"She's just a business major."

"It's only business."

"Business majors have it so easy."

If I had a dollar for every time I heard one of these sentences, then I would have enough money to pay off my student loans. I am entering my third year of college and I have come to recognize a common pattern between us college students. And it's a pattern that I wish would break so badly.

For some strange reason, we as college students have developed this irritating habit of feeling the need to compare different majors that are completely unrelated to one another. As a pre-med student, I have come to realize this is especially prevalent in not only the pre-med community, but in the majors that are more heavily based in the sciences. However, I've also heard these comments from other majors as well and each time I hear it, it makes me cringe.

It's not just the statement that makes me cringe, though. It's the deprecating sneers that dance around the comment itself. It's the condescending attitude that the comment is stained with. Can you imagine if somebody told you that your dreams were unreasonable? That everything that you were so sure you were working towards, all of your effort was essentially futile? Now, imagine the person saying this was someone who was literally your age, who had absolutely zero knowledge of your skill set, your talents, your capabilities or the difficulty of the area you're interested in? It's a frustrating thought. So, why would you want to bestow those same disheartening feelings on another person?

There is absolutely no reason to discredit another person's career choice, especially if it's done in an attempt to make yours seem more valid. We are all in the same boat. We're all 20-something-year-olds who have been thrown into an environment where we're pressured to make decisions that determine the rest of our lives. There are some who know exactly what they want to do and have always known what they wanted to do. Respect that. There are some who are still figuring out who they are as people. Respect that. Everyone has different talents and no one is the same. Respect that.

Diminishing the importance of someone else's ambitions is like attempting to subtly trip them during their race because you believe it will help you win yours. Except there's one major detail you're neglecting. They're not even running the same race as you. And to make matters even more awkward, it's not even a race. So, in reality, you've accomplished nothing except tripping this poor fellow college student for no reason whatsoever and making yourself look like a fool. Life is not a competition and it's most definitely not a race. We all have our own finish lines and if we can't offer rounds of encouragement and fueling stations to those around us, then we should simply close our mouths.

So, if your life's ambition is to major in business, then by all means, major in business. If there's nothing your heart desires more than to open your own restaurant, then by all means, dream and work towards that ambition. If all you've ever dreamed of is to be a pediatric surgeon, then go for it. There is no one holding a gun to your head, forcing you to pick a major, so you might as well pick one that you'll enjoy. Pick one that caters to your gifts and your abilities. Take pride in whatever your art and your passions and don't let anyone belittle your passions. Whatever you want to be, be the best that you can be at it.