What's the deal with required classes for college?

I'm starting to think about college, and I'm trying to understand what kind of classes are typically required once you get there. Do all colleges have a standard set of required courses, or does it vary a lot based on the major you choose?

I know some schools have core curriculums, but I'm curious about how flexible these are and how much freedom you usually get to pick classes that genuinely interest you. Any insights on how to plan ahead or what to expect when meeting college course requirements would be great!

Most colleges and universities have a set of general education requirements that all students, regardless of their major, must fulfill. These requirements often cover a variety of academic disciplines to ensure students get a well-rounded education.

The specific classes within those general requirements can vary quite a bit from school to school. Some colleges have a core curriculum, where everyone takes the same set of courses, or similar ones, regardless of their major. Other schools have more flexible general education requirements, where you have a certain number of courses to take in each broad area (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, etc.), but can choose from a wide array of classes.

For example, a college may require you to complete two courses in the humanities, two in the natural sciences, and two in the social sciences. These could be courses on literature, biology, and psychology, or they could be something else entirely, depending on what the college offers and what interests you.

Once you've met the general education requirements, the rest of your course requirements typically depend on your major. Many majors have prerequisite courses that students must take, followed by more specialized upper-level courses that delve deeper into the subject. Planning out these courses can be tricky, since some must be taken in a certain order.

My best advice would be to research the general education and major requirements ahead of time at any colleges you're considering. This way, not only will you have a sense of what to expect, but you'll also be able to gauge how much flexibility you'll have to explore subjects that interest you. Beyond required courses, you often also have elective credits which give you the freedom to take some classes purely out of interest. So, you do get quite a bit of freedom to choose classes which genuinely interest you.