It seems like at some point along the way, based on the degree you receive from college your intelligence in determined before you've even gotten the chance to prove yourself. If someone mentions they are majoring in anything from biomedical sciences to engineering, we are automatically impressed because "clearly" the must be smart, right?

Now, if someone says they are majoring in education, sociology, journalism or anything else in the realm of liberal arts, it’s automatically assumed this degree is because they just aren't intelligent enough for something else. I mean why else would someone decide to major in those fields?

The thought that maybe this liberal arts degree is their passion. Maybe they could have become a doctor or scientist, but didn't want that. Or maybe it takes intelligence to complete these degrees never seems reasonable. Honestly, most people find that just plain laughable.

Instead, your liberal arts degree somehow makes other's believe they have the right to write off your intelligence within seconds.

I get it, STEM degrees take intelligence. There are difficult classes, long nights and not everyone can make it. But liberal arts degrees are just the same. It’s not easy to write papers, plan lessons and look at the creative side of things constantly. We have long nights, even if it’s not spent in a research lab but instead a coffee shop, it still counts.

It’s automatically assumed that any student pursuing a liberal arts degree just couldn't pass a math class to save their life, but trust me we’ve taken plenty of them (and passed). It’s not automatically assumed that being STEM means you could never write a paper or read a book, right? So why is it the other way around for the liberal arts?

Believe it or not, often it’s not about our supposed inability to understand a subject or pass classes, but the fact that we don't want to pursue a career in the STEM field. Shocking I know, but the world isn't just made up of people from the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

The matter of the fact is, my liberal arts degree does not, and never will, define my intelligence. It will define the program of study I followed. It will define my passions. It will define the career path I’m going after. But it will never be more than that.

Intelligent people graduate with a liberal arts degree every semester, don't be so unintelligent to assume differently.