I get it, Organic chemistry is a lot harder than literary studies. Yes, I've only had to take one math class in three full years of education, but guess what? All majors are hard, guys. It's time that we all take a step back and we accept that everyone works really hard in college at something that they chose to study. Mr. Finance Major, would you like to write a 10-page analysis of "Brave New World," discussing the forms of resistance shown by the protagonist, John Savage? Similarly, Ms. Political Science major, do you really think you'd be able to do a three-hour biology lab? What I'm trying to get at here is that we all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses. Why are we tearing ourselves and each other down because of what we choose to study? I present to you six reasons why we all need to grow up and support each other, not ridicule each other because of the skill that we're trying to perfect in school.
1. Chances are, noone forced you into a major.
"Sometimes I wish I was a different major." Guess what? I didn't pick yours for you. There are so many different subjects to study: Biology, writing, Spanish, political science, media studies; really the list goes on forever. In most cases, there's no one to blame for the choice other than one's own self. Perhaps this is one of the core reasons for the strange competitiveness that comes with comparing majors. However, next time you're about to yell at the music major because their final is playing an instrument, remember that you chose your own major, not them. There's always time to switch majors. Once you've selected, it isn't set in stone. If you aren't happy with where you are, own up to the responsibility and switch before you start taking it out on others.
2. Every major requires a lot of work.
"Can you believe that their final is just a timeline about what they learned?" Across the board, all students bust their butts, day in and day out, regardless of major. Class difficulty gets canceled out by page requirements, and lab hours are canceled out by time spent in high school classrooms. Before you're quick to judge someone because of how "easy" someone's final is going to be, realize that's probably because of the countless hours spent working inside and outside of the classroom all semester long. Time spent working per class balances out across the board, so next time you try to get a media studies major to show pity for how much time you spent on one lab, think again.
3. Focus on your own studies, not someone else's.
"Your major is so freaking easy compared to mine." Honestly, after the inevitable comparison of "how easy English majors have it" compared to whatever other major the accuser is yelling at me for, I just think, "Why does it matter to you?" The way I see it, I'd rather focus on my work and all that I need to get done than focus on comparing it to someone else for the sake of complaining. At its root, comparison of majors is nothing more than trying to get someone to listen to you complain and then show sympathy. However, you should be more focused on working hard and completing the work that you're complaining about, rather than making other people feel bad about their work.
One time, we were in the basement of my sophomore residence hall when I was studying for my poetry final, putting together a short story portfolio project for two separate short story writing classes. Next to me was a group of my friends studying for a chemistry final, working just as hard as I was. One leaned over and asked what I was working on, so I told him. Then he turned and laughed and told his table. They all then stopped studying to talk about how much easier my major was. Who does that benefit? Why does it matter? When we spend more time comparing ourselves to others, we miss out on more time that could be better spent.
4. That's one less person competing for your job.
"You have it easy, you want to be a teacher, I wish I had it that easy." If we're being honest here, why would you want someone else in your field of study to compete for the same job(s) you're going to be applying for? Having so many varied fields of study allows for increased job opportunity for everyone. Similarly, do you really want me (someone that hates science and is awful at math) being the last face you see before you go under for surgery? Absolutely not. We're all different people for a reason, and we just need to accept and embrace that. Different personality types suit different jobs, and that's something that makes education and the various subjects all the more important. Don't hate on someone because they'd be an incredible mechanical engineer. Similarly, don't hate on the person that wants to teach kindergartners just because you yourself couldn't.
5. E.L.E. (Everybody Love Everybody).
"Do you even have to do work for your major, ever?" We're all just doing our best in life to be happy and be the best versions of ourselves. Every time that someone tries to bring you down when you're trying to do that is just another obstacle. Let's all support each other through the hard enough, process of college education.The more negative we are toward the fields of study that we've chosen as individuals, the more negative we are being toward each other. In doing so, we're fostering an incredibly detrimental environment for ourselves. We need to begin helping each other. We have four short years together as students (for some, even less than that). So why are we going to spend any amount of time hating on each other for it? Take a breath, accept everyone's choice of major and for the love of God, as Jackie Moon says in "Semi Pro," "E.L.E! Everybody love everybody!"
Everybody breathe for a second. You do a lot of work and it's duly noted. However, everyone else does a lot of work, too, so acknowledge that and get used to it. College is hard enough as it is, we don't need to be ridiculing people because of the subject they're studying. Let's chill, as a collective group, and just accept the fact that we're all different and realize that that's awesome. Embrace your major; love what you study and next time someone makes fun of it? if anything, feel sorry for them.
