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[Lamel]

I go to a magnet high school for engineering, math and science. I take electrical engineering as opposed to civil/mechanical.

We have covered subjects ranging from C++ programming to Assembly Language/firmware to AC/DC circuit analysis. Fucking college level shit from 9-12th grade... -_- In fact our professor teaches at NJIT too, and he says our class is currently ahead of the college class :lol

If it's any indication, some sort of engineering would be guaranteed to be on that list.

 

[liquidspeed]

I go to a magnet high school for engineering, math and science. I take electrical engineering as opposed to civil/mechanical.

We have covered subjects ranging from C++ programming to Assembly Language/firmware to AC/DC circuit analysis. Fucking college level shit from 9-12th grade... -_- In fact our professor teaches at NJIT too, and he says our class is currently ahead of the college class :lol

If it's any indication, some sort of engineering would be guaranteed to be on that list.

Crap.... I took Physics of electricity, magnitism and optics last semester. Dc circitry isnt too bad, but crap, the AC stuff is full of calculus and DIfferential equations; and its a lot more complicated. I still dont entirely get some of the AC stuff.. especially the poynting vector.

 

[OliveJuice]

Math related majors.
Computer Science is really up there as well. I mean actual Comp Sci., i.e theoretical, and not software engineering like what most places actually have.

However, it completely depends on what type of person you are and your motivation to take that subject.

 

[Lamel]

Crap.... I took Physics of electircity, magnitism and optics last semester. Dc circitry isnt too bad, but crap, the AC stuff is full of calculus and DIfferential equations; and its a lot more complicated. I still dont entirely get some of the AC stuff.. especially the poynting vector.

DC circuit anal was a breeze. We are doing AC circuit anal now. Since we're in 11th grade and haven't taken calculus, we just get the formulas, and the guy tries to explain the derivation best he can. We just reached reactance/impedance in series (RCL circuits). The pointing vector, you mean Phasors/Polar Form? That's not too bad, took a while to get it though.

We had a lab to do in which we had to create a low pass filter, failing so bad at it with my two friends. Last time we tried, instead of a sine wave, a fucking wave came out in the shape of batman's mask.:lol

 

[liquidspeed]

DC circuit anal was a breeze. We are doing AC circuit anal now. Since we're in 11th grade and haven't taken calculus, we just get the formulas, and the guy tries to explain the derivation best he can. We just reached reactance/impedance in series (RCL circuits). The pointing vector, you mean Phasors/Polar Form? That's not too bad, took a while to get it though.

We had a lab to do in which we had to create a low pass filter, failing so bad at it with my two friends. Last time we tried, instead of a sine wave, a fucking wave came out in the shape of batman's helmet.:lol

no, you are thinking of a phasor diagram; the poynting vector is the cross product of the electric and magnetic fields...

something like this: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/waves/emwv.html

 

[zaxor0]

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.

It really depends on what your reading and what your professors demand of you. It can be easy if your scope in your papers is small and isn't too complicated (which is what is best to do for phil classes), but this doesn't mean it is anything compelling.

I am currently working on a term paper about Kant's formulation of humanity and I have spent countless hours reading and thinking. This is because I am planning to use it as a writing sample for grad schools, so I am putting more time into it. The point is writing a paper with an argument is one thing, but making it air tight is another.

This isn't to disrespect you or what you studied, but you should be aware (you might be, I really don't know) of the levels one can get into with philosophy. Taking a course of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and really having a grasp on the content isn't the same as a course on ethics where you briefly cover the vast amount of common problems.

While I don't know all that much about comp sci and programing, I believe the symbolic logic courses one is generally required to take as a phil major are similar. Just this part of philosophy can become extremely complicated.
edit: look at this http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-linear/

The hardest part of philosophy is probably the volume of knowledge of the tradition one is required to know. To understand Derrida or Foucault, you really need to know your Kant and Hegel. While some people can pick up something by Foucault and grasp it to some degree, the difference with someone who is serious about philosophy is that they can articulate and defend the ideas in relation to movements such as structuralism, post structuralism, enlightenment, or the modern era in general. Knowing what is going on in a work of philosophy is different than just being able to briefly restate the general thesis.

 

[Hootie]

I had a teacher in college that spoke Thai and Sanskrit. :lol

Bitches love Sanskrit.

 

[Lamel]

no, you are thinking of a phasor diagram; the poynting vector is the cross product of the electric and magnetic fields...

something like this: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/waves/emwv.html

Ah shit, so that's what's coming up huh...We'll see how that goes.

 

[Peronthious]

I may be partial to my own, but Aerospace Engineering. Everyone I've talked to says I'm in one of the rougher discipline tracks.

Not looking forward to Thermo next semester.

 

[Corky]

mechanical / material engineering

:U

:I



:[

:'[[

 

[Peronthious]

mechanical / material engineering

+1

I'm just in a basic Material Science class now, and there's so much information here my head's about to explode from this course alone. I think I'd go over the edge if we ever got into three or four dimensional phase diagrams.

 

[Corky]

I may be partial to my own, but Aerospace Engineering. Everyone I've talked to says I'm in one of the rougher discipline tracks.

Not looking forward to Thermo next semester.

tbh, thermodynamics isnt that bad,

engineering mechanics
and
mechanics of materials is where its at

 

[tokkun]

I think I could probably successfully complete any major degree in math, science, or engineering.

The hardest would probably be something like a music performance major on piano.

In summary, you should worry about what is difficult for you, not what is difficult for others.

 

[swoon]

classics is pretty hard.

 

[Corky]

I think I could probably successfully complete any major degree in math, science, or engineering.

The hardest would probably be something like a music performance major on piano.

In summary, you should worry about what is difficult for you, not what is difficult for others.

then again, you work on the cern project :I , youre not entitled to speak about math or science :3...

 

[liquidspeed]

tbh, thermodynamics isnt that bad,

engineering mechanics
and
mechanics of materials is where its at

IN the program I am in, thermo is a nightmare....

I'll be taking it next semester, but some of my friends are in it now.... on the first test the class average was like 30 percent. the prof let them take it home and do it for homework, and then he mixed the 2 scores... My friend spent 8 hours on the first question.. he said they basiclly mixed thermo with mechanics of D.bodies, dynamics and statics all in the same test...

 

[Corky]

IN the program I am in, thermo is a nightmare....

I'll be taking it next semester, but some of my friends are in it now.... on the first test the class average was like 30 percen. the prof let them take it home and do it for homework, and then he mixed the 2 scores... My friend spend 8 hours on the first question.. he said they basiclly mixexd thermo with mechanics of D.bodies, dynamics and statics all in the same test...

well then...that sounds like hell. I mean for real, fiery depths of molten earth. Hell...

 

[Salazar]

classics is pretty hard.

Another good answer, to counter the inevitable, blood-boiling assumption that the humanities are a cakewalk. My classics BA was extraordinarily difficult, and I believe that anybody who goes into it intending and intellectually able to do the discipline justice—and availed of a responsible and learned teacher—will find it damned hard. Classical textual criticism of a high order is as demanding as contorting yourself in maths and physics seminars.

 

[liquidspeed]

Another good answer, to counter the inevitable, blood-boiling assumption that the humanities are a cakewalk. My classics BA was extraordinarily difficult, and I believe that anybody who goes into it intending and intellectually able to do the discipline justice—and availed of a responsible and learned teacher—will find it damned hard. Classical textual criticism of a high order is as demanding as contorting yourself in maths and physics seminars.

what exactly is classics?

 

[Lamel]

I may be partial to my own, but Aerospace Engineering. Everyone I've talked to says I'm in one of the rougher discipline tracks.

Not looking forward to Thermo next semester.

Oh really now, that's one of the majors I was considering for college. I have a question. If you major in aerospace engineering, how easy/likely is it to find a career as an airline pilot?

 

[Salazar]

what exactly is classics?

The varieties of things to study and ways to study them in the ancient (Mediterranean and Oriental) world. The different branches of political and social history, the criticism of the literature, the understanding of the languages, the appreciation and interpretation of the art, the elucidation of the philosophy. It's stupendously broad. I focused primarily on Rome and took a number of archaeological courses, with some time in museum studies. Good degree to take in most universities.

 

[liquidspeed]

The varieties of things to study and ways to study them in the ancient (Mediterranean and Oriental) world. The different branches of political and social history, the criticism of the literature, the understanding of the languages, the appreciation and interpretation of the art, the elucidation of the philosophy. It's stupendously broad. I focused primarily on Rome and took a number of archaeological courses, with some time in museum studies. Good degree to take in most universities.

the archeaology stuff sounds really cool.

 

[seanoff]

Medicine

Theoretical Physics

 

[Corky]

Oh really now, that's one of the majors I was considering for college. I have a question. If you major in aerospace engineering, how easy/likely is it to find a career as an airline pilot?

I'm guessing as likely as a dentist becoming a surgeon I guess. The fields are in the same ballpark but worlds apart in their own rights. Then again, just talking out of my ass

 

[Yaweee]

Oh really now, that's one of the majors I was considering for college. I have a question. If you major in aerospace engineering, how easy/likely is it to find a career as an airline pilot?

They are completely unrelated fields. Airline pilot has its own school requirements-- pilot's license + other classes + an obscene number of logged flight hours, by my understanding.

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

It depends on what you are good at.

 

[Forkball]

Piano.

 

[chicko1983]

It really depends on what your reading and what your professors demand of you. It can be easy if your scope in your papers is small and isn't too complicated (which is what is best to do for phil classes), but this doesn't mean it is anything compelling.

I am currently working on a term paper about Kant's formulation of humanity and I have spent countless hours reading and thinking. This is because I am planning to use it as a writing sample for grad schools, so I am putting more time into it. The point is writing a paper with an argument is one thing, but making it air tight is another.

This isn't to disrespect you or what you studied, but you should be aware (you might be, I really don't know) of the levels one can get into with philosophy. Taking a course of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and really having a grasp on the content isn't the same as a course on ethics where you briefly cover the vast amount of common problems.

While I don't know all that much about comp sci and programing, I believe the symbolic logic courses one is generally required to take as a phil major are similar. Just this part of philosophy can become extremely complicated.
edit: look at this http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-linear/

The hardest part of philosophy is probably the volume of knowledge of the tradition one is required to know. To understand Derrida or Foucault, you really need to know your Kant and Hegel. While some people can pick up something by Foucault and grasp it to some degree, the difference with someone who is serious about philosophy is that they can articulate and defend the ideas in relation to movements such as structuralism, post structuralism, enlightenment, or the modern era in general. Knowing what is going on in a work of philosophy is different than just being able to briefly restate the general thesis.

I don't mean to sound like a douche but if you can understand something but not be able to articulate it (such as Foucault), then isn't that easier than than trying to learn something you can't understand at all (like calculus).

I'm a mechanical engineer and don't really see undergraduate philosophy in the same ball park in as the engineering or maths degrees, terms of difficulty.

The linear logic stuff does look interesting though.

 

[LCfiner]

all the engineering majors are tough. I was in mech. eng and whenever we had a course dealing with the electrical side of things our first two years, it seemed so friggin insanely complex compared to the physics stuff we we working on most of the time.

but then I took aerospace options in my last year and I don’t think anything is tougher than that. well over half of the people in every class would fail the midterms. friggin nuts :lol

 

[layzie1989]

yeaaaaaaaahhhhhh im an art major...

 

[Thagomizer]

I don't mean to sound like a douche but if you can understand something but not be able to articulate it (such as Foucault), then isn't that easier than than trying to learn something you can't understand at all (like calculus).

I'm a mechanical engineer and don't really see undergraduate philosophy in the same ball park in as the engineering or maths degrees, terms of difficulty.

The linear logic stuff does look interesting though.

If you can't articulate, you don't understand.

 

[Peronthious]

Oh really now, that's one of the majors I was considering for college. I have a question. If you major in aerospace engineering, how easy/likely is it to find a career as an airline pilot?

I'll echo what Corky said and say it's on a different plane (hurr) of experience. For another analogy, it'd be like a mechanical engineer being a professional driver. Even if it was similar, I'm not sure why you'd want to be an airline pilot if you have an engineering degree. The pay scales are worlds apart.

 

[Peronthious]

IN the program I am in, thermo is a nightmare....

I'll be taking it next semester, but some of my friends are in it now.... on the first test the class average was like 30 percent. the prof let them take it home and do it for homework, and then he mixed the 2 scores... My friend spent 8 hours on the first question.. he said they basiclly mixed thermo with mechanics of D.bodies, dynamics and statics all in the same test...

Holy hell that sounds painful. I thought statics was fun, everything was kind of a puzzle that if you knew how everything fit together the problems were easy. I'm in both dynamics and deforms now, the latter is ok especially with the professor I've got, but after we started rigid body stuff dynamics took a turn for the worse.

 

[Meadows]

In my experience:

Electronics
Computer Science
Physics
Medicine
Molecular Biology
Maths
Chemistry
Psychology
Law
Biochemistry

BTW: I do Sociology :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol So fun to watch other people stressing about work when I have so little.

Spoiler

but then they'll get a good degree

 

[bluemax]

Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis on Astronautics, or as they called it when I was in it "Fucking Rocket Science".

I switched to Comp Sci, which wasn't much easier (F U Operating Systems), but more my style.

 

[liquidspeed]

Holy hell that sounds painful. I thought statics was fun, everything was kind of a puzzle that if you knew how everything fit together the problems were easy. I'm in both dynamics and deforms now, the latter is ok especially with the professor I've got, but after we started rigid body stuff dynamics took a turn for the worse.

Statics was really hard for me because I suck at geometry lol ( that class made me get a lot better at it though).

Dynamics is quite a bit easier so far. I think its becuase at this point it has been heavier on calclulus than geometry. We are just starting the ridgied body stuff though, so I am expecting it to get substanitally harder...

edit: I also think i may have an easy prof. for dynamics.

I've heard mechanics of deformable bodies is really hard though ( again next semseter for me)

 

[Holmes]

chemical engineering

Really? :/ I'm actually thinking of switching from chemistry to that. Is it a big difference?

 

[Lonely1]

Well, Im not form the USA, the college structure is way different here. But my Licenciature (Mathematics) has lower than 4% succes rate.

 

[zaxor0]

I don't mean to sound like a douche but if you can understand something but not be able to articulate it (such as Foucault), then isn't that easier than than trying to learn something you can't understand at all (like calculus).

You don't, it is an understandable question. But the understanding articulation distinction isn't what I was trying to say.

Here is an example, someone can pick up and read through Foucault's Discipline and Punish. If they spend the time going through it they should figure out the general conclusion is that since the 17th century until now disciplinary regimes shifted from being focused on dominating the corporal entity to dominating the non-corporal/soul of the person.

Now, wading through this text and being able to restate that is somewhat easy, most college student should be able to do that I hope. However, analyzing this text and understanding the implications of the various arguments, i.e. whether or Foucault is committed to a concept of power structures, what sort of prescriptive claims can we pull out from the text-whether or not those are really justified, are all sorts of things that take a serious amount work. The level one can defend the arguments about these things is also indicative of the time spent reading and rereading.

So in a philosophy class, say about Foucault, you would be assigned a paper and you could chose some point he makes and argue what he is committed to or if it is even justified. Normally, it would be best to keep your scope small so you don't out do yourself and leave holes in your paper. A well written paper would take into account different interpretations and possible objections and be able to defend against them all. The best thing to do is to keep things simple and focused.

The distinction I am trying to suggest is not one of understanding or articulation. Instead, knowledge of the work, its relation to other works prior to it, the full commitments the author has, a large amount of possible objections-reasons to reject these or not, and so on. This is opposed to simply being able to pull out the premises and the conclusion-which can be considered understanding but if so it is limited use of the word.

 

[leroidys]

Depending on where you are and if you give a shit or not, music. The classes are never ballbustingly hard, but you have to have the discipline to practice for 5-10 hours every single day.

Similarly, most language programs (unfortunately) let you continue and get Cs even if you only have the most basic grasp of syntax and vocab. But if you actually care about learning the language and becoming fluent, it is incredibly difficult.

By the 3rd year, I was basically the only non native speaker in my Russian class who could actually speak and understand Russian. Everyone else managed to continue passing and get degrees in it though they had the proficiency of a 3-4 year old.

You don't, it is an understandable question. But the understanding articulation distinction isn't what I was trying to say.

Here is an example, someone can pick up and read through Foucault's Discipline and Punish. If they spend the time going through it they should figure out the general conclusion is that since the 17th century until now disciplinary regimes shifted from being focused on dominating the corporal entity to dominating the non-corporal/soul of the person.

Now, wading through this text and being able to restate that is somewhat easy, most college student should be able to do that I hope. However, analyzing this text and understanding the implications of the various arguments, i.e. whether or Foucault is committed to a concept of power structures, what sort of prescriptive claims can we pull out from the text-whether or not those are really justified, are all sorts of things that take a serious amount work. The level one can defend the arguments about these things is also indicative of the time spent reading and rereading.

So in a philosophy class, say about Foucault, you would be assigned a paper and you could chose some point he makes and argue what he is committed to or if it is even justified. Normally, it would be best to keep your scope small so you don't out do yourself and leave holes in your paper. A well written paper would take into account different interpretations and possible objections and be able to defend against them all. The best thing to do is to keep things simple and focused.

The distinction I am trying to suggest is not one of understanding or articulation. Instead, knowledge of the work, its relation to other works prior to it, the full commitments the author has, a large amount of possible objections-reasons to reject these or not, and so on. This is opposed to simply being able to pull out the premises and the conclusion-which can be considered understanding but if so it is limited use of the word.

I ran into a problem with this a few weeks ago, trying to explain Foucaults repressive hypothesis, and how it is not Freudian. Made me feel like a complete idiot when I completely failed to articulate any of his points clearly. :lol

 

[7h1ag0]

But my Licenciature (Mathematics) has lower than 4% succes rate.

mine (physics) is about the same.

last year results in calc 1:
http://fisica.ufpr.br/hercules/notas_fis.pdf

 

[chicko1983]

If you can't articulate, you don't understand.

I'd disagree.

Putting together a well structured and thought out essay for some people is hard even if they understand the principles of the argument the essay is on.

The distinction I am trying to suggest is not one of understanding or articulation. Instead, knowledge of the work, its relation to other works prior to it, the full commitments the author has, a large amount of possible objections-reasons to reject these or not, and so on. This is opposed to simply being able to pull out the premises and the conclusion-which can be considered understanding but if so it is limited use of the word.

I think I understand (for lack of a better word) what you are saying now. You need to have a vast knowledge of the work to be able to prepare a good argument for an essay.

To have the vast knowledge takes a lot of time and effort, hence the reason why you think it is a difficult course.

But how hard is the undergraduate course? Surely they wouldnt expect an undergraduate to have an extraordinary depth of knowledge of philosophy when they have to cover such a wide variety of topics. Surely lecturers would only scratch the surface of topics, leaving really indepth analysis of specific things to postgraduate study or research.

 

[Peronthious]

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.

If you do switch to aeronautics, be prepared to probably make that six years depending on where you're at. There are lots of similarities between MechE and AeroE, but the big difference is that in Aero you're primarily dealing with high speed compressible fluid flows. Just dealing with those is probably 6 credits, and before that you have the basic aircraft performance and aerodynamics bits where you consider the aircraft as a point mass with certain characteristics imparted by the mechanical features. After that's working with fluid flow along specific portions of the aircraft. It's not a huge jump, but most of aero is adding on top of what you do in mech rather than replacing it.

 

[ronito]

Any instrumental music performance.

What other major 3-5 hours daily practice on top of homework?

 

[Femmeworth]

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

I'm currently a Computer Science major, but I'm considering bailing out. If you hate math, you are absolutely going to hate discrete math, I know I do. Computer Science is very math dependent when you get down to it. I'm not trying to scare you, but I enjoy programming and I had Computer Science all throughout high school. Despite that, I'm fairly sure it is just not the major for me.

I've only done 5 weeks of Computer Science so far and I already feel like shit. Discrete Maths can go straight to hell too.

Seriously, fuck discrete math. The only thing worse than taking a discrete math course is taking one taught by an Austrian professor.

 

[hamchan]

I've only done 5 weeks of Computer Science so far and I already feel like shit. Discrete Maths can go straight to hell too.

 

[EzLink]

I'm currently a Computer Science major, but I'm considering bailing out. If you hate math, you are absolutely going to hate discrete math, I know I do. Computer Science is very math dependent when you get down to it. I'm not trying to scare you, but I enjoy programming and I had Computer Science all throughout high school.

:/

See, I've already put in my two years of gen eds. I was literally out of time and had to pick a major. So I picked one with good money and good job security.

Hows the workload? How many hours a day do you usually sink into homework?

blah this is making me feel very uncertain of my choice

I've only done 5 weeks of Computer Science so far and I already feel like shit. Discrete Maths can go straight to hell too.

fuuuuu

it can't be that bad can it? :/

also once you have the degree and are working, the actual work isn't going to be super frusterating and difficult right?

perhaps i should have done more research before willy nilly picking a degree

 

[Peronthious]

Any instrumental music performance.

What other major 3-5 hours daily practice on top of homework?

It is pretty heavy, especially considering the career opportunities afterward (or lack thereof), but if you're in a performance program you probably love what you're doing already. I took piano lessons for 11 years before going to college and could have gone into performance, but while I loved piano I didn't feel like making it my entire life. If you're in a performance program you've made that decision already, and what you're doing in school is really only a prequel to what you're going to be doing after graduation.

 

[Chris R]

You can hate math and still complete a cs major. Just expect to have issues during multiple classes.

As for the hardest majors, it really depends on each person. I love math/science so any degree in those fields wouldn't be too hard for me. On the other hand I hate English classes and only took what I had to, and nothing more. Don't think I could get a degree in those fields.

 

[hamchan]

:/

See, I've already put in my two years of gen eds. I was literally out of time and had to pick a major. So I picked one with good money and good job security.

Hows the workload? How many hours a day do you usually sink into homework?

At my uni I have 24 contact hours. I got 5 hours of Japanese, 6 hours of Discrete Maths, 6 hours of Calculus and Algebra and 7 hours of Computer classes. I think I should be doing 3+ hours a day homework if I want to keep up but so far I'm not :lol