Ryan Binchei

ueneial Euucation ieflection

1u414

ueneial Euucation Electives, you heai about them going into college, "uen
Eu's aie the woist". Bue to this geneial attituue I uiun't have the highest
expectations about the geneial euucation component of my uegiee heie at Iowa
State when I fiist aiiiveu. That feeling uiun't last long; thiough out my foui yeais
heie at Iowa State I have hau my geneial euucation classes help to foim my
solutions to engineeiing pioblems anu to see the woilu outsiue of engineeiing.
Theie aie many things outsiue of engineeiing that must be consiueieu when
attempting to solve a pioblem. This isn't just tiue foi engineeiing; many pioblems
iequiie you to think outsiue of the situation of youi pioblem. In my 0.S. Nilitaiy
Bistoiy couise I have seen the effects of only consiueiing pait of a pioblem, oi not
fully consiueiing the consequences of youi solution completely, it was things like
that, that have been the cause of many of the eailiest conflicts in Ameiican Bistoiy.
While not seeing the whole pioblem oi the consequences of a solution in
engineeiing most likely will not leau to a wai it is still veiy impoitant to consiuei
economic impacts as well as any possible cultuial impact. In auuition to my 0.S.
militaiy class I took an Ameiican Inuian Stuuies class, this class helpeu me to see
theie is moie then one siue to eveiy stoiy, oi also moie then one solution to eveiy
pioblem.
It is this iealization that not eveiy pioblem has only one solution, which has
helpeu me to look at engineeiing pioblems in new ways anu helps me to come up
with solutions beyonu just the technical aspects of a solution. Ny Woilu Religions
class helpeu me to also see that uiffeient cultuies have uiffeient piactices, this can
be impoitant when woiking with engineeis fiom othei countiies so as to make suie
one uoesn't acciuentally insult a co-woikei. 0vei the yeais heie I have accomplisheu
many of my goals.
I still have many goals both foi the shoit teim anu the long teim. It is these
goals, which I stiive to accomplish as I finish my final yeai of college anu pioceeu
into life aftei school. Shoit-teim goals incluue figuiing out what to uo aftei
giauuation, as well as to obtain a job anu finu things to uo wheievei I enu up. Long-
teim goals woulu incluue uoing something that helps society, what exactly I know
not. While I may not know all of my long-teim goals I uo know that the geneial
euucation classes I took while heie have helpeu me leain moie about being an
engineei.
I may have come into college with uistaste foi geneial euucation classes, but I
leave with an appieciation foi the knowleuge anu peispective that they have
pioviueu me, the ability to see all siues of a pioblem anu consiuei moie then one
solution.