Giving entry level University of Colorado students a larger variety of courses to enroll in would help those students become more successful following graduation.

However, for the first two years of college, students are required to take prerequisite and core courses that most likely have little or nothing to do with their primary area of interest.

CU gives the reason that they want to produce well-rounded students upon graduation. This is a sensible stance for the university, seeing as many of the students have no idea of what they want to do with their post-college lives.

However, there is also a significant population of students who do have a vivid outline of the future.

In other countries, such as Australia, college students have more liberty as to what classes they take. This system allows for less time spent in college, as well as less money. At the high dollar amounts of American colleges, the types of classes that the student can take should not be restricted.

The universities argue that students need to complete prerequisites prior to taking certain high level courses. Although reasonable, it's not necessary. It would make more sense for universities to offer more major-based elective courses to younger students.

Certain schools at the university only allow students to take one elective class in the first semester of their freshman year. For $20,000 a year, it should be up to the person paying. Basically, you're buying an education.

It is my hope that in the future, these institutions grant much more freedom to incoming students as far as class availability goes. This proposed system will make college more affordable, and it will allow young adults to get out of college quicker.

It's important to make sure we get the education we are paying for.

Aaron Friedland

CU student