"Oh, that's your major? I heard that was so easy, you hardly have to work for it!"
Can you tell me what's wrong with this sentence? Because I know I can.
If you're pursuing a major in the liberal arts field, mass communication, education or basically anything that does not involve heavy math, science or physics, you've probably had someone say this to you. If you're anything like me, you probably want to slap that person as soon as the words leave their mouth. Major shaming is not OK.
Let's get one thing straight: obtaining an undergraduate degree, regardless of the major, is not an easy accomplishment. According to CollegeAtlas.org, 70 percent of Americans will study at a four-year college, but less than two-thirds will actually graduate. Which is why "major-shaming" has to stop.
Being a student pursuing a mass communication degree, I'm frequently told that my field of study is considered "easy" by my peers. But why? I still take the same amount of hours, I still have to take comprehensive finals and I still attend a major, well-respected university just like they do. Yet, my hard work for this degree does not equate to theirs.
Major-shaming has become a very real problem in the college world. At what point did it become OK to tell someone that the major they are passionately pursuing is viewed as "obsolete" in the opinion of another? The answer to the question is never.
Besides major shaming is just being blatantly rude and disrespectful, it is also unfair. Regardless of the degree being pursued, the student working hard in school has bigger plans than you will ever imagine. Many students that pursue degrees in liberal arts or mass communication are planning to go to law school upon graduation and have to work very hard to maintain a competitive GPA. Does that still seem like an easy degree to you?
The truth of the matter is, that no matter what degree you are pursuing, you are a hardworking individual who is trying to make something of them self. This person should not be judged or made to feel inadequate for trying to make their lives better and enjoyable by studying something they love.
