You may have noticed there are quite a few General Education requirements we must fulfill at Scripps. In addition to a three-semester CORE program and a mandatory Writing 50 course, we must engage in several academic subjects. From Math and Social Sciences, to Language and Gender and Women’s Studies, we are challenged to cover a lot of ground.

What, you may ask, is the purpose behind studying so many fields? What do we gain through these dynamic and diverse courses? Some may argue that the number of GEs Scripps students take is excessive. They may not directly tend toward our majors, or come intuitively to us. Admittedly, this is why I’ve repeatedly avoided the daunting task of fulfilling my Natural Sciences requirement.

Some come to college with a preconceived idea of what they want to study, how they’ll pursue their interests, and where they want to be after they graduate. So why must we take classes if they aren’t geared toward our specific fields?

Before my senior year of high school, I, too, challenged the logic behind studying certain courses. I knew I wanted to pursue Religious Studies, Creative Writing, and Spanish. I wanted no part in math or science courses; the idea of completing a trigonometry problem made my skin crawl.

Because of my terrible track record in math, I dreaded the idea of taking Statistics my senior year. I’d taken Precalculus as a junior, and would stare blankly at the board while concepts flew over my head. As if I hadn’t struggling enough, things got even worse when I received my third concussion from volleyball. The hit forced me to miss two months of school, and by the time I returned, it was impossible to catch up and keep up with the rest of the class.

Discouraged by my lack of understanding, I concluded I would never be good at math. But of course, I couldn’t just stop taking math; my high-school curriculum required I take a class my senior year. Hesitantly, I chose Statistics, a study I knew absolutely nothing about. I worried I had entered yet another course of complicated formulas and word problems.

Much to my surprise, something clicked with Statistics. The theories made sense; the equations made sense; even the graphs made sense! I tried not to get too excited; after all, this was early on in the school year. I was sure that by the third week, everything would become abstract.

But it never became abstract; for whatever reason, I actually understood the material. I credit my success in the class to a great teacher and textbook. But regardless of how it came together, I’d discovered a new skill I would have never even explored had it not been a required part of my education.

Three years later, Statistics is still my favorite area of study. It was the deciding factor that led me to Economics, where I uncovered an entirely new passion. Not only had I never explored this new field before, but I’d also never imagined I’d be good at it and enjoy it.

One reason we take these classes is to gain knowledge in a variety of subjects. By doing so, we expand our academic horizons, and meet people with different ambitions. We also can find hidden fascinations or talents in the most unexpected studies. Thus, taking classes outside our immediate focuses leads to entirely new worlds of curiosity, and even shift our interests and goals.