theme) or are they really truely necessary and I just couldnt understand that? Can anyone help me make sense of this?

If you're going into architectural engineering, math would be a valid subject for you to be taking. I've found classes like English and math important classes and not just 'filler.' You need to be educated in writing and reading. I've never had an issue with it, because I've always enjoyed English classes. I love to read and I enjoy math.

Thats where you and I differ: I hate to read, I burned all the books I've ever had. So of course I'm not going to tolerate english literature. And all the math I'll ever need for those subjects, I learned in Highschool. So i ask again: why are they necessary for college students?

I do believe that you generally have your pick of the Fine Arts core requirement courses. Also, why are you complaining about cost if you got "a full ride"?

Also, moved.

If you don't like it and feel like you know the material already, you normally can go to your student services and request to take a test proving that you know the material. If you think you know everything in that math class, take a test to prove it and move on.

Im complaining because the money thing is not an issue im just irked that colege was just a step up from highschool and nothing important was taught to me directly concerning my field, and if it did directly concern it then i already knew it...

and i went to student services requesting that test and i was denied because i was a freshman

Collage is hard believe me im dying everyday at class

No because i like what i am learning automotive engineering,, i learned the same shit in high school also i am a huge car fanatic.you know car's are getting so advanced in tech they already invented some bitch-ass glasses that tell you what to do rather then doing it your self.Its also is like high school again i am surrounded by men.

Don't drop out if you're not going to fill it with anything. You work hard for a few years now and you won't regret it.
A level maths is a good idea because it tells employers or university recruiters that you're a clever hard working person, rather than thinking you'll only do jobs with numbers.

Purdue you say. There is an entirely slim chance that I know you.

Anyway, I understand how you feel. I chose not to pursue going to IU Bloomington for Economics because I knew there would be a lot of other "bullshit" involved. For one I knew that I would have to take Calculus again, and I all but failed AP Calculus my Senior year in high school. I was just done with the experience. I told myself I would take a break for a year or two and go back to school. But we all know how that often turns out, don't we?

There is still a chance that I'll go back to school, some day. But I'm more than content with finding a good job, some place with career opportunities, and simply doing that for the rest of my life.

12 weeks of college does not account for the majority of your higher education experience.

It certainly won't include any specialization or classes just for your major, as it's mostly "core" requirement classes for freshmen.
First year/semester classes are to just get everyone on an even playing field: they reinforce high school stuff, or for some, even skills learned in middle school.
They aren't going to be fun but they're necessary.

I see Purdue and think of Perdue chicken ;|

Are you referring to the basic level math courses or all the courses concerning math for your degree? If the latter, pretty sure that "archetectural" engineering requires at least three years of calculus. I'd be very impressed that you took them all in highschool.

I've found most colleges require basic core curriculum classes, which sucks. College that requires basic core classes for the first year is not worth the money. Lots of people wanting to save money are going to community college for two years and then transferring for the last two years to a big four-year school. This is because most classes directly concerning your major are in the last two years of college. However, there's a downside to this since some colleges don't take certain transferred credits and demand you take theirs. Why is this? Moneyyyyy

However, I do disagee with gizgal's statement that all core classes are necessary. For someone in biomedical engineering, such as myself, I don't want to put up with basic classes of english or history. They do not concern my major nor am I interested in them. However, I did choose to take basic level biology class and chemistry class again. I took AP Biology and AP Chemistry in high school, but the biological sciences are a huge part of my college career and (eventually) work career so I think people in my major should have a very strong foundation of biology and chemistry.



Quite an excellent GPA for someone who has such a hatred for literature.



Learning how to spell it would be a good start.


@Ziggy: Me too. :P

My uni is tailored to my course, so I dont have anything extra added on that is unrelated. (also I study in the UK so it may be different than the US)

Also I would also be annoyed if I was doing archetectural engineering, and had to do English Lit. Dont get me wrong, I like English and read quite a lot (not that much lately though), but when I pay for a course, I dont want to have to do something completely unrelated, which English Lit ultimately is. Maths is completely relevant, and it may have just seemed slow and high-school level because in the beginning they have to allow for the students which dont have your level in maths...

In general, high school in the US is so easy that being good at it doesn't really mean anything. If you want to show that you're smart then you have to do it in college, where they don't force you to show up every day.

There's a stereotype about engineers that they just have laser focus on their one area and they can't function outside their comfort zone. They have trouble explaining themselves to other people and can't really relate to anyone who isn't an engineer. It's probably based on something that's deeper than just career choice but if you want to set yourself up well for the future then you can't fall into this trap.

I had a lot of general education classes that weren't part of my major, but looking back I think I got a lot of benefit from them. I learned about subjects where I didn't realize how deep you could study them, and I had ideas that I never would have had otherwise. Or to put it in more practical terms, job security is worse than ever nowadays and you need to be as well-rounded as possible.

There's a lot of aspects about college that are kind of a scam, but general education requirements isn't one of them. You're supposed to come out with a broad base of knowledge and be able to write well and think clearly.

I kind of get what your saying. I thought very similar to the way you do during my first year at college (hell, i still don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do with math when I'm a friggin ENGLISH major). But Its really just about learning the basics and you would be surprised with how much these seemingly irrelevant courses can help you later on.