I assume you’re making these assumptions for degrees in the arts and humanities, because it doesn’t apply for a lot else. I’m currently a junior at Ohio State studying Microbiology with my eye on Dental school. It would not be possible for me to learn what I’m learning, and go on to professional school without a college education in microbiology. I can’t start my own business running a lab with absolutely no experience or the mass of knowledge I’ve accumulated in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and microbiology.

I can see your point for the cookie-cutter philosophy degrees and IT degrees, but when it comes to degrees in the sciences, pre-med, pre-dent, pre-law, and engineering, to name a few, what you say simply doesn’t work.

Redefining your college base to those in graphic design or web management would make more sense, but college is hardly a waste of 4 years.

Steve,
I totally agree with everything you say here. The sciences are the best example of “the right way” to do things. Still, most schools require way too much filler (what you refer to as GEC).

My main point was that you could get the very same practical education in 2 years. But it is the vested interest of the *college as business* to keep you there for 4. So I don’t see things changing anytime soon.

As far as your points about not being able to set up your own lab, etc., etc. and needing the college education. I’d argue that if your main point is to go to dental school, then even in the science curriculum, there is probably a “better way.” Just not in the current system, as you point out.

Take my degree, computer science. Along the way I’ve taken 1) accounting, 2) oral communication 3) music appreciation and 4) contemporary literature and 5) Religion in Korea. I actually enjoyed most of those classes. But I also paid a lot for them, and wouldn’t have selected them if they hadn’t met some general requirement.

But that’s not all. Learning computer science also turned out to be less useful than it could have been. We learned far more theory than practical application. Less coding, more memorizing. For those of us who just wanted to be good, well rounded programmers, the opportunity just wasn’t there unless we took our own initiative.

I recently met a English (as in Britain) student at a concert here in Australia. I asked why he was down under and he proceeded to tell me he was studying law, and the Australian education system does one year less than in Britain. And since it’s still in the commenwealth the degree and fees are the same. That guy had a good head on his shoulders.

Along the same vein I’ve been talking to my classmates in my Microbiology classes down here and their degree takes a year less than mine! Lucky buggers, haha. I asked them about GECs and they looked at me like I had two heads. I think Australia has it down a bit more than we do, and technical schools are also a much bigger part of the tertiary education system here. Seems to work down here, but like you said, can’t see it changing anytime soon back home.

But Ben, that’s not the point of this post. The point of this post is that College is inefficient.
In other words, 4 years is just too much.

Why do you think I’ve said that college is a waste of time?

I agree that education needs an overhaul. I wrote a post about it at one point, it’s in the archives somewhere.

I just didn’t like the vibe of this post.

The other posts you guys have been writing are well done, though