For many college students, the thought of taking general education classes is something rather unpleasant. I mean, who would honestly like to cram a semester full of lower-level English, math, and science courses?

In the United States, the collegiate hierarchy has followed a stereotypical archetype that holds true for many students: two years spent in college earns an associate’s degree, four years holds a bachelor’s, and six years obtains a master’s. Although many students do not follow these particular patterns, instead opting to finish their degrees early or late, the average suggested time to earn a degree is around the same time across the country.

With a majority of college students, this means a decent chunk of their degree path is spent taking general education courses, with many of them being unrelated to their own aspirations. I will admit, it is important to have a strong baseline education to follow through your entire college experience, no matter the intended goal.

However, for some, the practice of required general education courses absolutely sours them on their college experience. Not only that, but with the rising costs of higher education, students that are required to take (and pay for) courses that may not be useful in the long run end up being hurt by general education requirements.

As a result of the increased pressure put on college students to perform well in courses that are unneeded, some disastrous consequences have been felt in recent years.        

In a 2011 Harvard Graduate School of Education study, entitled Pathways to Prosperity, it was found that students drop out of college early for a variety of reasons: financial issues, job issues and family issues, to name a few.

Most importantly, however, one other reason cannot be avoided: “too many [students] can’t see a clear, transparent connection between their program of study and tangible opportunities in the labor market,” according to Pathways to Prosperity.

In the Harvard study, almost 10 percent of United States students who have experienced higher education have only obtained an associate’s (or two-year) degree. An even more shocking number is the amount of students who have attended college, but have not finished their degree: almost 20 percent.

This means for many students, the only college that has been experienced is general education, devaluing the idea of college for some.

This is absolutely unacceptable, especially if we want to become a more educated nation as a whole.

Not only that, but when many students are finding themselves with a decision of debt vs. degree, we have created a problem that needs to be fixed. Freeing up funds that would have been spent on useless credit requirements so that students can push forward is one way of tackling that problem. A much more specialized approach for each student would be a better way to create a well-rounded foundation for college success. Every individual is different, after all.

Students, keep pushing through those first few years, even though, at times, college may seem mundane, useless and a waste of money. Trust me, it is not — and once you move on to courses you have a passion for, things will change. Pushing through the first part is arguably the most important step.

Investing in your future is the most important thing you can do for your own success, even if it may not seem so at first.