The majority of universities in the United States have a core curriculum, classes that students must take in addition to their major requirements. St. John’s University has an especially lengthy list of required classes, as there is a 39-credit University Core that all students are mandated to complete. Each college has its own additional requirements, meaning that around half of a student’s degree is not directly tied to their major.
The University pays special homage to its Catholic, liberal arts roots; the core curriculum contains three philosophy classes and two theology classes in addition to standard math, science and writing courses.
The University Core encourages students to explore a wide array of subjects, many of which do not relate to or supplement their major coursework, which raises the question: Are these classes necessary or even helpful to the students who take them? Or do they waste their time and prevent them from studying more of what truly interests them, forcing students to stray from their major in order to maintain high grades?
Sophomore English major Artina Behdzet believes that the core “urges students to take classes that are not beneficial to their major.”
This negative experience has a significant impact on students’ academic journeys. In fact, the University Core requires three more credits than Behdzet’s English major, meaning that she will spend more time in classes that do not interest her rather than ones in her own major.
She adds that some classes even hinder her academically, explaining that her “grade might suffer due to the fact that I have to take something I struggle with, leading to my GPA failing.” If a student actively avoided a subject by choosing a specific major, is it unfair for them to be required to take it regardless?
Sophomore cybersecurity major Nicholas Cirigliano agrees with Behdzet to an extent; he “would rather use those credits to invest time in other classes, like electives towards [his] major.”
Cirigliano sees the value in some of the University Core requirements though and believes that exiting your comfort zone can provide students with academic growth. He specifically praises public speaking as a part of the core, underscoring its practical purpose.
“If you don’t have the skills to socialize with unfamiliar people or in front of a larger group, you may face issues down the line when facing interviews for jobs,” Cirigliano explains.
Javier Fajardo, a sophomore homeland security major, also places value on learning real-world skills in University Core classes. For this reason, he believes there should be changes to what is focused on in the curriculum.
“The study of classes such as ethics and philosophy, while insightful, could be substituted with courses relevant in today’s world, such as a computer science requirement,” Fajardo suggests. His opinion reflects the feelings that many students have about the philosophy-heavy coursework the University deems necessary: It is nice in theory, but largely impractical in comparison to other subjects.
The responses from these students make one thing clear – the University Core contains an overwhelming amount of classes that are frequently not applicable and even painful for those who take them.
