The 8 Most Common Phrases Of A STEM Major

STEM majors have it rough. From balancing heavy science courses back to back, going to labs, interning, and finding spare time for themselves, it can become a complete mess if not prioritized properly. Here are 10 of the most commonly heard phrases given by a STEM major:

1. "I haven't slept in *insert absurd number* hours"

Sad, but true. Sleep is the last thing on your mind when you have a presentation, pre-lab report, 50+ chem or math problems, and midterms to prepare for.

2. "I can't hang then, I have a 3-hour lab"

Not only are labs at inconvenient times of the day, but they are exasperatingly long. By the time you leave (in a daze, I might add), all you want to do is sit down and relax alone for an hour.

3. "I don't remember the last time I ate"

Like sleep, food is usually prioritized after the million and one endless assignments are fulfilled.

4. "I think I did this entire problem wrong"

This is the most tragic phrase of our kind - if you get one part of the problem wrong, the entire rest of the answer is wrong, meaning you have to redo all of your work.

5. "Honestly, once you get math, it's actually really fun"

Like Ron Swanson above, you can get a little giddy when you find the right answer on your own on the first or second try and can ~*actually*~ apply your knowledge to something.

6. "O-Chem is pretty much a death sentence"

Anyone who's taken organic chemistry knows it's a time consuming, extremely difficult topic, requiring most of your time and attention.

7. "I hope my future salary will be worth it"

It's common to question whether all of the suffering of hours in the library, memorizing equations and terminology will ever be worth it in the long run (but we all secretly know it will pay off).

8. "What should I do in my hour of free time?"

Ahh, the unbeknown concept of "free time." Whenever a STEM major has some, they feel lost - what do I do? How do I best maximize these fleeting spare moments?