In today’s world, certain fields of academic study are definitely valued more than others. We tend to place high importance on STEM fields (and for good reason), but we also undervalue those in the humanities and arts by labeling certain majors as “easy.” Thus, when people are naturally interested in these fields, they find themselves always on the defense—they feel they must prove they have a career path, prove their major isn’t just fluff, and prove all their hard fought time and effort isn’t just for nothing.

Well, I’m here to say that there is no such thing as an “easy” major. I’m aware that some majors are more intensive and structured than others, and that certain science and math fields can be extremely difficult if you’re not naturally inclined, but being an English or anthropology major doesn’t mean you’re sitting around all day twiddling your thumbs, either. I am a legal studies and psychology double major, the latter of which has become an extremely popular field and thus designated as “easy” among the general population. However, I work extremely hard—as does everyone else I know in these majors—and I hardly feel like I’m doing nothing.

It’s absolutely true that we need STEM field majors desperately, and they will most likely lead to fantastic jobs; but we cannot forget to value the others as well, and certainly not degrade them by labeling them as easy. At the top levels of academia, no field is easy or straightforward, and it takes highly specialized training to perform the most basic inference or research project. Therefore, don’t just dismiss someone’s life studies as being easy or invaluable: their classes may be harder than you think.