Opinion Board | Freedom to explore

Students shouldn't have to jump hurdles to balance the classes they want with the credits they need.

But certain policies, like the College's cap on credit for outside courses, only complicate the scheduling process.

Along with their majors, College students take around 20 classes to fulfill General Education and elective requirements. Currently, administrators cap the number of non-College classes that students can count toward graduation at four. This means that while College students can certainly take more than four classes outside the school, only four count.

Many faculty members support the cap because they believe it reinforces the broad liberal-arts education that College students receive. But while administrators undoubtedly have good intentions, the reality is that the four-course limit inconveniences students looking to take advantage of all that Penn has to offer.

The restriction especially becomes a problem when College students pursue inter-school minors, like Nutrition. In these cases, students have to take six or seven courses required for the minor, sometimes pushing them over the cap. That means they also have to take extra classes to compensate for the ones that won't count for graduation.

More importantly though, the limit undermines the "One University" policy that makes a Penn education so unique. Allowing only four non-College classes to count discourages students from exploring other fields, like engineering or design.

The answer? Raise the limit or eliminate it entirely. Administrators will still be able to ensure that students are getting a well-rounded education, because they'll still determine which liberal-arts classes fulfill the General Education requirements.

Because above all, Penn prides itself on presenting students with Ben Franklin's time-honored recipe for education: broad liberal-arts, mixed with practical real-world applications.

And allowing students to explore different subjects - in different schools - proves essential to achieving that mix.

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