I'm as guilty as anyone for sleeping, frequently skipping, and doing other work in general education (gen ed) classes. But I'm trying to do better and change my attitude about them because, well, they're actually pretty important.

We pay for them just like any other class, so we might as well make the most of them.

I'm a music student, in an intense program, in a music school of fewer than 1,000 people. Honestly, sometimes I just need to get away from music. It's refreshing to not have a class with the same people, in the same building even if it's only 2-3 times a week for a few hours.

A well-rounded education is so important, which is the point of gen eds in the first place. Education is one of the most powerful tools we have as citizens, but how can we really be "educated" if we only learn things that have to do with our future fields? With gen eds, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn about the world around us in a way that our major classes won't cover.

Professors who teach gen eds, first of all, are heroes. They must deal with students weekly who, for the most part, don't care about what they're teaching. Students who do lackluster work, if they do their work at all, and don't care to pay attention most of the time.

Again, I'm not gonna lie...I've been that student too many times. Until recently I held the same mindset of many of my peers about gen eds: "this isn't important for my future", and "all I need to do is pass this pointless class". It's not fair that these professors are (most of the time) taking the time to teach us something that they're passionate about, and what they get back is disrespect.

A new goal of mine and I hope my fellow university students consider this too, is taking my gen eds just as seriously as my other classes. By doing that, I'll be giving my professors the respect they deserve, improving my GPA, and getting more out of the class for myself - not to mention more for my dollar!