General elective courses do not belong in a college setting. I do not feel that students have enough time to take courses that are not related to their program of study because our stay here is short-lived. Colleges are where students take a program to specialize in a specific field.

Universities provide a student with a well-rounded education. Studying English, communications or philosophy gives a student a very general understanding of their program of study, which involves courses from other disciplines as well. University programs tend to run longer than those of college, so students have a chance to break away from the subject they are focusing on.

Having been to both college and university, I now understand the purpose of general elective courses and how they fit into post-secondary studies.

Making the distinction between university and college programs is very important in analyzing the importance of general elective courses. In university you study a broad subject. In college you study a specific field.

If you are an English major at a university you take courses that explore fiction, writing, short stories and essays. In college you would study scriptwriting or how to be a library and information technician.

Various disciplines often cross-over to link the well rounded education together. The knowledge you gain in one class can easily be transferred or can give background in others. For example, a history class can help you understand politics.

University has many courses to choose from as general electives. From witch-craft to French or women’s studies, these courses can spark interest or expand a student’s knowledge of something they never knew anything about.

College general elective course are a lot more limited and are on subjects that student’s really don’t care to be involved in. If there were general electives like languages, students may be more interested in learning during these course. “Popular culture”, “a cultural diversity quest” and “geology of the Ottawa area” are all general elective courses that are offered at Algonquin none of which could be useful to most students.

Considering most of the general elective courses are online, students do no even benefit from the personal interaction with a teacher. A series of quizzes and online readings give students a vague knowledge of the subject matter, however they are rarely engaged in the course’s material.

If I want to ‘read for recreation’ then I will do so when I have the time. How can a course with a teacher in Perth, Pembroke or Smiths Falls can ask me to ‘read for recreation’ if I am stressed to the brink of insanity with my program of study; the program I hope to make into a career in a few short years.