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GAF, What are the 10 hardest majors in college(university)?

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L

liquidspeed

Member
I'm just interested in your experiances and perceptions.

I am working on a degree in mechanical engineering but I am also interested in possibly doing electrical engineering too for a doubble major...

I've also been tempted to switch to aeronautical engineering. I am half way through a 5 year program, and it seems like a crossroads of sorts.

Are there any engineers out there in any of the 3 fields I am in / considering who have nay input?
 
Y

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I think you can make any of them really hard if you choose to pick certain classes. I thought economics was nice and easy until I hit the hardcore econometrics stuff.

But I think my friends in the "hard" sciences like chemistry really have it tough. Enormous lectures, long labs, two or three midterms per class, lots of weekly homework, and then you get a degree in chemistry! Heyyyoooo
 
B

Blader

Member
The people I lived with freshman year were almost all engineering and/or comp sci majors, and they seemed borderline suicidal on an almost daily basis. :lol
 
V

Veidt

Blasphemer who refuses to accept bagged milk as his personal savior
Blader5489 said:
The people I lived with freshman year were almost all engineering and/or comp sci majors, and they seemed borderline suicidal on an almost daily basis. :lol
Click to expand...

seriously. math's departments are so depressing, it's insane. :lol
 
G

Gigglepoo

Member
What a strange question. For me, a foreign language would be the most difficult major. I studied Spanish 5 days a week for 6 years (high school and college) and 1 day a week for 9 years (kindergarten through eight grade) and still don't know much beyond the most rudimentary sentences. Everyone's mind works differently.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Gigglepoo said:
What a strange question. For me, a foreign language would be the most difficult major. I studied Spanish 5 days a week for 6 years (high school and college) and 1 day a week for 9 years (kindergarten through eight grade) and still don't know much beyond the most rudimentary sentences. Everyone's mind works differently.
Click to expand...
In my case I can barely grasp difficult concepts in algebra and calculus. I guess you really need an innate knack for these things.
 
V

Veidt

Blasphemer who refuses to accept bagged milk as his personal savior
Gigglepoo said:
What a strange question. For me, a foreign language would be the most difficult major. I studied Spanish 5 days a week for 6 years (high school and college) and 1 day a week for 9 years (kindergarten through eight grade) and still don't know much beyond the most rudimentary sentences. Everyone's mind works differently.
Click to expand...

yeah, people are linguists/philosophers/artists/mathematicians. Neither one is harder than the other. It's just that the market demands are very different and some crafts are more stable than others. Which results in an influx of people who aren't fit to do a certain craft, aim for it and hence the view of hardships surrounding said craft is molded ( maths, physics etc.).
 
T

theusedversion

Member
mac said:
A double major in Arabic and Thai?
Click to expand...

Have you taken a Thai foreign language class? If so how difficult was it? I'm possibly moving to Bangkok in August and will have to take Thai language classes once there.
 
D

DMczaf

Member
If you get an engineering degree, along with the degree they should give you a huge ass triple tiered trophy and a lap dance on the stage during graduation.
 
Z

zaxor0

Member
NomarTyme said:
Philosophy.
Click to expand...
Came to post this, gotta represent.

edit, to explain: It is hands down the hardest non science or math major and I am sure it competes with the toughest of those.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
DonMigs85 said:
Bachelor of Science in deboning Salmon
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, I've found deboning poultry to be a much more difficult job.

Also technically some fish do not have bones, so I believe the correct term is filleting.
 
B

Blader

Member
DMczaf said:
If you get an engineering degree, along with the degree they should give you a hugh ass triple tiered trophy and a lap dance on the stage during graduation.
Click to expand...

Who is Hugh and why would you want a trophy of his ass?
 
H

Hootie

Member
Hasphat6462 said:
You can always change your major. Don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I realize that, but those are the majors I really am interested in. I know my mind may change, but as of now, nothing else appeals to me other than biomedical engineering, which isn't any easier :lol
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Zyzyxxz said:
I don't know about that, I've found deboning poultry to be a much more difficult job.

Also technically some fish do not have bones, so I believe the correct term is filleting.
Click to expand...
Deboning poultry is the Master's
 
D

DMczaf

Member
Blader5489 said:
Who is Hugh and why would you want a trophy of his ass?
Click to expand...

hugh-jackman.jpg
 
E

EzLink

Banned
I'm gonna be majoring in comp sci starting next semester and I'm kind of terrified that it is going to suck ass

never done anything with programming, and I HATE math and chemistry (two areas I apparently will have lots of classes in for the major)

money is good in that field though so I'm sure the payoff will be worth it
 
L

liquidspeed

Member
EzLink said:
I'm gonna be majoring in comp sci starting next semester and I'm kind of terrified that it is going to suck ass

never done anything with programming, and I HATE math and chemistry (two areas I apparently will have lots of classes in for the major)

money is good in that field though so I'm sure the payoff will be worth it
Click to expand...
My best friend actually just switched to comp Sci

When I first started m y engineering degree I looked at the list of classes - lots of calculus, Diff EQ, physics, etc and it was pretty overwhelming; but it helped alot to just focus on 1 semester at a time.

edit: as for hating math: once you get into Calculus you may find it interesting. I know I do now that IM in differential equations.
as for chemistry.. yea I hate chemistry too.
 
Y

Yaweee

Member
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Physics
Math
Mechanical Engineering
Material Science & Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Biological Engineering
Computer Science

Other ******* Engineerings (like Aerospace) are kind of rare, so it is hard to say how hard they are. Astrophysics would only be like one or two classes different than regular physics if all you're going for is an undergrad degree, since there's not really any room for classes in a program's schedule.

For the person suggesting Philosophy, wtf? I minored in Philosophy and those classes took me about 1/3rd of the time each week as my physics classes, and I got better grades.
 
B

bucknuticus

Member
I went in to college thinking I would do comp sci with no programming experience what so ever. After taking 2 classes of it I decided I would shoot myself in the fact if I had to do that every day. And now im a Geography Major with focus in Urban and Regional Analysis.
 
2

2San

Member
Hardest seem to be the engineering studies. From what I've seen vehicle engineering and air&space engineering seem to be the hardest(no idea what the proper English names are).

I am personally doing Economics & Business, which is easy to be honest(well as far as studies that actually hold value goes).
 
S

Salazar

Member
Yaweee said:
For the person suggesting Philosophy, wtf? I minored in Philosophy and those classes took me about 1/3rd of the time each week as my physics classes, and I got better grades.
Click to expand...

It's the most elastic, expansive, nebulous discipline that's been mentioned. Your experience of it represents very little beyond itself.
 
F

Father_Mike

Member
zaxor0 said:
Came to post this, gotta represent.

edit, to explain: It is hands down the hardest non science or math major and I am sure it competes with the toughest of those.
Click to expand...


As a compsci and philo double major I can say that philo is no where near the challenge as compsci, which is only really hard because of the workload. Hardest really has to be pure math and engineering.
 
C

clip

Member
bucknuticus said:
I went in to college thinking I would do comp sci with no programming experience what so ever. After taking 2 classes of it I decided I would shoot myself in the fact if I had to do that every day. And now im a Geography Major with focus in Urban and Regional Analysis.
Click to expand...

Don't completely turn your back on programming though, it helps a lot with GIS work.
 
F

Father_Mike

Member
EzLink said:
I'm gonna be majoring in comp sci starting next semester and I'm kind of terrified that it is going to suck ass

never done anything with programming, and I HATE math and chemistry (two areas I apparently will have lots of classes in for the major)

money is good in that field though so I'm sure the payoff will be worth it
Click to expand...


Did you take stuff on matrices or linear algebra in highschool? I would say if compsci was comparable to any math subject it would be that.
 
S

Srsly

Banned
Anything that is boring. For me, the hardest classes have been communications, sociology and political science -- I just didn't care to learn the material/do the papers in these courses, and wanted to gouge my eyes out every second of every lecture. Anything math and science related is a thrill for me to learn, and thus easy.
 
D

Dipper145

Member
I struggle to succeed in anything I find boring. So I succeed in anything math and science. I am majoring in some type of engineering, after the first year I decide which field.
 
S

Srsly

Banned
If we're going by what the consensus is for what makes majors difficult, then meteorology should easily be in the top 10. It is essentially applied physics and math, and requires math courses through differential equations.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
math, physics, chemistry, engineering
and probably something related to medicine (maybe biology? haven't taken any beyond first year so i dunno).
 
E

EzLink

Banned
Father_Mike said:
Did you take stuff on matrices or linear algebra in highschool? I would say if compsci was comparable to any math subject it would be that.
Click to expand...

Nope, I always told myself I would never do anything career-wise that involved math because I hated it so much. Even though I'm pretty good at it

Hell, I haven't taken a math class in over a year. The last one I had was Statistics, it was fucking miserable

I'm really, really looking forward to uni next year (been at a shitty community college the past two years) but I hope I don't get there and end up hating my major

If I keep my hours per semester to 12, and don't get a job during school, hopefully I'll still have plenty of time to socialize even though I'm sure my workload will be heavy. These are gonna be my college years, I don't want them to go to waste by staying holed up in my dorm every day doing shitty math

EDIT: I also don't know why I need upper 200 level physics and chemistry classes for computer science. No clue how that shit is related (particularly chemistry, wtf)
 
Death Dealer

Death Dealer

Member
Srsly said:
If we're going by what the consensus is for what makes majors difficult, then meteorology should easily be in the top 10. It is essentially applied physics and math, and requires math courses through differential equations.
Click to expand...

So those weathermen didn't slack off in school.

I have to agree, anything with a lot of math, or certain foreign languages have to be the most difficult majors.
 
L

liquidspeed

Member
Death Dealer said:
So those weathermen didn't slack off in school.

I have to agree, anything with a lot of math, or certain foreign languages have to be the most difficult majors.
Click to expand...

I got really lucky. I dont have to take any foreign language in college, but Im considering doing it as an elective just becuase its highly practical in an ever globalizing world.
 
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