Full disclaimer: I'm a fan of the Columbia Core model. I believe that there are things that people ought to know. But that's not why I'm defending the distribution requirements. If their goal were to ensure that we all knew how the United Nations works (or, at the very least, who the five permanent members of the Security Council are), then the distribution requirements would be a massive failure. An analysis of the distribution requirements, however, shows that this cannot be their purpose, but rather that their first goal is to get us thinking in different ways.
Distribution requirements don't force us to trudge through boring classes where we're expected to memorize boring formulas or dates; they present us with new ways of tackling problems, and, if we are really lucky, we can serendipitously find new passions. If I hadn't been thinking of fulfilling my HA requirement, I probably wouldn't have taken HIS 365: Europe in the 20th Century, and then I never would have rediscovered the ardent love I feel for history.
Of course, some people come to Princeton having already discovered their passion; they won't change their hearts, and they don't need to take classes in different areas to find their loves. This does not mean, however, that branching out is pointless. Just because I really like studying history doesn't mean that it's the only thing I want to or should study. I'd hate to be "That Guy" with only one conversation topic. Furthermore, branching out can help me better understand (and even enjoy) history. Studying economics (SA), French literature (LA), technological advances (ST) and even Augustinian theology (EM) has given my understanding of the World Wars a much deeper (and more interesting) meaning.
I'll be the first to admit that the distribution requirements need some serious tweaking - the worst courses I've taken at Princeton have been courses I've taken just to fulfill a requirement. The courses weren't bad because they fulfilled distribution requirement X, however, but because they were bad courses. If I had waited or picked my classes more carefully, I would have found courses in those fields that were not only useful, but also interesting and even exhilarating.
The distribution requirements allow us a tremendous amount of freedom, especially compared to a core model. You needn't take a history course to get out of an HA or a science course to get out of an ST. Princeton offers enough courses and the distribution requirements are vague enough that a diligent and creative Princeton student armed with four Pass/D/Fail options need never take a bad course with patience, research and planning.
Look for courses that are genuinely interesting. Remember that not all courses are offered every year. If you really hate a particular distribution requirement, look through course offerings from years past to get an idea of what courses might be interesting but aren't being taught this year. Ask your friends for course recommendations and use the Student Course Guide to avoid universally disliked professors. I've found that taking the least unappealing courseoffered just because I wanted to get rid of a certain distribution requirement that semester is generally a pointlessly bad idea.
In any case, Princeton's educational goal is not to breed masters in one discipline any more than it is to make Renaissance men. Not only is that not the point of a liberal arts education, but it's also not really the point of any undergraduate school. College isn't a sleep-away camp for exploring your hobbies any more than it is graduate school. Even without the distribution requirements, students would still be forced to branch outside of their majors because of the Rule of 8 and 12, which state that students can take no fewer than eight but no more than 12 courses in their department. Diversification is deeply engrained into the nature of the University - as it should be.
Martha Vega-Gonzalez is a history major from New York, N.Y. She can be reached at mvega@princeton.edu.
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