Geneseo students are held to an academically high standard, but it all depends on what degree they pursue. While professors offer students the best they can, the college still does not focus on the variety of concepts there are to learn at a liberal arts college.
In the past few years, Geneseo has started focusing more heavily on STEM disciplines while neglecting the arts. Rather than allocating limited resources to mostly science programs, assets should be divided equally amongst the programs in order for Geneseo to truly be a liberal arts college.
Not only has the photography dark room closed, but the available art classes are limited.
A liberal arts education is supposed to give students a foot in all forms of knowledge so they can be more productive in their field.
“As the job market improves, other industries will need skilled new employees as well,” a Forbes article said. “If students entering college are being told to focus on the fields that have the most opportunities, then every other type of job will ultimately have too few candidates to choose from.”
For Geneseo students to be competitive college graduates, it is crucial that they experience a wide range of classes to expand their sphere of knowledge. As a student, it feels like the college is focusing less on showing their students how to think in various ways and more so on getting a quality grade.
When students come here, they want options that peak their interest and allow them to receive a broad education. There are available classes, like creative writing courses, that can expose students to explore inventive endeavors. There are, however, scheduling conflicts that hinder people outside of the major from attending the classes.
In the English creative writing track, for example, there are only eight workshops that have limited seats. Although these classes are available to students who want to explore their creative side, seats are given a priority to those that need the courses to advance their degree.
Focusing away from a liberal arts education teaches students to believe they are only programmed to do one thing.
Geneseo is academically rigorous for all students, but there should be more classes that are free from regular academic stress and used for exploration. While there are classes such as dance, yoga and tai chi, they are limited and in high demand.
In the end, all academic programs are crucial to a liberal arts college, such as Geneseo; the college should recognize this and act accordingly.