Major Misconceptions: all majors deserve no judgement

Students are not defined by their major. Despite coming to Texas Tech to fulfill career dreams or pursue higher education, college majors perpetuate unnecessary stereotypes.

The first question most people ask each other while being introduced on campus is, “What is your major?” the question should give an insight into one’s studies and interests. Rather, college majors seem to inaccurately take a snapshot of one’s character.

Students cannot ignore certain majors perpetuate stereotypes. Here are a couple of instances where college major stereotypes are useless.

Socially, business majors are deemed lazy, but business majors have the widest distribution in salary, earning up to $98,000 with just a bachelor’s degree according to The Center on Education and the Workforce. Truly, it does not matter if a business major is considered lazy if they are making close to $100k.

STEM majors tend to be placed on a pedestal for their rigorous studies yet according to a study done by the National Survey of Student Engagement, STEM majors study about 18.5 hours a week while art and humanities majors study 17.5 hours. The difference of one hour does not offer the other entitlement.

Realistically, Tech offers more than 150 academic programs which can play to each student’s strengths.

STEM majors are undeniably able to solve an equation faster than a linguistics major, but a linguistics major can consume foreign media without having to use a translation device.

The bottom line is students are all at the same University facing many different challenges specific to their discipline. 

College is all about playing to your strengths and making connections that fit your goals. College is not a race to who finishes first or if your degree ends in a B.A. or a B.S.. It is why niche majors like University Studies exist.

University Studies offer students an opportunity to forge their major by picking three concentrations. These concentrations may exist separately throughout various colleges, but a student can learn from all of them by completing University Studies.

Despite paying thousands of dollars in tuition, not all graduates use their degrees. According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, 27 percent of people use their degrees.

Given the statistic, assimilating an identity with an academic major is foolish if there is only a 27 percent chance a career field uses your degree. The previous statement is so bizarre because, after graduation, it simply does not matter what your major is. The connections you make and the soft skills you set to improve on carry you to your next chapter.

College majors do not define students. With data suggesting a possible future without your degree involved, and the vast opportunities within interdisciplinary majors, a major is merely a roadmap utilized to forge your path.

A major is not an insight into one’s character because our humanity is constantly surprising and not meant to fit the description of a single title. After all, I am not even a journalism major.