Useless college classes (bachelors, costs, archaeology, graduate)

[dgz]

The only classes that I regret taking are those where the professors would teach the courses poorly and require that we read their poorly-written books. Fortunately, this only happened every so often. It still amazes me though that someone can take a subject that has so much potential to be interesting and ruin it.

[Miley Cyrus]

Microbiology. Unless you're a science major, it's just memorizing a bunch of useless info you'll probably never remember in a few months.

[Upstate Nancy]

I took a course at the end of my distance degree program some years back and I can't for the life of me remember the name of it. Talk about selective amnesia. The teacher was a character (we met with her during one of the weekly intensives)but I have no clue today what the course was even about. I do remember getting a B, but that's it. Bizarre. Even my gym requirements years and years ago were more memorable--golf, swimming.

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

That way you would have what is called an Associate's Degree.

Not true. In order to get my Associate's Degree I had to take the core requirements also. I had to take a Health class where I learned absolutely nothing because being an older student, there was nothing he taught that I didn't already know. Also, we were REQUIRED to sit through an HIV-AID's presentation. I was a 55 year old woman who was married for 28 years to the same man (and no, I have absolutely no reason to believe he fools around.)

I also had to take a speech class, even though I was at one time an officer in a local Toastmaster's Club, and in a previous job I wrote speeches for the CEO. Yes, some courses are just not necessary.

[swampwolf]

Required courses ought to be exemptable by taking an exemption test. Colleges that do that would attract a lot of students I believe.

And is there really a school that requires microbiology for non-science majors? My undergrad degree is in Biology, and I taught the lab courses. I never saw a non-science major in those classes.

[dcashley]

I think the worst course I ever took was from someone who didn't know the subject, and couldn't speak English properly. That was a waste of time. But is wasn't a waste of time because of the subject matter--it was a waste because of a lousy teacher--who, by the way, is no longer teaching. Sometimes you run into really lousy teachers (doctors, lawyers, postmen, plumbers...) but thankfully not often.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by swampwolf

Required courses ought to be exemptable by taking an exemption test. Colleges that do that would attract a lot of students I believe.

My school offers this. They call it Credit For Prior Experience (or is it credit for life experience?). In colleeng47's case, not only would she have been exempt from taking the mandatory speech course, she would receive the credits for it also.

Originally Posted by swampwolf

And is there really a school that requires microbiology for non-science majors? My undergrad degree is in Biology, and I taught the lab courses. I never saw a non-science major in those classes.

I don't think so. There was not one non-biology or health science major in my microbiology class and everyone that I know who is taking it this semester are also other biology or health science majors. MIT is the only school that I can think of that requires non-math, non-science, and non-engineering students to take one year of calculus and and one year of calculus-based physics as part of the core curriculum.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

My school offers this. They call it Credit For Prior Experience (or is it credit for life experience?). In colleeng47's case, not only would she have been exempt from taking the mandatory speech course, she would receive the credits for it also.

I don't think so. There was not one non-biology or health science major in my microbiology class and everyone that I know who is taking it this semester are also other biology or health science majors. MIT is the only school that I can think of that requires non-math, non-science, and non-engineering students to take one year of calculus and and one year of calculus-based physics as part of the core curriculum.

The military academies also do, I believe, along with engineering courses.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by sike0000

I had a lot of classes unrelated to my engineering degree. 5 semesters of literature, two economics classes and even some of my core classes. There are more but I am trying to forget

Even though I did enjoy most of the classes, and it makes me very well rounded, it hurts the wallet and added a few years to my night classes.

And there is nothing wrong with taking algebra in College

whenever i see a post like this i think of my nephew who is now in seattle dodging core classes to avoid flunking out, yep an engineering major
at blah blah blah u. yep yes maem an engineering major.
bobybuilding 101 ethnic studies, italian 101
and meeting some of the most beautiful women he will ever know in his life. and he is very very happy at least for the moment he is warm comfortable and happy. which he has never been b4.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

whenever i see a post like this i think of my nephew who is now in seattle dodging core classes to avoid flunking out, yep an engineering major
at blah blah blah u. yep yes maem an engineering major.
bobybuilding 101 ethnic studies, italian 101
and meeting some of the most beautiful women he will ever know in his life. and he is very very happy at least for the moment he is warm comfortable and happy. which he has never been b4.

I don't see why learning a foreign language could possibly be a bad thing. Sadly, my college only requires 3 years- or 4 if you're an international relations or area studies major and I'm both.

For your nephew, you'd think if he was bright enough to study engineering, he'd be bright enough to actually research his university and choose one where he wouldn't have to do core classes if he dreads them so much.