Most prestigious (or respectable) college majors?

Applying to College
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<p>There's always so much talk about going to most reputable college possible, but rarely any discussion about the most well-regarded majors to pursue. </p>

<p>Which college majors make you have higher regard for someone?</p>

<p>I personally am impressed by:
Aerospace engineering
Electrical engineering
Architecture
Computer science (not MIS/IT degrees!)
Math
Physics
Other engineering and science fields generally, except for biology.</p>

<p>In liberal arts, economics, philosophy, and English (literature) tend to require high levels of intellect given their subject matters. Indeed, philosophy majors earn among the very highest GRE/GMAT/LSAT scores.</p>

<p>Unimpressive majors:
communications, marketing, journalism, business (except finance due to the math), education, social work, area studies, art, and other similar domains that require little ability to think both abstractly and critically due to nature of their subjects.</p>

<p>Personally, I'd be much more impressed by someone who got a degree in EE from Georgia Tech than someone who got a degree in social sciences at HYP.</p>

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<p>Why do you think the social sciences don't teach you to think abstractly and critically? Basically of the the fields convered under social sciences (at my school including history, sociology, religion, anthropology, goverment, eon and more) include highly theoretical work, as well as very critical work. Also, why does architecture make it onto your list but not art? </p>

<p>In terms of what college majors are "prestigious," I think it sometimes varies from school to school. For instance, when people who knows something about Wes finds out that I'm a potential Film major, they're often really impressed, because it's a well known program. That might not be so true about a film major at random school Y.</p>

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<p>OP: your entire thought process is warped. Our society values areas of study from all sorts.</p>

<p>I'll take a passionate film major who can think on their feet, be creative, have good social skills over some research wonk who sneers at others opinions.</p>

<p>This ranking stuff is noisome enough. To hear you say that a well qualified EE Georgia Tech person is "better" than a humanities major from an Ivy/LAC is nuts. I suppose if you needed a good EE. But to say a generality like that makes me shake my head.</p>

<p>Have you ever hired anyone for a job?</p>

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<p>Wow.........................</p>

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<p>
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OP: your entire thought process is warped. Our society values areas of study from all sorts.

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</p>

<p>Of course it does. But that's not my point. </p>

<p>Is the study of public relations as intellectually meritorious as studying math? I think most people would say no.</p>

<p>(Or do you believe that every academic subject requires equal cerebral prowess, applied to different domains and aptitudes?)</p>

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<p>Do all academic subjects require equal cerebral prowess?</p>

<p>The short answer to that is "no" -- an aerospace engineer will probably exert themselves more than a cultural studies major would.</p>

<p>But does a pompous ass who majored in architecture deserve higher regard for their choice of a concentration in college than social workers or teachers do? Certainly not. Will that architect (pompous ass or not) be more likely to read industry-related publications that demand a higher level of intellect than the teacher? Probably so. </p>

<p>I dare you, however, to tell your teachers -- the ones who worked the long hours for low pay, dealt with inadequate resources, and still managed to give you the support you needed with the hopes that you would one day become a success -- that they don't "impress" you because they chose to major in education and not electrical engineering. I'm sure that firemen and other emergency service workers, many of whom are without four-year degrees, are making less of a contribution to society than the people who write code for a living.</p>

<p>Look around -- the people who keep the world running are largely those from "vulgar" majors. I'm sure the world would be a better place if all the people involved in "soft" careers quit their jobs and went back to school in order to design electronic gadgets and become more "respectable". Surely such industries as clinical research and development wouldn't suffer for a lack of sociologists, anthropologists, human geographers and the ilk... after all, it must be the scientists with prestigious degrees in the lab that make all the difference, not the highly trained professionals interacting with other humans and ensuring everything runs smoothly that make the difference.</p>

<p>Have I taken some of this out of context? Absolutely. But I would advise you to factor in the impact that people have on the world before you judge them, and not just decide to be impressed by what is written on their diploma.</p>

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<p>social work is VULGAR?</p>

<p>after saying that the rest is just tripe</p>

<p>and EDUCATION</p>

<p>man oh man, tell your profs you think what they do is vulgar</p>

<p>well, its a good thing no one wants to impress the OP</p>

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<p>and if you don't think EE need to know about human beings, you are sadly mistaken</p>

<p>and if you don't think archeticts need to know about the human condition, and needs, and how they interact, you know very little</p>

<p>and you don't think bio is worthy either- guess those surgeons, darn them for being stupid</p>

<p>Guess the guy who actually BUILDS anything that the EE designs is also vulgar</p>

<p>Those men and women who work with their hands....what place do they have in your world of worthiness</p>

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<p>By vulgar, I simply mean that these are subjects that are easily accessible to anyone, as they exist in common language. The other subjects require a formal notation linguistic or at least must be expressed in a conceptually abstruse manner.</p>

<p>We need teachers just like we need garbage men. Just because the world needs many different types of people to run doesn't mean that what they do should be accorded the same level of respect in regard to the issue I raise: what are prestigious college majors?</p>

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<p>OMG, I won't even bother answering your question, it is so sad and ludicrous at the same time</p>

<p>LEVEL OF RESPECT? </p>

<p>EASILY ACCESSIBLE?</p>

<p>So you base a person's value and the respect they "deserve" by what degree they recieved? Or that they can do math and science well? Oh, but not science that has to do with things that are living, oh heavens no</p>

<p>Sad indeed, sad indeed</p>

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<p>I don't usually flame people, but you are so full of crap.</p>

<p>Pretty much any field of study can be done rigorously. The issue isn't your major, it's the quality of your own work within it. There's a lot of terrible social sciences work done, but that doesn't make it intrinsically inferior, it just means that it's a younger, less mature field. Because of that, I have great respect for a social scientist who does good research - they're not only contributing to the body of knowledge in their subject, but helping the field to mature.</p>

<p>Personally, in addition to "intellectual merit", I'm impressed by people of whatever major or field who can operate in the real world instead of sitting around patting themselves on the back for being smart. Because smarts are pretty useless, not to mention WASTED on you, if that's all you have. I'm an engineer, and I would want to smack a co-worker who was wanking about how much more impressive their major made them compared to the rest of the world.</p>

<p>And why on earth someone would think that area studies require less critical thought than English lit is beyond me.</p>

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<p>this has to be a troll...can't be a real person making these comments about respect, and value</p>

<p>no real person would devalue people that didn't just do math and science for their careers</p>

<p>can't be real, that's it, this is a fake post to start something, because I can't imagine anyone being as shallow, narrowminded and heartless as this poster appears to be</p>

<p>so that is it, its a troll!!!</p>

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<p>
[quote]

So you base a person's value and the respect they "deserve" by what degree they recieved? Or that they can do math and science well? Oh, but not science that has to do with things that are living, oh heavens no

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, I haven't written that. </p>

<p>I merely claim that some college majors/degrees are more prestigious than others, because they are harder by nature. In engineering and the hard sciences the failure rate is very high during freshman year- many courses give 30%-40% under Cs. That's just not the case in any other fields.</p>

<p>Do you actually believe, as an example, that studying social work requires as much intellect and work ethic as studying real analysis (math)?</p>

<p>This doesn't mean that social work, in its own context, doesn't have purpose in society, and that those who practice it doesn't deserve respect. I merely claim that other fields are inherently of higher academic prestige because they inherently require more brains.</p>

<p>If you don't agree, please say why. Merely stating vehement objection doesn't ground an argument.</p>

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<p>Do certain professions or even areas of study require more cerebral work? Sure. My father in law was a physician, my father was a cook, I went to an HYP (and majored in one of the vulgar subjects: econ).</p>

<p>But your posts are so tinged with judgmentalism, superiority/inferiority and the ugliness of your tone clouds to complete obscurity whatever useful point you were sadly trying to make.</p>

<p>Do you have any idea how pompous your posts sound?</p>

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<p>Classics wasn't listed! I guess it's a "vulgar" major. Even though it has the highest verbal GRE scores and second highest analytical GRE scores, is tied with linguistics for the highest LSAT scores, and does equally well on the GMAT and MCAT. :(</p>

<p>There's some hope for me, though. I'm also majoring in a science that's not biology, so I guess I can have <em>some</em> self-respect.</p>

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<p>":doesn't mean that what they do should be accorded the same level of respect in regard"</p>

<p>that is EXACTLY what you said</p>

<p>WORK ETHIC> if you don't think my niece, has as much work ethic as someone in a lab studying math, grow up</p>

<p>MORE BRAINS, this is a joke right, a pathetic, sad little joke</p>

<p>Because learning about people, who are inherently complicated is hard work and takes brain power</p>

<p>Learning about other nations, and their history and all the interconnections requires intellect, thinking, and research and work</p>

<p>More brains? your premise is laughable, your analysis (well, what analysis really) is non exisitant, your claim that other fields require more "brains" is so, how can I say this nicely, infantile a thought, I wonder what kind of person thinks that others are inferior because they aren't "good" at math, or that they don't want to do math</p>

<p>I am leaving this thread, because i can not have a civil conversation with someone who disrespects so many human beings to such an extent</p>

<p>The person who fixes that bridge deserves as much, if not more respect than the person who designed it.</p>

<p>Please, whatever has made you so closeminded and narrow in your respect and regard for your fellow human being, well, I hope you get past that and see that many people have value, and have earned respect. And it is sad that you can't see beyond your narrow view of humanity.</p>

<p>That is my final comment.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

Do certain professions or even areas of study require more cerebral work? Sure. My father in law was a physician, my father was a cook, I went to an HYP (and majored in one of the vulgar subjects: econ).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Economics isn't vulgar. It's a real academic subject. See the list again.</p>

<p>
[quote]

But your posts are so tinged with judgmentalism, superiority/inferiority and the ugliness of your tone clouds to complete obscurity whatever useful point you were sadly trying to make.</p>

<p>Do you have any idea how pompous your posts sound?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I've made my point clear. Again, some fields require more cerebral work (to use your term) and are therefore more prestigious or meritorious (in an academic context) than others. </p>

<p>If some people are offended by this, that doesn't invalidate my claim.</p>

<p>Even you seem to agree with the core of my position.</p>

<p>--
Citygirlsmom: you've read the quote out of context. I said certain FIELDS don't deserve the same level of respect as intellectual or academic pursuits. I didn't say that certain PEOPLE don't deserve respect (in the larger context of life: work, community, family, etc.)</p>

<p>Please focus more in order that you may improve your reading comprehension.</p>

<p>--</p>

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<p>T26E4, I think you did an excellent job summing up the general sentiment of the posters. </p>

<p>Picox, I don't believe many people will argue with you that certain majors are "harder" than others -- certainly, on the surface, organic chemistry will have a higher rate of failure than American history. However, your suggestion that math and science majors are inherently more prestigious than others is what led to the objections on this board.</p>

<p>Perhaps the root is simply how one perceives the value of a college education, but I hold that university level studies prepares people for their future life and career, however, what they make of opportunities presented to them and the impression they seek to leave on the world truly determines the respect accorded to them, regardless of their major.</p>

<p>One of the most world-renowned public health experts, who my mother works with, graduated from Yale with a degree in history, and went on to Cambridge to receive a master's degree, also in history. Only after that did he attend med school and later join the CDC to revolutionize how HIV/AIDS was combated around the globe. I don't believe you can write a person off based solely on his or her pursuit in a "vulgar" field. </p>

<p>Furthermore, though I certainly see the correlation between studies in real analysis and intellect, could you explain to me how the pursuit of majors such as art, marketing, or sociology do not require abstract thought? I understand that the masses may be able to more readily comprehend such areas of concentration, but would not the more talented students in these fields still apply abstract approaches and challenge themselves to make new discoveries?</p>

<p>Your consideration of art, in particular, as a vulgar field strikes me odd -- after all, when math and music are considered so closely related and such research has been done into the worlds of math and musical prodigies, I would have expected you to immediately defend art as an abstract and intellectually-demanding field.</p>

<p>Edit: I realize that the anecdote regarding the public health expert certainly is not the "norm" and that few history majors go on to become doctors. However, I felt that it illustrates the point that people are objecting to your classification of college majors as "respectable" or "vulgar" -- despite how you have expounded on your original premise, the title of the thread casts a sentiment of elitism, seemingly suggesting that a person's college major is indicative of how they should be perceived. I feel that a student may have a great deal of interest in communications and could do a great deal of good for the world as a communications major, but the attitude that they are taking the "easy" way out will do little to encourage that person to pursue his or her degree.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

Classics wasn't listed! I guess it's a "vulgar" major. Even though it has the highest verbal GRE scores and second highest analytical GRE scores, is tied with linguistics for the highest LSAT scores, and does equally well on the GMAT and MCAT.

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<p>Classics isn't a vulgar major. The works of the classics are not accessible to anyone; they require much interpretation and critical thinking, and long expository essays that are more than surface deep. By in large, the explicit vulgar majors- which are largely outside the arts and sciences education- ask little on the part of students.</p>

<p>Sadly, English and classics are much in decline in the last decade, as so many students prefer an easy major, like "communications."</p>

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<p>I can comprehend just fine, and your trying to phrase things in such a way as to disguise your disdain for those that don't study what you consider worthy is kind of funny, obvious, but funny.</p>

<p>You are trying to be clever and maybe this is for some paper or report or debate or something, I can't be sure.</p>

<p>I can be sure, however, that if your attitude of others, er, excuse, me, what they do and how much brain power it took for them to get there continues, you will not go far in life, nor do well.</p>

<p>I wonder what you would think of my daughter, studying political science, wanting to go into law, so she can help others by working to protect children..hmmm...yep she don't need nun of dad der braneiac power to write laws, to interpret bills, to negotiate contracts and such...nope, HER passions and interests don't deserve picox respect- her studying at a LA school with them "community college" types</p>

<p>And you know what, picox, some day those people you think didn't think to get those degrees will be the very people that help you, your mother, your child...and I bet they would still do their jobs, though you don't respect how they got there.</p>

<p>As for communications, let us see, anyone ever read or tried to use a manual written by an engineer....</p>

<p>Oh believe me, picox, I understand very well were you are coming from, because I understand human beings, and can see arrogance, snobbery, disrespect and shallowness when it is trying to be disguised as intellectual discourse.</p>

<p>BTW, what do you parents do, your grandparents, do you have as much respect for their paths and do you tell them they are stupid because they didn't do no engineering stuff?</p>