GRE Issue Topic 135

Sample 1:

If people only and always followed directions, little new would ever be discovered. To presume that college students can succeed only when their courses are carefully proscribed diminishes the ability of young adults to make wise choices. Students may willingly accept some direction in their choice of courses but don't necessarily want to follow directions. Those who choose their own path may be more satisfied. Those who provide guidance usually make suggestions and allow those whom they are guiding to make their own choices.

Most high–school students, especially in small towns, have little choice in selecting courses. State departments of education and local administrators establish guidelines for graduation requirements which generally include a specific number of credits in English, social studies, science, and math. Electives are rare. Students are apt to relish the opportunity to take some elective courses in college. In doing so they may discover areas of interest in disciplines they didn't even know existed or discover strengths and talents they didn't know they had.

I have two sisters who exemplify the opposite extremes of choice. In the fall of each of our senior years in high school, we traveled for several days with our mother to visit colleges we were interested in attending. Despite being raised in the same house by the same parents, each of us had different interests and personalities, so each of our trips included a variety of colleges. My mother and my older sister embarked on their journey, schedule of visits and interviews in hand. They went to the campuses of large universities, business schools, and small private colleges. Each had something to recommend it until they visited a small school in western Massachusetts. My sister rejected it out–of–hand because it had too little structure. There were no required courses: students were free to enroll in any class they desired. She eventually selected an all–women's college that was fairly liberal but did have required core courses for the first two years. A few years later, my younger sister took the trip with Mom. Eventually, she, too, settled on an all–women’s college, but one that had only one requirement, a single semester of a writing–intensive course. She explored a variety of courses and took some unorthodox electives. She discovered a discipline that she wanted to pursue, and, after two years, transferred to a large state university in the Midwest. If all colleges set rigid course guidelines and eliminated electives, my older sister may have been just fine, but my younger sister would likely have felt stifled and may have quit college altogether.

Limiting choices stifles creativity. A college student majoring in art, for example, may want to focus on one medium, but the college has created required courses in each medium. The art student's lack of ability to focus on sculpture as his means of expression may frustrate him to the extent that he will pack his bags and leave. In contrast, the art student may want to dabble in each medium, but he is forced by the college to choose only one and must spend the years in college painting when he would have liked to explore sculpture or mixed media. This student, too, may leave the school. In these cases, the rigid structure of required courses may result in the college’s losing population and tuition dollars

Humans want some guidance and structure in their lives. It is helpful to know when to show up for work and how long the workday will be. They like knowing what their responsibilities at work include and how to complete their tasks. However, they want to choose the type of employment and employer. Communist Russia forced people into specific occupations based on the country's need for people to accomplish certain tasks. There was virtually no unemployment. However, lack of choice led to less productivity, and communism ultimately failed. Forcing people to work at jobs they haven't chosen or college students to take courses they don't want can only lead to discontent and poor performance.