hmmm well I don’t think that there are pros and cons to EVERYTHING, but I did do some serious study of educational philosophy in college, and there are definitely pros and cons to THIS.
@halflokum , you know how you just knew your son might actually like micro even though he didn’t know it? I have those insights into and inklings about my kids, too. So, I find ways to introduce subjects to them and/or encourage them to explore them a bit. Sometimes they stick (and they delve into them), sometimes they don’t, and sometimes the seed is planted for later. All responses are valid to me and fine by me, which is a different educational philosophy than many are used to, I know. (As I’ve said, I used to be a teacher.)
Also, interests are discovered in enriched environments through exposure to a wide variety of topics, ideas, places, people, etc. (As an aside: do they always initially want to go to all of these places, etc.? Most of the time, mine do, except one who does not always. But, he/she often does because it’s just what the family is doing, or because he/she knows it often ends up being okay, or because he/she reasons it’s better than sitting at home. And, while there–wherever it may be–, each child/teen, regardless of whether he/she really wanted to go, inevitably finds something which excites him/her. That leads to learning more about the subject.)
Plus, even if the kids/teens were left in a vacuum, you may be amazed at how one of their interests leads to another to another to another… That whole rabbit hole idea (going down a winding exploratory path with offshoots and connections)…
Whichever way it happens, kids/teens with interest-based educations have many, “hey, this is actually pretty cool” aha moments. It’s a joy to watch, just as it’s a joy to see your kids when it’s happened to them. And, all of the people I know who have an interest-based educational background have a wide variety of interests, many of them deep. (It’s that way with my own kids/teens, too.) That’s not a unique feature of homeschooled people, I know, but I just thought I’d point it out.
We refer to those kind of activities as the “triple Fs” (forced family fun.)
On the other hand, some MT kids inquire about GenEds because they love “academic” type classes and want a university opportunity to be taught those subjects by some of the best in the business in addition to great MT trainng. 
This is a bit off subject but an interesting article regarding AP classes…http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/ap-classes-are-a-scam/263456/
There are students who choose less academic institutions because they really like the MT program and the training they will get. This does not mean they are not interested in learning about other subjects. Most continue to be great students and life long learners. Their learning does not necessarily have to be in a classroom. They visit museums, participate in other organizations in their interest area, they travel, they may go to grad school, they talk to interesting people, they read, they watch tv and movies, etc… And be aware, some of the schools whose academics are rated lower on the totem pole still have some amazing faculty who prefer to teach in a smaller, less stressful setting.
This is also true of taking AP and DE classes in high school. In our public school system, the student must pay for these tests and classes. DE classes cost hundreds of dollars. That is not something many wish to do when they are uncertain where they will be going to college and whether those credits will transfer. it is perfectly ok to enter college without any college credits. You can still graduate in 4 years and get the degree you seek. If you feel the added pressure, cost and stress of AP or DE classes is not for you, that’s perfectly ok. You can still be a stellar student and still be an interested learner. We need to not assume that because one doesn’t take these classes that they are not smart or not interested in learning. It may just be the best choice for them personally at that time.
As with all things in life, there is no one answer. If you want to solely focus on MT during college, there are programs that do that. If you want a broader education and take a number of classes outside of MT, there are many programs that allow for that too. Neither choice is better nor wrong. And all choices have their associated pros and cons. Our job is to find the program and classes that best suit our student. And allow others to make their own choices. And everyone should be allowed to feel good about the choices they make.
Yes, yes, yes! Great post, @vvnstar !
@theaterwork - as an ap teacher and reader I can tell you that ap is FAR from a perfect system. Since I don’t believe there IS a way to create a “perfect” national system, I accepted this long ago. However I was surprised to read in the article you linked that I have been an accessory to fraud all these years…
Sorry @toowonderful not trying to offend anyone. Just thought it was an interesting read
No worries @theaterwork. The article raised many interesting (and valid) points.
It appears that Elon is on the high end of the spectrum of gen ed requirements, but as many have discussed on this thread, my D was able to place out of several with her AP credits. Kids who did not place out of language with AP or IB were also given the opportunity over the Summer to take a test and place out of the language requirement. D has had Spanish since elementary school, but changed to a performing arts school for her Senior year and could not fit AP Spanish into her schedule. She was thrilled to have this opportunity and even happier when she placed out! She also has several courses that complete gen ed requirements embedded in her MT curriculum, so that high number of gen eds is a little deceptive. One more thing, Elon has a 3 week Winter term in January that is a great opportunity to try something new or an opportunity to get one of those pesky gen eds out of the way in a short period of time!