No more history majors...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is picking or not picking a major based on ideology. They pick majors based on headlines of who is getting a job.

Once more…the subtext to this entire thread is studying history is fine if you go to a top 20 school. Even then, many people mention law school…again, a luxury most kids don’t have (or want).

Even the people with history kids at top schools would likely discourage their kid from studying history at say Auburn. You would recognize that’s not the same as history at Princeton.

I’m not sure that’s true. We just heard at orientation from the career counseling office that they’re having trouble placing CS majors.

what college was this? the top schools are all still placing fine in CS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

Kids today learn a much more diverse and accurate history lesson. No reason to extend it to a degree, really.

I don’t know where to begin with you except by your comment you clearly weren’t a history major.

Nope history minor-couldn't commit to a thesis. But, if you at all have a decent high school, the kids are learning a much more diverse history than anyone a generation back. I didn't learn much "new" in my minor courses, just different fun facts that aren't grand picture knowledge points you need to know. Obviously different story for non-American studies and Native Studies.

DP. Your position doesn't make much sense. Like any subject, you could stop at HS level or pursue a higher level of specificity, research methods and analysis.

I had to do research methods in high school history, but that’s just a high school dependent practice. I even had a senior thesis for my high school.

It's not the same academic tier. You could say that for any subject.

It was. Do tell me more about my own experience though

No one needs to. Your HS class is not the equivalent of an upper level undergrad course. My kid took Complex Analysis in HS. Great course. Not the equivalent of college level. Same is true of any course offered at HS level. If it is not a lower or intro level college equivalent, it is not college equivalent. You think you did it all in HS because you did a HS course of the same name and a HS thesis. These are not the same in university.

[Anonymous]

Well, the parents on this site are partly driving that train.

Saying that the purpose of college is “ROI” vs getting a quality education.

Some even think joining a fraternity is the key advice to give your sons, so they can exploit the “old boy network”

Yeah, the values are pretty repellent.

[Anonymous]

Well red states now want to censor history, for political purposes .

So if you value history or truth, vote for Harris.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-06-27/book-bans-critical-race-theory-wisconsin

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/590554-bill-to-ban-lessons-making-white-students-feel-discomfort-advances-in/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to increase the number of history majors is to stop teaching race/class/gender/labor-based America-hating Left-wing drivel, but the history departments refuse to do that, so let them all sink into oblivion as they deserve.

Hey, you seem really passionate in this. Can you show one history department that exclusive teaches race/class/gender/labor-based American...drivel? That's also a lot of groups to say "those histories don't matter to" and I'm not sure if your interpretation of history is just Constitutional law and White American studies?

Also students are the ones most interested in class/gender/race, etc. English faculty would jump to the sky if kids had any interest in old dead white rich dudes.

History is less popular now that people know more about what actually happened. It's not fun anymore.

Kids today learn a much more diverse and accurate history lesson. No reason to extend it to a degree, really.

I don’t know where to begin with you except by your comment you clearly weren’t a history major.

Nope history minor-couldn't commit to a thesis. But, if you at all have a decent high school, the kids are learning a much more diverse history than anyone a generation back. I didn't learn much "new" in my minor courses, just different fun facts that aren't grand picture knowledge points you need to know. Obviously different story for non-American studies and Native Studies.

DP. Your position doesn't make much sense. Like any subject, you could stop at HS level or pursue a higher level of specificity, research methods and analysis.

I had to do research methods in high school history, but that’s just a high school dependent practice. I even had a senior thesis for my high school.

It's not the same academic tier. You could say that for any subject.

It was. Do tell me more about my own experience though

No one needs to. Your HS class is not the equivalent of an upper level undergrad course. My kid took Complex Analysis in HS. Great course. Not the equivalent of college level. Same is true of any course offered at HS level. If it is not a lower or intro level college equivalent, it is not college equivalent. You think you did it all in HS because you did a HS course of the same name and a HS thesis. These are not the same in university.

Something tells me mathematics and history are pretty different fields to compare?

You can teach math in a very quantitative, number crunch way that doesn’t really have the same translation in history- reading books without thinking???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

DP. Neither of my history major grads attended law or business school. They now work within the IC. It's kind of funny how some of you have absolutely no clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is picking or not picking a major based on ideology. They pick majors based on headlines of who is getting a job.

Once more…the subtext to this entire thread is studying history is fine if you go to a top 20 school. Even then, many people mention law school…again, a luxury most kids don’t have (or want).

Even the people with history kids at top schools would likely discourage their kid from studying history at say Auburn. You would recognize that’s not the same as history at Princeton.

I’m not sure that’s true. We just heard at orientation from the career counseling office that they’re having trouble placing CS majors.

what college was this? the top schools are all still placing fine in CS.

That’s known everywhere. There’s a glut of CS majors these days. Plus a lot of tech lines to hire kids with other humanities or Econ majors. Spouse is a tech consultant that was an international relations major from a T10 school- picked up by a consultancy firm right out of college.

The Chinese are all going into communications majors as of late. That should tell you something write there. AI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colleges have tried championing the importance of spending four years and six figures on the liberal arts. 99% of students aren't buying it.

You think only 1% of current college students are majoring in one of the liberal arts?

[Anonymous]

My Hopkins doctor sister could not score above a 3 on any history AP exam. Found history to be hard.

My sons are equally smart in math/science and humanities/english/history, etc. They scored 5s on every single AP exam (all subjects).

They happen to like history the most. Even finding physics and chem and calc “easy”. My oldest is going a history/international affairs route at an Ivy. He had a Jesuit high school experience.

I am a woman with a an undergrad in biochemistry and pHD in Molecular biology/immunology. I’m 100% confident my kids are going to find lucrative work with a history degree. My nephew was hired in finance after graduation this spring…with a history degree, Econ minor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is picking or not picking a major based on ideology. They pick majors based on headlines of who is getting a job.

Once more…the subtext to this entire thread is studying history is fine if you go to a top 20 school. Even then, many people mention law school…again, a luxury most kids don’t have (or want).

Even the people with history kids at top schools would likely discourage their kid from studying history at say Auburn. You would recognize that’s not the same as history at Princeton.

Very true. -parent of a history major at a t10 who got a top internship this summer that selects almost exclusively from similar majors from top universities, with a spot or two reserved for less-known universities.

It’s why we are full pay at an Ivy —-if my kid were stem- I’d send him in-state. As a history/policy major T10 is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a history degree, loved my classes and still value the research, study and writing skills I learned. But, I had no help from my college translating the degree/skills to the workplace. It was depressing. I discouraged my kids from majoring in history. I'd be all for it as a 2nd BA. Maybe open curriculum and encouraging students to double major across fields is the way forward. Or better career advising and alum networks.

100% correct.

Need to attend law school or business school in order to be desired by employers.

The CIA heavily recruits history majors at my kid’s non- ivy school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Hopkins doctor sister could not score above a 3 on any history AP exam. Found history to be hard.

My sons are equally smart in math/science and humanities/english/history, etc. They scored 5s on every single AP exam (all subjects).

They happen to like history the most. Even finding physics and chem and calc “easy”. My oldest is going a history/international affairs route at an Ivy. He had a Jesuit high school experience.

I am a woman with a an undergrad in biochemistry and pHD in Molecular biology/immunology. I’m 100% confident my kids are going to find lucrative work with a history degree. My nephew was hired in finance after graduation this spring…with a history degree, Econ minor.

I don’t know why you are 100% confident, unless you have job connections.

Most history majors even from top schools don’t get lucrative jobs. I assume your nephew knows plenty of his fellow history majors not getting lucrative jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is picking or not picking a major based on ideology. They pick majors based on headlines of who is getting a job.

Once more…the subtext to this entire thread is studying history is fine if you go to a top 20 school. Even then, many people mention law school…again, a luxury most kids don’t have (or want).

Even the people with history kids at top schools would likely discourage their kid from studying history at say Auburn. You would recognize that’s not the same as history at Princeton.

I’m not sure that’s true. We just heard at orientation from the career counseling office that they’re having trouble placing CS majors.

History majors who are not going on to grad schools would have an even harder time finding a good paying job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colleges have tried championing the importance of spending four years and six figures on the liberal arts. 99% of students aren't buying it.

Off on this one a bit. Rich kids are and they will be the only ones who can function in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is picking or not picking a major based on ideology. They pick majors based on headlines of who is getting a job.

Once more…the subtext to this entire thread is studying history is fine if you go to a top 20 school. Even then, many people mention law school…again, a luxury most kids don’t have (or want).

Even the people with history kids at top schools would likely discourage their kid from studying history at say Auburn. You would recognize that’s not the same as history at Princeton.

I’m not sure that’s true. We just heard at orientation from the career counseling office that they’re having trouble placing CS majors.

History majors who are not going on to grad schools would have an even harder time finding a good paying job.

Who cares about the data and sources LOL