[offtopic]
well that may be but this still doesnt change that you are forced to work with their tools. i for myself have a course where we have to use a certain windows software that is 1. not free and 2. only runs on windows (while maybe 10% of the class use Redmonds OS). so your class has a similar problem. you want to do something and need a development base. choosing other software is not the point of my concern. the deal is that they just put you there and tell you what to do. imo that is not what a university education should look like.