Often BYU students complain about needing to take general education classes that are irrelevant to their various majors. However, it is important for us as students and future leaders of the world to keep in mind the admonition prophets have given us to “seek all truth,” not just the truth within our own majors. One of the primary complaints about general education classes is that such classes hold no benefit for students from different majors. Students argue that they are in college to learn a specific subject matter and that classes outside this subject matter are a waste of time. However, according to Robert Bruen, of computer science at MIT, “Education is about the improvement of the individual, not about training for the workforce.” We are not here in school just to be trained. We are here to obtain an education, and this includes knowledge in subject areas we are not already familiar with. According to Steven Cahn, “Animals are broken in and trained; human beings are to be enlightened and educated.” BYU is a special university. Our motto is “enter to learn, go forth to serve,” and a broad education not only enriches our own lives, but it enables us to serve and enrich the lives of others. We are not here to receive training in one field. We are here to obtain an education with which we can enrich the world.
Lacey Woodfield
Highland, Utah
