Anonymous wrote:Late to this thread. Majors relying on heavy math skills tend to be least popular (and thus most employable later on). My personal theory is that it's because our system for teaching math in this country is really lacking, especially in the younger grades when building that first layer really matters most.

Think about your average elementary school teacher. Did she strike you as being very strong in math skills? Typically they're young women who go into it because they "love" kids, "hate" math, and actually admit to things like not being able to do fractions to save their lives

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why? Because some people believe that your undergraduate education should not simply be pre-professional training. It should be about learning to think critically, write lucidly, and engage with ideas outside your comfort zone. Students should choose fields of study -- not sources of potential earnings -- that interest and excite them.

I'm not paying 7-grand a year to go to one of the best schools in the world and come out unemployed. The idealistic days when university was simply to expand your mind passed 50 years ago. We do this for jobs. In this economy, unless you fall ass-backwards into cash, we need to do this to work, not to be enlightened.

Anonymous wrote:Because they are usually harder.

Anonymous wrote:Late to this thread. Majors relying on heavy math skills tend to be least popular (and thus most employable later on). My personal theory is that it's because our system for teaching math in this country is really lacking, especially in the younger grades when building that first layer really matters most.

Think about your average elementary school teacher. Did she strike you as being very strong in math skills? Typically they're young women who go into it because they "love" kids, "hate" math, and actually admit to things like not being able to do fractions to save their lives

Anonymous wrote:Why is the best-tasting food the most unhealthy?

Anonymous wrote:OP: I always wondered about the affectation of utilizing the word "cheers"as a sign off or when you say goodbye to someone in person. Ive noticed alot of State Department folks or those who travel internationally frequently do this like they're in some private club or something. I thought "cheers" was for clinking glasses and having a beer. Must be a Washington DC thing.....

Anonymous wrote:Why? Because some people believe that your undergraduate education should not simply be pre-professional training. It should be about learning to think critically, write lucidly, and engage with ideas outside your comfort zone. Students should choose fields of study -- not sources of potential earnings -- that interest and excite them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because they are usually harder.

Really? I was an English major and I distinctly recall helping the engineering/math/science/econ majors I met in my classes who couldn't write an essay about literature to save their lives. "Hard" is really defined by your own natural skills, and I think we can all agree that it takes all kinds to make the world go around. I have an advanced degree and am employed as a professional, by the way.

Hard science major here. Should I talk about the English majors I had to help with the basics of Rocks for Jocks? Except that doesn't mean anything. Some people are good at different things, so folks are going to need help with their areas of weakness. Doesn't mean I think I am smarter than my more liberal arts inclined friends, just that we have different strengths.

That said, I do think the math/hard science majors are harder, in the sense that they have a higher minimum bar in terms of requirements - more classes/more hours, etc. But that's just the minimum bar - I think it's equally hard to truly excel in other fields.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because they are usually harder.

Really? I was an English major and I distinctly recall helping the engineering/math/science/econ majors I met in my classes who couldn't write an essay about literature to save their lives. "Hard" is really defined by your own natural skills, and I think we can all agree that it takes all kinds to make the world go around. I have an advanced degree and am employed as a professional, by the way.

How many people need to "write an essay about literature" ever in real life? Maybe a NYT book reviewer?

The ability to write a good essay speaks to critical thinking and organizational skills that are necessary for success in any profession - even the sciences. You sound like you were a business major, and by that I mean dumb.

Sure, but almost everyone can be taught to write coherently. It is not a very difficult skill to master. The hard sciences and math are much more difficult for the average person and many people will never be able to hack it in those majors. They can barely get through Calc I. I would be that the avg IQ of hard science and math majors is far above the avg IQ of English or poli sic majors.