<p>yes, please do find actual studies.</p>
<p>i can’t say anything about grade inflation in math/science vs soc sci/humanities courses, except that it seems to be inevitable since grading is generally much more objective.
that’s also one of the many reasons why my number one pick for transferring is a school known for its grade deflation in all subjects.</p>
<p>well alipes07, i genuinely feel that people on my half of the discipline spectrum make a more meaningful contribution. so now what? it’s just an opinion.
i refuse to reply on this thread again unless russell07 brings back some legitimate sources to back up his claims.</p>
<p>I’m not going to dig around for the studies, because I just tried and I don’t know if I’ll be able to find them again. But if you think that a University is going to post bogus information just for the hell of it, well… that’s just being petty.</p>
<p>LAC, those ARE legitimate sources. They’re universities, not some geocities website, and unless you want to find better information, proving your point that the rigor is equal, it’s pretty pointless to argue.</p>
<p>If you don’t consider them legitimate, why don’t you check out some of the 88 articles/studies cited in the second link, which I’m sure contain the primary information.</p>
<p>These last few posts are possibly the most depressing things I’ve seen this week. The only thing this argument is doing is making people on both sides look bad.</p>
<p>Dorian, we’re just having a debate over academic rigor; it’s not really a big deal. If that’s too depressing for you, well, I don’t know what to say.</p>
<p>Wow. This thread has certainly devolved. I shall lighten the mood with a a little Avenue Q music:</p>
<p>What do you do with a B.A. in English,
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree.</p>
<p>I can’t pay the bills yet,
'Cause I have no skills yet,
The world is a big scary place.</p>
<p>But somehow I can’t shake,
The feeling I might make,
A difference,
To the human race.</p>
<p>Finance major. What I ALWAYS get is: “Oh, so you just wanna make big bucks”. I guess people don’t understand that some people go to business school because they actually LIKE the environment of a business world, and it has nothing to do with the money (although that’s a nice added bonus).</p>
<p>“I guess people don’t understand that some people go to business school because they actually LIKE the environment of a business world, and it has nothing to do with the money (although that’s a nice added bonus).”</p>
<p>No, most people just understand that’s why a majority of people go into things like finance.</p>
<p>“No, most people just understand that’s why a majority of people go into things like finance.”</p>
<p>And making it a stereotype. Maybe a lot of people go for the money, I don’t. So when people make that assumption, and when I describe investment banking to them, all they can say is “so you want to make money”, which of course everyone does, but my love for the career has really to do with much more than the money.</p>
<p>of course, i don’t reallly know if these stereotypes are true, cause i haven’t tried to go out in the real world with these majors. i mean, i even tried engineering, and it got so much more respect. people were like, wow, you’re gonna make lotsa money, that’s great. but it’s not for me, and their comments just totally flipped. i just dislike the stereotypes. makes me scared to try other things.</p>
<p>Most people - and by most people, I mean people who don’t come to places like the CC forums - have terrible stereotypes about (other) majors.</p>
<p>I was talking with an aerospace engineering major the other day only to discover that subjects like industrial engineering, physics, and computer science were “looked down” upon by people in engineering majors like electrical, mechanical, aerospace, chemical, etc. engineering. I was baffled by this, as I would generally have been tempted to think otherwise, but that’s that.</p>
<p>Still, I think a study would be in order… of opinions, rather than facts. Maybe we could start a poll? For instance, everybody could rate the following broad areas in terms of difficulty / rigor / prestige / etc.:</p>
<p>Physical Sciences - to include Mathematics, Physics, Computer science, Chemistry, etc.</p>
<p>Engineering - to include the major engineering disciplines (electrical, mechanical, chemical, etc.)</p>
<p>Natural / Life sciences - to include other “pure” sciences like biology, medicine, etc.</p>
<p>Social Sciences - Pscyhology, sociology, anthropology, etc.</p>
<p>Liberal arts - english, history, philosophy, foreign languages, etc.</p>
<p>Fine arts - music, art, performance</p>
<p>My list would be in the order I gave the categories. Prejudices, yes, but that’s the point. Let’s have the lists, gentlemen. Also, if I forgot a category, please add it.</p>
<p>My list is about the same as yours, csprof, but I’d put fine arts about social sciences. It’s not that I don’t respect people who are serious about those lower disciplines, It’s just that I don’t respect many of those I know in those majors.</p>
<p>i think philosophy belongs in the social sciences.
you’re leaving out business also.</p>
<p>My list is Physical Sciences… and it can end there for all I’m worried ;)</p>
<p>Im not really bothered by the stereotypes about my major. Im finance.</p>
<p>All the adults i encounter say “good for you”; the only negative people are the stuck up engineering majors who feel the need to constantly proclaim how much harder their major is compared to everyone else’s.</p>
<p>Typical convo.</p>
<p>“So whats your major?”
:err…Bioengineering and Japanese studies minor:
“Oh…”
:…:
“So a Bioengineer is a real title? wow…what do you do?”
:Uhh yea…well, I want to continue with research and create algorithms that can help model the small processes in the body:
“Oh…soo…are you the only white girl in your Japanese classes??”
what?! -_-</p>
<p>I’m a communication studies major with an emphasis in film and media production. It’s not useless. I have no desire to go into engineering, medicine, business, or anything science related. I would like to go into the film industry. Honestly, I’m not saying the classes are as difficult as chemistry for example, but to say it (and many other majors) is uselss is ridiculous. Without the classes I’m taking in college, I wouldn’t have production skills, or screenwriting skills. I wouldn’t be competitive in the industry. Plus, I think I’ll face more competition when I get out into the real world and with no education or internships, I’d be absolutely screwed.</p>
<p>And in regards to meaningful contributions to life, where would the world be with only science majors? There would be no one to make policies, run countries, do good for others, provide entertainment, etc. All of which help to create a “meaningful” existence.</p>
<p>Difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. I know many theatre majors whose classes might not be difficult in the conventional sense of regurgitation, but who work on productions until 4 in the morning for days on end, get up for 8 am classes, and do it all over again. They have to stage manage or direct major productions with dozens of people and hundreds of audience members to hold them accountable. That’s not easy. </p>
<p>So, I don’t think it’s fair to make a list like this - since no one is all of these majors, it’s really just a matter of conjecture as to what actually happens in the other majors.</p>
<p>I’m an Economics major, and people think 1) I want to go into business 2) I’m money-grubbing. While the latter may be true, I have no intention of working in business.</p>
<p>As the product of two very science-oriented parents, I can say that yeah it sucks that most people disrespect non-engineering, non-math, non-physics majors. At my university my engineering friends tell me that they look down on biology/pre-med students because they are “stupid.”</p>
<p>Apparently the only majors that “matter” to many are engineering, physics, math, and maybe chemistry.</p>
<p>^ Engineers are just bitter because they envy humanities’ majors social lives (and social skills =P).</p>