I believe that there is an ongoing list of things that students should learn in college whether it is going to prepare them for their specific area of study or for life in general. There are lots of things that college students are required to do throughout their time in college. One of these requirements is that students must take many prerequisites, mostly in their first two years. During this time students take many different classes that they may not think apply to their major and they will probably be annoyed that they have to “waste” their time on classes they don’t think are important. Nussbaum reminds us that “instead of entering college/university to study a single subject, students are required to take a wide range of courses in their first two years, prominently including courses in the humanities.” (Nussbaum “Education for Profit, Education for Democracy”). Nussbaum claims that “we have a liberal arts model of university education” (Nussbaum “Education for Profit, Education for Democracy”). I believe that Nussbaum is saying that the prerequisite classes are like the liberal arts because you are thrown into a little bit of everything. I think the idea of these prerequisites is just like thinking of them as the liberal arts, which can help you in life but also within your specific major. It can help in your major and to one day get a job. According to “A 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three quarters of our nation’s employers recommended that college bound students pursue a “liberal education”” (Ungar, “7 Major Misperceptions About the Liberal Arts”). This tells college bound students that their future employers are looking for the liberal arts education meaning those prerequisites may not be a waste of time. 

Another important thing for students to learn in college is about the five essential areas of learning within the Degree of Qualifications Profile. The DQP includes these essential areas of learning which are specialized knowledge, broad and integrative knowledge, intellectual skills, applied and collaborative learning, and civic and global learning. Each of these categories gives a description of what it is and that essentially shows why it is important for college students to learn. For an example, within intellectual skills the writers insist that “The DQP describes a set of proficiencies basic to evidence based reasoning across fields of study, including: analytic inquiry and operations, use of information resources, engaging diverse perspectives, ethical reasoning, quantitative fluency and communicative fluency.” (DQP 12). I believe these are all things that can easily be applied to a student’s specific area of study but also to life in general.