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Ranking the difficulty of college majors - any insights?

Hi all. Since I'm undecided on a major at the moment, I've been looking to gauge how difficult each option might be. Has anyone ranked the difficulty of college majors from easiest to hardest? If so, could you share your thoughts? Please do add why you believe they're easy or hard. Thanks in advance!

a month ago

Ranking the difficulty of college majors is tricky because "difficulty" is a very subjective concept, meaning what one person finds challenging, another might find straightforward. It largely depends on your natural aptitudes, study habits, and personal interests.

That being said, some majors do have reputations for being particularly challenging based on the amount of coursework and study time required. These typically include:

1. Engineering: Most degrees in engineering like Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering, are known to be rigorous. This can be attributed to the combination of intensive lab work, technical drawing, and complex numerical subjects.

2. Physical Sciences: Majors such as Physics, Chemistry, and Geology are also traditionally considered difficult due to the complex math and abstract concepts involved.

3. Pre-Med/Biology: Any major that's considered pre-med is likely to be challenging. Students often deal with rigorous coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and math while also juggling additional responsibilities like shadowing doctors and volunteering at hospitals.

4. Computer Science: This major is challenging because it involves learning programming languages, dealing with abstract concepts, and applying mathematical skills.

On the easier side, these majors are often listed:

1. Education: While this major is definitely not "easy," it may not involve the same level of rigorous coursework and tends to have more flexible schedules.

2. Sociology or Psychology: These majors involve lots of reading, essay-writing, and critical thinking. Although they require hard work and dedication like any major, they don’t typically involve as much complex mathematical computation or abstract thinking as fields like engineering and physical science.

3. Business: While there's still a fair amount of work involved, many students find that compared to quantitative-heavy majors, business offers a balance of soft courses (like management and ethics) and hard courses (like finance and accounting).

4. Liberal Arts/Humanities: These majors, such as English or History, often require extensive reading, critical thinking, and writing.

Remember, these are broad generalizations, and everyone's experience may differ. Your passion for a subject can make a "hard" major seem easier, while disinterest in a topic can make an "easy" major seem hard. It's more important to choose a major that aligns with your interests and career goals than to base your decision on perceived difficulty.

a month ago

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