Which abilities do you need for which majors?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>SATs don't measure all the types of skills that are important for success. People are smart in different ways. I can rattle off 10 different types of smart off the top of my head:</p>

<p>math
verbal/logic
writing
interpersonal/leadership/charm
personal insight/having your own head "together"
creativity
physical coordination
good everyday judgement
artistic visual
artistic musical</p>

<p>In engineering, I would say computer engineers need both math and verbal skills (verbal for logic and programming). </p>

<p>Electrical engineers need mostly math, then verbal for the logic. Among EEs, writing is almost irrelevant. There are so many internationals, writing skills and EE skill are almost opposite.</p>

<p>Computer programming/Info tech requires writing types of intelligence.</p>

<p>Computer Science-verbal and math.</p>

<p>Industrial engineers need mostly math but also verbal.</p>

<p>Mechanical engineers need both math and writing. Verbal skill also helps.</p>

<p>International relations...my hunch is that writing skills are important.</p>

<p>Chemistry...this is interesting...lots of chemists seem to be good writers.</p>

<p>Communications field...hmmmm....I would say charm and judgement...maybe some verbal skills. There are times when I think communications and intelligence are inversely related...no offense.</p>

<p>Business-verbal slighly more than math. also interpersonal and leadership.</p>

<p>Hotel management-mostly verbal, some math.</p>

<p>Dance-proprioceptive abilities (I have been waiting for 5 years to actually use that word)</p>

<p>Psychology-personal insight, math, writing.</p>

<p>Art- visual</p>

<p>Good everyday judgement and having your head together helps no matter what your major is, but sometimes artists are quirky. Creative and quirky seem to go together.</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

2

<p>Your thread title is about majors. But, the list in your post seems to describe professionals out in the field. </p>

<p>This unintelligent, yet charming, communications professional needs some clarity around your objective. </p>

<p>;)</p>

<p>Seriously, do you want to discuss majors or professions?</p>

3

<p>You forgot that an innovator needs creativity… thus having a little from every aspect of intelligence you listed will create an innovator- a person who wants to change the world will need a bit from all…</p>

4

<p>To be the best at your own field… its good to know about the other fields…</p>

<p>“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”</p>

<p>relate that to your scenario…</p>

5

<p>DougBetsy-
Thank you for your insightful question. :slight_smile:
I had in mind the relationship between SAT scores and college gpa in different majors. Then it occurred to me that some majors (at least the courses that are specific to that major) may not require skills measured by SAT.</p>

<p>I would even say that a quantitative relationship would be hard to find because majors differ in difficulty and “smarter” students go into harder majors, take harder courses. The answer to this question might be hard to quantify. Perhaps it is best answered intuitively.</p>