Oh Captain My Captain
Robin Williams

^^ Not that everyone wants to go to medical school, especially now. But college major is not destiny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL majored in history and now works in IT. Most people who go to college graduate with a liberal arts major.

But if he did CS he’d be better at his job and earn more money.

DP. Not necessarily.

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

What do you think the major with the highest success rate is for medical schools overall?

And what social class do you think those med school admits and their parents belong to? Come on now.

Your implication is wrong. It's not all wealthy elites.

I grew up without indoor plumbing, majored in philosophy on scholarship, completed a combined grad/med degree, and am working very happily as a physician. I've stayed in touch with many people from my medical school (a combined degree program, half of which were majors in humanities or liberal arts), and we are all quite happy with the routes we took.

Humanities degrees have a very comparable med school acceptance rate to the physical sciences, some much higher. Philosophy is rare (about 0.5% of applications) but has an over 50% acceptance rate, while biology is usually 37-39%.

It's not easy. You still have to fill the prerequisites and take the MCAT. But just having a humanities or liberal arts degree does not determine what can be done with it.

Creators make bank. I’m happy to have my kid go for it in a creative profession,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was raised middle class, majored in a foreign language at a school I went to on scholarship, and now I make 500K (big law).

But the point of college isn’t social mobility or making lots of money. Yes you need a job but there is so much more to it.

Only the wealthy say shit like this. For everyone else, the main point of college is social mobility. Sure, the other factors are nice, but they’re an afterthought. Shit like this is how you get underemployed Harvard grads. Embarrassing.

I don’t know any middle or upper middle class people who would say the main point of college is for something other than getting a job or going to grad school.

Social mobility is not the same thing as getting a job.

Yes a lot of people, especially people who didn’t go to college and struggle financially, are hoping their kids will enter a higher socioeconomic status and that’s why they push hard for college. But not everybody is looking to climb the ladder. Lots of kids who were raised middle class are okay with remaining middle class.

And these thoughts are not why you get unemployed Harvard grads. You get unemployed Harvard grads in part because people assumed that a fancy degree = a good paycheck. It has nothing to do with whether or not the purpose of a degree is social mobility.

My parents are not rich. I majored in humanities. I am making bank. So are many others I know.

Here's the reason. They are secure in their ability for their children to do well based on their talents. They don't have to hide behind what's printed on a piece of paper. Unlike your kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As opposed to what?

Before you answer STEM - every pre-med student I knew hates their life right now because they realized they locked themselves into a profession that literally can never WFH. They've been deemed 'essential' the entire pandemic and have dealt with the worst death wave in U.S. history in over a century. In addition to dealing with the idiots of the general public every day.

Wouldn't trade places with them for the world.

- signed a humanities degree making mid-six figures with an assets portfolio over $1 million at 34

I bet you’re from a wealthy and well connected family. So this doesn’t apply to you.

No. I'm not. Strictly middle class. Never left the country or my local region before the age of 20. Took out student loans for undergrad because my parents couldn't afford full-pay.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL majored in history and now works in IT. Most people who go to college graduate with a liberal arts major.

But if he did CS he’d be better at his job and earn more money.

Okay but then he would have had to major in computer science. History is way cooler than computer science for somebody who actually wants to major in history, and it serves you well your entire life (as long as you aren’t dead set on getting a job in history).

(New poster by the way)

Press X to doubt

My kids will not major in humanities, but I would have no problem if they did. I grew up on very little and can live on very little. I plan to leave a lot of money to my children after I die. I'm middle class no,w but not for long and definitely not in 30 years.
More than making a lot of money, I want them to enjoy their work, and maybe be able to work a little longer because of the love for work. The high income jobs often seem to be stressful. We have social mobility. It doesn't always come with earning a lot, but saving and investing it.

WHY again with this?

Anonymous wrote:As opposed to what?

Before you answer STEM - every pre-med student I knew hates their life right now because they realized they locked themselves into a profession that literally can never WFH. They've been deemed 'essential' the entire pandemic and have dealt with the worst death wave in U.S. history in over a century. In addition to dealing with the idiots of the general public every day.

Wouldn't trade places with them for the world.

- signed a humanities degree making mid-six figures with an assets portfolio over $1 million at 34

I bet you’re from a wealthy and well connected family. So this doesn’t apply to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't there a whole thread on this recently? Must it be rehashed again? 1. Education has inherent value. 2. You can support yourself having earned a degree in humanities and most professions require a grad degree now anyway. Signed, formerly middle class French major who is now a 1% biglaw attorney.

Law is a dying profession.

LOL

Tell that to the bankruptcy and securities law corporations making money hand over fist last year.

- NP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My BIL majored in history and now works in IT. Most people who go to college graduate with a liberal arts major.

But if he did CS he’d be better at his job and earn more money.

Okay but then he would have had to major in computer science. History is way cooler than computer science for somebody who actually wants to major in history, and it serves you well your entire life (as long as you aren’t dead set on getting a job in history).

(New poster by the way)