LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The A-G requirements are designed to provide students with rigorous courses that will prepare them for a University of California or a California State University, as well as teach skills and problem-solving for life after graduation.

As students check off another year of required classes completed, many wonder whether these requirements are reasonable and why others aren’t required. Some students wonder why classes a fine art and foreign languages are required instead of classes like financial literacy and home economics. 

“I do think that students should be intentional before taking all these requirements. They should decide what it is they want to do for the future,” said Los Alamitos High School counseling intern Ms. Torres. 

California students are required to take two semesters of a fine art and finish with a C or higher to graduate from high school and complete the A-Gs. However, it can be difficult for students to fit a fine art elective into an already busy schedule.

UCs claim that fine art credit allows students to gain knowledge of the arts so they can learn to appreciate its value.

“Engagement in the arts includes the creative process of persisting, envisioning, observing, analyzing, reflecting and exploring new ways of working or thinking,” says the UC A-G policy resource guide.

Many students in art classes worry that it can be stressful when they have to focus on the perfection of their work in order to receive a good grade.

“The art courses in high school, while a great opportunity for exploring new hobbies, are less than ideal because instead of it being a way for a student to express themselves, it’s put in as a graded assignment,” said LAHS sophomore Isabella Chen.

Some students may also see art as a way to relax and take a break from a non-academic class. Art can provide an opportunity for students to socialize and explore their creative techniques in ways non-academic courses don’t offer. 

“I think art is a really fun class to take because you get to come in, let your mind go and draw or paint whatever you want on a piece of paper. I think it should be a fine art requirement not because it is useful or not useful, but because it really helps you relax and not have to stress about anything,” said drawing and painting student Ayelet Franco, freshman.

Classes like financial literacy and home economics are not required for California high school students. The number of home economics classes has started to dwindle at many schools. There are no requirements to take classes such as financial literacy or home economics, which are not typically not offered at most California high schools. Home economic classes have declined by 38%, according to a study conducted by the Werhen Scholarship. 

“I took home economics at McAuliffe in 1993. We learned how to sew and cook fairly easy recipes. I found the class to be enjoyable,” said a former LAHS student, Ashley Janis.

Mrs. Loggins, a finite math and geometry teacher at LAHS, said that she took home economics in high school and remembers how she enjoyed making a bunny cake for Easter.

Many students have also noticed that California doesn’t require students to take financial literacy. According to a survey conducted by CEE, only 35 states require high school students to take a course in personal finance to graduate.

California students are required to take one semester of economics to graduate high school because economics teaches students to understand their money in the scope of the economy. Financial literacy teaches students how to manage their own money and create personal goals. 

Although classes such as math and science are useful for understanding the world around us, are they useful when they begin to reach a more advanced level? Someone who is an English major is not likely to need four years of math up to calculus, yet it could affect their college applications. 

The A-Gs can put unnecessary pressure on students to take classes that may not be relevant to their intended majors and could cause them to add classes into their schedule that end up taking away from their other passions.