Note that in French if a noun ends in e, then it is quite often female, with a few exceptions (e.g. libre, meaning book).

But it's not even approaching the status of a "rule". I appreciate that English bends its own rules a fair amount too - but nothing on French.

For goodness sake, there are two whole tenses that are only used in specific forms of literature...

I still think its a waste of time and money and I wouldn't miss a thing if I didn't take them. Another question: why dont they allow us to take a courses on personal finance as a GE? That's be a lot more helpful in keeping people from swiping their plastic too much. How about a GE course in computer science? No way, learning about platos allegory of the cave is way more important to know

Interesting choice for an example, the allegory of the cave. It's an example from around 2400 years ago or so of how integral the abilities of the observer of a phenomenon are to how that phenomenon is perceived. Obviously, that wasn't Plato's main point, but it's definitely there.

Hmmm, are there any other occupations in which considering how observers handle what they see is integral to how one would produce his wares? Perhaps if a man were to get into a field in which he created virtual worlds or something, it could be useful for that man to have insights into how people observe. Or, at the very least, always keep the existence of the observer in mind as he creates his product.

Universities are generally different from tech schools, because universities attempt to teach you how to interact in a wide variety of situations while tech schools attempt to teach a specific skill. One excellent skill that can be gained from a university education, though, is the ability to find the intersections of seemingly unconnected fields. That in itself will make you better at handling complex problems.

Think we're getting off topic here

Note that in French if a noun ends in e, then it is quite often female, with a few exceptions (e.g. libre, meaning book).

Selenaut

That wasn't as much the issue with me, it was more WHY was a word that particular gender. (That logical computer science nature at work.) I have to remember what the gender is, so I can use the proper articles and sometimes conjugate the proper verb.

A US university doesn't teach you your trade, it gives you a foundational skill-and-experience-set and teaches you how to learn. Liberal Arts degrees expose you to learning in fields outside of your focus to further strengthen that ability. You'll be learning for the rest of your life, if you practice and solidify your learning skills (and recognize that the majority of your college courses are there to provide the practice) it will make you much more successful and productive.

I believe at some point OP mentioned this is their last GE course, so a lot of the suggestions here are a bit late to the party. Hopefully other people can pick up on the good parts, though.

I still hold the belief that learning a little about things other than one's main focus is good. I mean, could you imagine how difficult life would be if literally all a person knew was all math known to man and nothing else? Times would most certainly be rough for him.

Obviously this is the most extreme case, but it applies for everything in between. Anyway, if you don't enjoy it, find a way to make it enjoyable: I often find that learning is much more interesting and satisfying if you relate it to things you like - like game development.

Selenaut

What killed me was the language requirements. Had to take 4 semesters of a foreign language. Got a D in German 202 and was ecstatic it was over.

Moi aussi. Scraped through French with a C average. Ruined my final year GPA.

sab="1964">>In the UK, degrees are typically 3-5 years, but my understanding is that University degrees can be longer, which would explain how the extra subjects can be fitted in.

In the US bachelors degrees are all 4 years, with very occasional exceptions (electrical engineering was 5 years at my university, because there was so much material to cover).

Not anymore, maybe only on paper. If you live in heavily populated areas then good luck getting any classes. The community college I go to alone has 64,000 students and the story is the same nearby. Im already in my 3rd year yet im not in upper division, and taking all these GE classes doesnt help to get out any faster, since they themselves are hard enough to get. And to top that off with the very high attrition rates in the STEM majors, a 4 year degree can easily become 6 year venture or more

And to top that off with the very high attrition rates in the STEM majors, a 4 year degree can easily become 6 year venture or more

Having trouble following this, can you elaborate? I'd expect high attrition rate to open up seats, not keep you out of classes.