I turn and glare at the red letters of the digital clock on my nightstand. They taunt: 2:12 a.m. I grit my teeth and look back to my assignment and then to the clock one more time. My heart is pounding in my chest, as I finally decide to get some rest and finish it tomorrow before class.
I sigh, and I lay my head on the pillow, but all I see are formulas dancing before my eyes, and all I feel is the stress of tomorrow already waiting at my door. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to quell my racing mind.
As a senior in college, I can tell you this scenario is not foreign to me, and I’d be willing to wager it’s not foreign to many people my age who are on the noble pursuit of higher education.
We’ve all had those exasperated moments where sleep is not an option, and the next day holds nothing but dread. We’re all in college, and we’re all stressed, which is why I have no tolerance for students shaming one another for their chosen field of study. The most popular form of which seems to boil down to STEM vs. The World.
Many STEM majors seem to retain a sort of superiority complex when comparing themselves to those outside their fields of study. That’s not to say all STEM majors act as such, but there seems to be a visible pattern as of late.
The blame for this divide, however, does not belong to STEM as a field, but the society that places more emphasis on STEM careers and classes, both as these individuals are growing up and learning about the world, and as they advance through life.
I’m not saying STEM is not important; I am simply saying there are many career paths and STEM isn’t for everybody. All forms of study should be celebrated and emphasized, as the choice of pursuing higher education is an admirable endeavor, no matter the field of study.
However, blame or not, the fact remains that college places an inordinate amount of stress on the people in it, humanities and STEM majors alike. All majors are difficult. The pursuit of higher education itself is challenging, so why make it a competition?
I understand human nature itself is competition, but as young adults, we’re still finding our place in the world and trying to find what field of study is right for us; things only made more difficult by our age and the confusion that usually comes with it.
Different people are good at different things. Some people are good at math and science but do not major in it because it does not fit their career goals. Some people aren’t good at math or science, and as such, choose a career where they do not have to apply fields of study that are difficult for them.
Everyone has different levels of intelligence when it comes to different subjects. The fact someone is better at art history than they are at calculus doesn’t make them stupid, but why are they still judged by that fact?
While majors such as chemistry and engineering have a rep for being extremely difficult, certain majors end up at the opposite end of the spectrum, written off as being “easy.” Maybe sociology comes easier to most than trig does, but that doesn’t make the major itself easy. My final paper for one of my sociology classes clocked in at 27 full pages.
Many students are also under a plethora of outside pressures as well that only adds to the stress of school. Many students are working to maintain a full-time job while they go to school, while others are balancing extracurriculars or an honors thesis.
The point is: in college, everyone has a lot going on, and everyone is just doing their best. No major is easy, and no person is stress-free.
Playing the pain Olympics is no fun for anyone involved, and you don’t get a medal for proving you have the most on your plate. Everyone is in college, and everyone is at the stage where they are still trying to find their path in the world. By all means, vent about how stressful your major is, but don’t put others down for theirs.
