If you know anything about Mississippi State University, you know how exceptional the engineering programs are. In fact, it's safe to say it would be impossible to make it through four years here without knowing an engineering major or two. People come from all over the country for these programs, and that is a wonderful thing. Science and technology are crucial for progress.
The only unfortunate thing about being surrounded by people studying these topics is being told that I have an "easy major." I am majoring in psychology, but it seems the "easy major" list also includes English, kinesiology, philosophy, communication, education, business, economics, and many more. In fact, it is basically any major that isn't engineering or a hard science.
Maybe this would not bother me so much if it was not constantly used as an excuse for poor performance or a way to discredit people's achievements. I love my major, and I think it is important in many ways. I also care about academic achievement. I am in the Shackouls Honors College and enjoy taking honors classes outside of my major. I am the scholarship chair of my sorority. It is hard to hear that I only maintain these positions because my major is easy when that is simply not the case. I do well because I put forth the effort required to succeed.
I'm sure the same can be said for many people who chose "easy majors," and it is not fair to treat them as if they deserve no credit. This is college. Every single person here will take difficult classes at some point. Those who appreciate the opportunity they have been given and try their best will succeed no matter the major.
In a society where numbers mean everything, it is extremely important to major in something you care about if you plan on getting into graduate school, law school, or medical school. It is a lot easier to study and succeed in a subject you love. Plus, who wants to have a job in a field they do not even care about? Money may seem important, but it is not everything. The people who are going to make a huge difference in the fields related to the "hard majors" are the people who love it, not the people who do it for money.
I have met so many inspiring and hardworking individuals during my time at MSU. They are majoring in all kinds of things, but they all have one thing in common: a dream to create positive change. The biomedical engineering major who dreams of creating artificial organs, the psychology major who is already doing their own research, the economics major who wants to help people in underdeveloped countries. Those are the people who deserve respect and admiration. Not the bitter person who blames their less than desirable grades on their major.
