Are there useless majors?

<p>^ yep my dad is in finance and he says he hires a lot of math majors, because he finds they're generally smarter than those who study business administration and whatnot. </p>

<p>I'm majoring/minoring in the Liberal Arts. I chose to major in Economics with a minor in International Relations, because that's what I'm passionate about. The sciences/humanities bore the hell out of me (except for neuroscience) and I hate hate hate all the humanities requirements I'm taking. I hate classes like Creative Writing and Western Lit. </p>

<p>When I first got to college, I was unsure about my major, but once I started taking classes I realized that what I've chosen is really for me. I have Econ at 8 AM and I have to wake up at 6 AM to commute, and even though it's a pain in the ass, it's worth it because I enjoy class and the more I study it, the more I realize it's for me. I hope everyone can find something they really enjoy as well...I feel sorry for those majoring in something they don't even like for the sake of getting a good job. I want to go to Law school and go into the policy field, so I can major in whatever I want for Undergrad.</p>

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Oh, I'm fine without a rug, and I see the ceiling above me quite clearly.

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<p>Really? Even as your behind hurts and your vision is blurry because you tripped and fell hard?
If you thought really hard good for you. I really hope you meant it or you're up for a hard wake up call.</p>

<p>You're right nysmile, but don't you agree that most people don't stand out in any way at all?
Maybe I'm just worried because it's on paper that I'm nothing special or even mediocre when it comes to intelligence and it's even on paper that I fail at communicating. It's been documented pretty much my entire life. Sigh, oh bitter me...</p>

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I chose to major in Economics with a minor in International Relations, because that's what I'm passionate about.

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<p>That is very pragmatic and lucrative of you. Anyone who looks down on something like this is insane because it is immensely useful and you are smart for choosing this. Liking it is a great bonus.</p>

<p>My father told me not to major in Economics because he fears that I would have to play catch up with the kids who are truly interested in it. He said that maybe if I was interested in this from when I was about 11-years-old I could have gave it a shot, but it isn't natural for me to pursue it. </p>

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I hate hate hate all the humanities requirements I'm taking.

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<p>...and I love them. Despite having to be a genius to have any real success in them and not being useful in the real world, I love them. The humanities come naturally to me, but I'm nothing special when it comes to that and one needs to have a true gift if one does not want to be a starving artist or stuck teaching a bunch of annoying brats.</p>

<p>Thanks TA302 - and I agree, it's not smart to pursue something you're not naturally interested in. I know people who have been pressured by their families to be pre-med, and one girl in nursing school who wanted to go into social work (she's fine with nursing as well though)</p>

<p>the humanities come naturally to me too, and i've gotten A's in all the classes I've taken in high school/college, but if I continued taking them into advanced coursework, i would fail miserably - because I have no passion for them. </p>

<p>My dad wanted to me to major in Finance, Business, or Marketing, and I couldn't stand it. Now that i've decided on Law school, they want me to pick an easier major so I can get A's and get into a top school, but that doesn't make sense to me. I wish everyone would do whatever they wanted to and are really passionate about, but I realize that's unrealistic. College isn't worth it otherwise, imo. Your major doesn't put you in a box for the rest of your life - you can study Art History and go into Marketing.</p>

<p>Well guys, i think this is pretty useless, prove me wrong. Hebrew Major :)</p>

<p>That post was useles. </p>

<p>Molly, if you are considering law school, pick a major that interests you and allows you to develop the skills useful for a law career. While it's true that you can be admitted to law school with any major, it's too common of a misconception that you should take the easiest major possible to get the highest GPA. While a good GPA is important, studying home economics isn't going to prepare you for the LSAT as well as math, history, philosophy, etc. If you are unsure about what to study, talk to some sort of advisor at your school.</p>

<p>Student35, did you even read my post? I'm absolutely, definitely not unsure, I said I love my major and it's what I want to study, and I hope everyone finds a major they love as well. </p>

<p>I have no clue where you got Home Economics from - I'm an Economics major, not Home Ec, and Home Ec is completely different in case you're getting the 2 confused - in Home Ec class in Middle school, we learned about cooking/cleaning/nutrition/sewing/balancing a checkbook. Economics is very different, it involves a lot of math. I'm surprised you don't know what Economics is, most people take a class in high school/college. </p>

<p>Economics majors perform very well on the SAT, we have the 3rd highest average LSAT score according to this Average</a> LSAT Scores for 29 Majors with over 400 Students Taking the Exam We're right after Physics/Math and Philosophy. I really don't think any major preps you for the LSAT - your LSAT score is a reflection of your reading comprehension, logical reasoning abilities, and preparation for the test.</p>

<p>Ah, I didn't quite read all of your first post. But my point remains the same. </p>

<p>You said your dad wanted you to major in something easier. I was using home economics as an example of how people think that majoring in an "easier" subject to get a high GPA is a smart idea. Like I said, majoring something of interest and that allows you to develop as a student is key for any career path. You should definitely stick with Econ/IR if that's what you love. Show your dad those stats if he doubts you!</p>

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I really don't think any major preps you for the LSAT - your LSAT score is a reflection of your reading comprehension, logical reasoning abilities, and preparation for the test.

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<p>Certain majors will allow you to develop the skills you listed. That's the way it prepares you for the LSAT.</p>

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<p>Ok and? I'm not a coward like that. I'd rather take the risk and get something I can live with than kill myself slowly throughout. I had difficult times and I'm not totally unprepared for a whole new set. We're just different people. Continuing this conversation is useless (as is this entire thread).</p>

<p>Student35 - oh ok well thanks for the advice then. Sorry, I thought you were saying Econ is the same thing as Home Ec - I was like, huh? :)</p>

<p>As far as business majors are concerned, I think marketing and management are pretty useless, but the other business majors such as information systems, finance, accounting, statistics, and economics actually serve a purpose. They might not be the hardest major out there, but they're not the easiest either.</p>

<p>The MOST useless would probably be consumer science, athletic training, social work, fashion merchandising, athletic education, etc.</p>

<p><a href="as%20is%20this%20entire%20thread">quote</a>.

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<p>It's not useless if you don't want to waste thousands of dollars on tuition only to find out you can't get a job.</p>

<p>^ Please stop lumping Economics into the "Business" majors. Economics is a Liberal Arts major, all about studying the economy as a whole (macro) or studying individual aspects of it (micro). Economics majors learn about policy and theory, and some advanced classes can get pretty theoretical, involving a lot of advanced math. </p>

<p>Business involves a bit of Econ - a Business major takes a few Econ classes, some basic macro/micro stuff, some basic applied Economics. A Business major picks a specialty, like Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Administration, etc. They're related majors, but nowhere near equivalent, imo. In my college, the Econ major is in CAS with all the other Liberal Arts, the Business school is completely separate. Stop acting as if the 2 are the same - it's like saying Physics and Math are the same, because they both involve numbers.</p>

<p>My mom had a friend who got into Harvard Law as a Classics major. This just shows that as long as you are a hard worker and challenge yourself academically, a major does not really matter.</p>

<p>I can't stand the attitude that humanities majors are only majoring in their fields because we don't know what to do otherwise, or are lazy. Sure, I could major in Econ, or Engineering, but in the end I would probably just be another mediocre economist or engineer. I'd rather be great at my major than be "good" at another one. I'm quite sure that motivated people can come up with something to do with a "useless" major that they love, and will probably gain more experience pushing themselves to do so than the person who just takes a "useful" major and expects to end up successful. Placing yourself on the obvious and often-traveled path to monetary gain isn't the only way to live life.</p>

<p>^ I feel like people don't even understand what Econ is. I'm an Econ major and I've been asked numerous time, "So you want to become an Economist?" An Economist is someone with a Ph.D is Economics, kids. Having a BA/BS doesn't make you an Economist. And believe it or not, people in Engineering aren't just doing it for money - actually, Engineers are much more limited in their job prospects or salary than say, a Business major. I've noticed many Engineering majors who love their subject (and you have to like it to go through it for 4 years) and hate the Humanities. It has nothing to do with laziness, imo...study what you like. </p>

<p>I agree motivated people will find a way to succeed. I notice many college students are under the mentality that if you major in X, you will end up doing X for your life! No way is that true. Otherwise, 99.9% of liberal arts majors would be unsuccessful, wouldn't they? You can major in whatever the hell you want - Art History or African Studies - and land a pretty average entry-level job in some company.</p>

<p>Pretty much all non-technical majors are "useless."</p>

<p>It truly doesn't matter what you major in, since most of your jobs are going to be outside your major anyways. There are plenty of English majors working on Wall Street and business majors working in shoe stores.</p>

<p>That being said, technical fields do require specific majors. If you're interested in engineering or computer science, you basically need a major in that subject. Or, a closely related one. (Many programming companies actually prefer math majors to computer science majors.)</p>

<p>I personally think a math major is one of the best you can get: it has wide applicability, not just to math. Higher order math also helps you to think about the world in different ways.</p>

<p>I have yet to see a useless major posted in this thread.</p>

<p>The school you attend + GPA is more important than your major.</p>

<p>thank you molly4190! you are the only one that makes sense!</p>

<p>There are people with no degrees making six digit salaries. It’s not about the degree, it’s how smart you are with getting a job afterward and making money. A degree’s a degree, and they’re all useless if you do nothing with them. It’s all you, for the most part.</p>