i appreciated it but i would have appreciated it more if college was free lol. exposing students to topics outside their main interest can keep them from getting too laser focused on one thing (see the tech nerds that don't know or care at all about ethics or really anything outside of silicon valley) and can show them things that become lifelong interests or may help them decide what they want to study if they go in undecided. i learned a lot in my general elective classes. i learned about the basics of marxism in a film studies class for example.