Isabella P
IELTS writing task 2 answer (18) (specialist vs. generalist) Question: "University students always focus on one specialist subject, but some people think universities should encourage their students to study a range of subjects in addition to their own subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?" Answer: Whether it is necessary for college students to study a number of subjects or one subject only is a controversial issue. I believe that one should consider his/her personal interests and employers’ requirements when deciding the number of subjects to learn. It is true that acquiring a wider range of skills and knowledge is beneficial to students aiming at fields of professions related to interpersonal communication. These types of jobs emphasise the ability to communicate with other people effectively either to sell products or to manage human resources. For example, if a marketing student is familiar with psychology and various subjects that may interest target customers, it will give him/her a significant competitive edge when selling products. On the other hand, for subjects that require learners’ commitment for many years, students need to focus on one area of specialism. Only in this way, they can concentrate their efforts on a specific area and seek to become professionals. This types of professions are normally related to science, which are nowadays increasingly in need of qualified personnel. If there are job vacancies for researchers of biochemistry, whether job applicants studied accounting is not a matter of importance. Students aiming at other common careers should acquire a certain range of knowledge while still giving importance to their majors. For majority of college students, it is beneficial to be a little of both specialist and generalist. That means, instead of doing everything mediocre or just providing employers service in one particular field, one should possess acceptable depth of experience in one area and also some knowledge about related subjects. This makes them more competitive. In conclusion, I believe students can decide on the number of subjects with their own career interests and personal needs taken into account.
Jul 31, 2014 3:35 AM