There’s a clear hierarchy of majors at Cornell. Commonly joked about on the Cornell meme page, there seems to be an understanding that engineers and STEM majors are superior to majors in the humanities. This concept is completely wrong, and Cornell needs to change the way it sees only STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) majors as useful and important.
First, the belief that STEM and engineering classes are more difficult than humanities classes is incorrect.
A true college education is only complete when a student develops critical thinking skills, and both STEM/engineering classes and humanities classes provide this opportunity for students, making them both equally challenging. When I entered Cornell, I was completely undecided in my major. In high school, I had enjoyed my STEM and humanities classes equally, so at Cornell, I decided to enroll in courses in both areas. I quickly learned that my classes in both fields required equal amounts of work, mental capacity, and the need for reasoning and logic that helped in the development of my critical thinking skills. The main difference is that the STEM logic is more constrained in the context in which it is used, especially quantitatively, and is more difficult to apply to real-world situations. Students learn information about the subject and are expected to think about it. In humanities classes, teachers also provide specific tools to help students learn how to think, and I find myself constantly referring to these tools in any real-world situation.
When broken down, the humanities are social science classes. That is, it’s the same science as the S in STEM. Lab sciences and social sciences both test hypotheses that evaluate whether a change in one variable causes a change in another. Just because when we think of “science” we first think of lab coats, chemicals, or specimens, it doesn’t make that type of science more legitimate than social sciences. In fact, social science may be considered more challenging because of how contentious and ambiguous the subjects are. For example, in testing a hypothesis related to chemistry in a lab, it is possible to manipulate one variable to check for a result. In a social science study, this can be difficult because one cannot alter history or positively conclude that there are no colluding variables that might have caused the result instead. The best a social scientist can do is create more hypotheses to test other variables, while lab scientists are one-and-done. Social scientists also constantly argue about mere definitions and measurements of basic concepts, while lab sciences are lucky enough to have internationally-recognized terminology. Since everything is constantly debated and social science fields are still developing, these scientists get to engage in more of this critical thinking than lab scientists.
In the same vein, “STEM” does not necessarily translate to “more difficult.” Both STEM and humanities classes involve problem solving, something that’s clear in STEM, but more implicit in the humanities. Writing essays involves problem solving. Writers think critically and deeply to write a thesis and organize supports, using evidence to explain the answer in the same way one does in a computer science problem set. People only believe humanities classes are easier because it is impossible to take shortcuts when problem solving in STEM classes – you work until you get an answer. However, it’s possible to take a shortcut in writing by writing a simple, weak thesis with undeveloped supports. In this case, the person hasn’t truly utilized the opportunity to learn how to think, so he or she hasn’t experienced the challenge of the humanities.
The different majors aren’t necessarily indicative of the amount of work, either. Problem sets in STEM classes are time-consuming, but so is a well thought-out essay. Regardless, why does it matter if someone spends more time on work than somebody else? It doesn’t always translate to difficulty, perhaps the person spending less time is simply more efficient and productive.
Moreover, there’s a common misconception that STEM/engineering majors are more employable, but just because someone graduates with that degree it does not equate to an automatic job post-graduation. The belief that STEM degrees guarantee success because the field is rich in opportunities is false. According to a 2017 New York Times article, the number of graduates with technical degrees (in life sciences, engineering, physical sciences, and mathematical sciences) far exceed the demand for jobs in these fields; the only exception in which the number of graduates nearly meets the demand is a computer science degree.
At the same time, someone with a humanities major won’t necessarily end up homeless. Regardless, the choice in major doesn’t determine your job or future. There are people in any profession with any major.
If you’re reading this as a humanities major, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re reading this as an engineer or STEM major, you might be in denial: “I know some people might think we’re better than humanities majors, but I’d never say anything of the sort.” Even if you think you aren’t outwardly expressing your sense of superiority, it’s present. For example, when introducing someone to your group of friends, you might say, “this is Mike, he’s pre-med,” but it is significantly less common to introduce someone with the major if it’s in the humanities. Or, it might be in the way you say, “wow, a Mechanical Engineer? That sounds really rough,” while remaining silent as the other person introduces him or herself as a Government major.
Why are we trying to isolate our peers? Our motto is “Any Person, Any Study.” Students are here learning about what they’re interested in and they deserve to be respected. It’s all part of the competitive nature of Cornell – maybe students were highly successful in their high schools, and they want to continue feeling this way around equally intelligent peers by discounting the work of their peers in the humanities.
Remember, despite the differences in majors, we’re all Cornell students. Be inspired by the diverse interests. Everyone here is going to make an impact, whether it’s by proving a theory in physics, or using a communication background to discover a new way to use movies to change someone’s attitude or behavior, or applying the logic from a theory learned in a government class to solve a math problem.
