I want to major in a science but I can’t immediately grasp new science concepts. Even though I am getting A’s in AP Physics and Chemistry I need to be hand-held I think. I am afraid that I will get only B’s in college if I try to major in science. Getting A’s seems too hard even if I put in a bunch of hard work. I love astronomy and physics, I am constantly dumbfounded in its beauty and I love learning about how the world works.
That being said, I am a very vain person, and I am afraid of majoring in another field I may be interested in because I will feel as if my sciency companions will find me less intelligent. I like history, anthropology, linguistics, foreign languages, etc. but I am afraid I will be looked down upon because I was not smart enough to understand Physics. I have heard there are some people who are just more “math” minded and others who are more “english/reading” minded, but I’m not convinced. There are too many people who are good at both spheres and/or too many people who only choose to put all of their efforts into one of them. I haven’t seen any hard evidence to support this thesis.
Does my conviction hold any weight??? Also, as of now, I have no means to cure myself of my vanity, so I can’t be told to disregard what other people think of me and what I do. I just want the truth.
Sure, some people feel that way. Lots of people look down on others. Choosing your future career based on those judgmental people is a recipe for unhappiness.
Personally, I like subjects on both sides. I admire people who can solve a hard integral in two seconds just as much as I am in awe of someone who speaks three languages. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! You could even double major or major/minor if you felt like it.
I’m a physics/math double major, and I don’t think this at all. One of my best friends is a political science/gender studies double major, and she is one of the smartest people I know. I have another very good friend that is double majoring in history and French, and again…one of the smartest people I know. I also know plenty of smart people in my science and math classes, but I don’t see science majors as being more intelligent.
Sometimes, things we hold dear might be better off as a hobby instead of a profession.
IQ has a number of different components. Just because you have trouble with some concepts in Physics doesn’t mean you are dumb. There are plenty of other things that you can be successful at. Actually, your biggest problem is worrying so much about what others think. I guarantee you they don’t put as much weight in it as you think they do.
You’re going to be a very, very unhappy person and make poor personal & financial decisions in your life if you are going to be constantly guided by what other people think.
News flash:
Other people don’t judge you or think about you as much as you imagine they do. They’ve got their own lives to think about.
FWIW, I’ve got 2 children who are as different as night & day. One kid is STEM oriented, and the other is not. While both are razor sharp, it’s the non-STEM one (a National Merit Finalist) who has the confidence, communication prowess and killer ambition. I can easily visualize the STEM child working for the CEO non-STEM child one day.
IQ is not necessarily correlated with choice of major. As my AP Pysch textbook said, “correlation does not imply causation.” And of course your very question depends on the definition of “intelligence.”
However, by societal standards, I think that “science-y” individuals are generally seen as more “intelligent.”
Regarding the nature of the subject matter itself…the sciences are an objective topic - either you’re right or you’re wrong. The liberal arts on the other hand, are more open to interpretation and thusly, the way you present yourself will likely have more weight than your rationality.