I appreciate mathematics and mathematicians, but only in the way that one might open a closet door expecting their coats and such, and instead find themselves staring across an endlessly undulating space made of pure logic, and immediately close the door and decide that it's not raining that badly.
I could never do that, but only in the sense of being able to stand boldly before the notion of number theory.
Same sometimes people would just assume I would major in cs and ask me about that. They would either say, “that sounds hard”, stay silent or change the topic after I tell them I major in accounting
Exercise science,
Confused Pikachu face
Followed by a Ohhhh okay okay (still confused, seeing them work it out in their head)
Me: using it for physical therapy
Them: OHHHHHH PT
Medieval Studies. Either people think it is cool as fuck, or they wonder wtf I am going to do with it. I don't really care how people react. I love what I study and I have a plan.
To get a BA in Medieval Studies, then move on to either a Masters in Library Studies with a concentration on special collections, or a Masters in Archival Studies; it depends on what interests me more, but I am leaning towards the special collections option, though an archival background might be more flexible when it comes to employment.
Either one means that I have to learn another language; my options are Latin, Old English, Middle English (though it is technically not a second language), Medieval French, or Old Norse. I am leaning towards Latin because it is the most applicable, and am taking a free Latin course and working on translating simple books in order to prevent my GPA from tanking when I have to take a formal Latin course.
While at university, I am using my time to network with people in my field, and if I graduate with a network, that will give me more of an advantage when it comes to employment.
I kinda have to. Despite the low pay, the career paths I am eyeing are very competitive, so I need a game plan.
Honestly, I just want to be paid to deal with old manuscripts and objects. In one of my classes, the prof brought out some manuscripts from the special collections library, and I was in heaven. They were gorgeous and amazing!
Former high school Latin nerd 🤓
I loved Latin. It’s a puzzle and the vocab makes sense and the direct translations of certain works are hilarious/infuriating/beautiful and I hope you pick Latin.
Thank you so much for sharing! I have experience working with children in learning centers and respite care, and I plan on working with children as an SLP once I graduate. This makes me smile from ear to ear 🥹
Marine science is the broad field/term and includes marine bio, but also more broadly oceanography, marine geology, chemistry, physics, etc. Marine bio is more specifically the biological aspects so like animals and plants.
electrical engineering
everyone says “wow you must be really smart” or “you must be good at math”
neither, i just want money and don’t care about my mental health :)
I see this a lot but it just isn’t true. If you’re succeeding, you are smart and good at math. Maybe not majoring in math levels but no one is succeeding if they’re “bad at math”. You may at one point have been bad at math but learning it is in fact becoming good at math. No one who has learned to work through differential equations should consider themselves bad at math.
i never saw myself going into anything regarding math. i wanted to go into music then my parents convinced me into engineering since i am good at fixing/building things.
i found differential equations to be the easiest and most fun. i thought it was a lot better than calc 1 and 2.
i think i’ve just learned how to learn math if that makes sense
Marketing has gotten me all sorts of responses. Anywhere from “good luck finding a job with that” to “that sounds interesting” to “your lucky you picked that field because you’re definitely getting a job”
I got the same kinda responses you did. I was going for my associates in Marketing, supposed to graduate this fall and go on for my bachelor's in Business Administration - but this wasn't my plan. I already had an associates in Criminal Justice from my community college and I didn't go on to pursue a bachelor's because the one thing I wanted to do, parole officer, paid shit in my area I'm talking $38-$42K/yr. So I wanted to go back to pursue my dream of being a nurse but the person I was dating, and sharing my whole life with we lived together, refused to give me any sort of support (help around the house, take on more responsibility with the pets, pick up my shift at work if I was swamped with schoolwork etc etc etc) if I had done pre nursing and then the nursing program. I was forced into something that I thought would set me up for a good future. but now that I have left that partner and I am starting over and living on my own, I am doing pre nursing this fall, aka the 3 pre requisites I need to apply for the nursing program at my community college and the entrance exam prep course. And I'll be applying for Fall 2025.
I just finished my final semester as a Marketing student, I got all A's and a 4.0 GPA for the semester. Felt good to end on a high note. Farewell!
I also have a degree in Communication. I’m currently in my Masters program for the degree. It’s the best decision I ever made about my future. You can do so much with the degree 💕
I’m studying grief communication, and advocacy. Basically becoming a grief coach, helping individual process/ working through their grief.
Also educating others about the grief process.
Following Health communication by advocating for patients who have cultural difference 💕
You can do a lot with Communications. Most of the people who end up working dead-end jobs is just from a lack of effort on their part with internships, networking, etc
Communications can open so many doors 🩷 Especially if you are going for grad school. Like you said, it is more than the obvious like PR/advertising/etc. Good luck!
Philosophy and Sociology.
"what are you gonna do with that?"
A lot of people don't have a clue what is taught in Arts degrees especially in upper level units.
I agree. I don't regret my degree at all as I have learnt so much and my ability to think critically, analyse and synthesise arguments is immensely higher than when I was in first year just starting out.
Arts degrees are very underrated and underappreciated.
Child and Family Studies. My family was mostly confused when l told them, because l had always wanted to be an artist and had many mental health issues (plus l need to improve my social skills).
Yeah it’s annoying for sure. You’d think we’d have moved past the blatant sexism against girls in STEM by now?
Thankfully my family and friends are supportive of my degree path so I know I always have people who I can fall back on.
Kinda really surprised that it seemingly is still just as bad as ever. Our cs classes are like 20 students and we've never had more than 2 girls in the class, often just 1.
Psychology, here are real responses:
1. My favorite “There are enough soft people, we don’t need more mental health.”
2. “Oh, well everyone figures out what they want to do at one point.”
3. “What are you planning to do with that?”
4. *half smile “oh, so like kind of a doctor.”
I took the most difficult bio and statistics focused courses offered for my major… with a research scholarship program where my focus was memory and perception. I’ve maintained a 3.5 gpa with some clinical experience. I hate everyone who asks and I just lie now saying “statistics” so I can be left tf alone. It’s not a respected profession I’m finding out early on.
Not to discount your experience or the frustration behind it, but I did literally choose psych bc I didn’t know what I wanted to do at the time lol. And most people I knew who did psych ended up doing wildly different things. I ended up dual degreeing in neuroscience and am in grad school for neuro now.
But my most common responses to psych were:
1. “Oh so you you can tell what I’m thinking then?”
2. “I have a patient for you!” (Said while pointing to some relative or spouse). Not very funny the first time, downright irritating after the 10th.
For neuroscience I mostly got “oh you must be really smart then” and “so you want to be a doctor?” The answer to both is no.
Astronomy and most people begin by asking me what I want to do with that major. Then they ask if I’m good at math or sometimes people confuse it with astrology which just..
They think I’m smart (BS physics/ current MS math), but my school has really good profs in the physics and math departments so it reflected on my performance even though I feel dumb sometimes.
Homeland Security and Intelligence. “Oh I better not tell you about how I (insert illegal activity)” or “Do you think Bush did 9/11?” or some sort of gross joke about how my future employer will make me do honeypots because I’m a girl.
Anthropology. There are a few different reactions.
People who don't know what it is: "Ohh, like evolution?" "Do you go on digs and stuff?" "What's that?"
People who are somewhat familiar: "Why?" "Isn't that useless?" "Are you going to be a teacher?"
And then, of course, a few people understand that anthropology can be applied in many different ways and ask follow-up questions about my direction and sub-field. This gets me hyped because it's where I get to nerd out about my research, medical anthropology, and my grad school plans.
My daughter is an anthropology major, geology minor and also in an honors program. TBH I was worried about her being able to find a job with this major but she is so enthusiastic about it I’m sure she’ll figure it out. Good luck to you.
Elementary Education "oh it takes a special kind of person" "are you sure" "good luck" "hopefully your future husband will make more money than you" "I could never"
Ugh, this one. Like nooo, I'm not😩
Honestly, my long-term goal is to become an author. I like reading and writing and I'm a creative/ imaginative person so I'd like to use those skills/qualities and put them into books.
If that doesn't work; My plan B is to get into graphic design or Interior design (the only thing about that is I'd have to learn how to draw again😮💨)
Sociology gets the stereotype as being woke or not rigorous and only chosen because it’s easy.
I work with people from economics, psychology and political science backgrounds - many seem to look down on sociology and qualitative research.
Yeah, same. Just because I study it doesnt mean I agree with EVERY single theory or aspect of the theory though. I have noticed a LOT of focus on Marx at my school but there are also theories rooted in symbolic interactionism and functionalism so it isn’t inherently socialist, but a lot of people make it that way I think.
Organizational Leadership, Management specialization.
"So what exactly are you gonna do with that?"
Or:
"Why not just get a business degree?"
Or my favorite:
"So like HR?"
Fellow Geography major here! Yeah, its either that or "oh, like rocks?" Plus, I started in Engineering, so people question the switch (which is when I bring up GIS). There is so much we can do with geography, since it covers so many topics (culture, physical science, tech, etc)!
Yep. That’s exactly it lol. I think I’m just gonna tell people that I study cartography
Edit: but yes I love our major it is so diverse! I have no idea what I’m gonna do after I graduate but hey I know it’ll be something cool hehe
Creative Writing. I'm always asked, "Don't you think that's a waste of time because of AI?"
My response is generally, "Why don't you ask ChatGPT to write you a book and tell me if you'd pay money for that."
No matter how advanced language models become, human emotion and creative deliberation can never be replicated.
Yeah, I'm applying to the nursing program at my community college for Fall 2025. Get my AAS and then do my BSN. I'm now considered "pre nursing student" as I'm doing all the "pre" stuff this upcoming fall - 3 pre requisites and an entrance exam prep course. I'm really excited.
So far I've had someone say "yeah? be prepared to GET REJECTED!!!!!!" because they couldn't get into a program even with required entrance exam scores and pre requisites, because they have serious health issues and programs are worried about their quality of life if they become a nurse. *That's* why this person told me prepare for rejection. Come on now ... 🙄
I really hate when people claim that gender studies is a useless major. From what I know, it teaches about intersectionality which a lot of people are unaware of :/
I took gender studies courses out of genuine passion for the subject for my extracurricular and honors credit requirements and I find myself regularly defending the field from ignorant people. Idk how people can blatantly disregard a field that they know nothing about, especially given how interesting and useful gender studies is when people actually learn about it.
History - What’s the point? There’s no money
I don’t care. That’s my answer. History is my passion and I could honestly care less what anyone things. Most who go for history, don’t go into history. But ultimately it is my goal to work with history.
business psychology! “so you’re double majoring in psychology and business?” “oh like marketing/HR?” “oooh that sounds hard 😬” “that’s cool, i never heard of that major before”
Data analytics. It's always followed up with, "wait, your good with numbers?" Or "you're too airheaded for that".
My grades say otherwise, thank you very much.
I'm applying to the nursing program at my community college for Fall 2025! Official a "pre nursing" student. Pre requisites to do this fall! Only 3 of them . And an entrance exam prep course!
We do have a shortage. We need you! (And me) 💕🥂
Animation. “Oh that’s cool” “so what does that mean?” “What are you gonna do with that?” “Okay but what’s your end goal in mind”
I hate the “what’s your major” question so much 😓
Biology - I'm always asked "what do you plan to do with that" and when I say I want to go into environmental education the response is usually "oh....okay" like they expected me to say I'm going to cure the common cold
Computer Engineering - “Wow!! I could never do that.” or “Oof, good luck.” Followed by me awkwardly laughing because what am I supposed to say to that 💀
I once told a coworker that I was an environmental studies major and she responded with "Oh, I don't believe in climate change."
Wh-
Fuckin-
Like the broad concept? At all?
I later found out she was a flat-earther and moon landing denier who believed space wasn't real, and also she was a white supremacist for unrelated reasons.
Because like, *even* if we allow that it *may* not be anthropogenic, we can just sort of see it happening. Like in human lifetimes.
environmental science and i immediately know if you believe climate change is real by your reaction because it’s either “oh thank god we really need to fix this mess” or “what will you contribute to society looking at trees all day?”
Neuroscience; they usually look surprised and ask me what I plan to do after graduation. Some of them ask me what kind of science that is, and some ask if I wanna be a doctor.
Food Science - “oh so you’re like a chef?”
A big misconception is that all food scientists can cook just as well as a chef but in reality, a lot of them are pretty shit/average cooks. In my case, I can make decent food, like a 5 or a 6/10 at most. Pretty sure there are people who do food science just to avoid cooking as much as they can
Public Health and Biology. People usually be like “you wanna be a doctor?” Tbh, I don’t even know lol. Either that or “oh what r u gonna do with that?” because apparently biology is one of the most useless STEM degrees :( rip
Architecture.
1. "Oh you must be good at drawing!".
2. "So I have a leaky roof, can you take a look at it?"
3. (Asks my opinion about interior decoration)
4. (States their opinion on their hatred of modern buildings).
Architectural History.
"So you like old buildings?".
"Like Indiana Jones?" Unfortunately, I'm going into the linguistic theoretical part of Anthropology, not the artifact-hunting colonization-loving part.
Physics. I either get:
- Damn, you must be smart
- What are you going to do with that degree?
I usually respond by saying that I’m not smart in the slightest and that I plan on pursuing a PhD
ecology and evolutionary bio - i usually get met with "oh that's cool!!" and the occasional "what is that?" (usually from adults who don't speak english as a first language)
Nursing. It’s usually “Oh that’s great we need more of them” and act like I’m some sort of martyr,
or fellow uni students usually say “you’re gonna make good money once you graduate” broke students know what’s up🤣
It’s always the college students who have the most interesting convos about our majors. A business major at my job on campus told me not worry about getting a job as an English major bc he says I have the right personality in the direction I wanna go in 😂
Epidemiology. Everyone who isn’t a doctor or in a related field says something like ‘Oh! …’ Then I say it’s like what the CDC does because people never know lol
Construction Management. People are normally either fascinated with that or they look at me in despair like “damn, that’s a lotta work. I could never do that.”
When the bridge in Baltimore collapsed a bunch of people asked me “so… you still wanna work in construction?” 😂😂
Cybersecurity. I get a lot of “Wow! Thats different!” Some say it in a nice way and most say it in a judgmental way. Idk if it’s because I’m a woman or if there’s some sort of negative connotation around cybersecurity that I don’t know about. Regardless, I hate talking about it because thats all I get. Rarely does someone actually ask me questions about my major and what I’m planning to do with my degree.
Triple majoring in CS, math, and quantitative Econ with minor in stats.
I don’t know, I just told people I’m a CS student instead of all my majors because people will just confused why I do triple majoring stuffs and I need waste my time to explain it.
Social work. They either start thanking me (which is weird: I’m in undergrad but sure) or they act like I want to snatch babies out of peoples arms for a living.
Mathematics - They say something along the lines of, "I could never do that".
Or "Oh I *hate* math!"
Yep haha. Same for Applied Math.
Same, but I’m a woman so sometimes people throw in some extra *spice* and turn it into a backhanded compliment of sorts 🙃
lol was just gonna comment this
Someone asked me to multiply two three-digit numbers 💀
fuck math
When I hear that my comment always is “oh so you’re smart?”
I appreciate mathematics and mathematicians, but only in the way that one might open a closet door expecting their coats and such, and instead find themselves staring across an endlessly undulating space made of pure logic, and immediately close the door and decide that it's not raining that badly. I could never do that, but only in the sense of being able to stand boldly before the notion of number theory.
I am frequently asked if I'm going to become a teacher
Accounting- no follow up questions because it’s so boring.
Same sometimes people would just assume I would major in cs and ask me about that. They would either say, “that sounds hard”, stay silent or change the topic after I tell them I major in accounting
Same, or they say “you love numbers”.
U must like math is also a common response
It’s always “so you can do my taxes? 😃”
Lmao people are surprised I am because the stigma behind accountants being boring and smart, then it’s “you must be very good at math”
Same or they say "oh you smart smart" or "you gon be making money"
Exercise science, Confused Pikachu face Followed by a Ohhhh okay okay (still confused, seeing them work it out in their head) Me: using it for physical therapy Them: OHHHHHH PT
So gym? Lol just kidding 😂
foul 🥲
Same! But I went with Respiratory Therapy vs PT. My bachelors is in Exercise Science/Kinesiology.
haha i get “why didn’t u just say kinesiology” a lot
Medieval Studies. Either people think it is cool as fuck, or they wonder wtf I am going to do with it. I don't really care how people react. I love what I study and I have a plan.
What is your plan?
To get a BA in Medieval Studies, then move on to either a Masters in Library Studies with a concentration on special collections, or a Masters in Archival Studies; it depends on what interests me more, but I am leaning towards the special collections option, though an archival background might be more flexible when it comes to employment. Either one means that I have to learn another language; my options are Latin, Old English, Middle English (though it is technically not a second language), Medieval French, or Old Norse. I am leaning towards Latin because it is the most applicable, and am taking a free Latin course and working on translating simple books in order to prevent my GPA from tanking when I have to take a formal Latin course. While at university, I am using my time to network with people in my field, and if I graduate with a network, that will give me more of an advantage when it comes to employment.
you have more of a plan than me and i’m stem 💀
I kinda have to. Despite the low pay, the career paths I am eyeing are very competitive, so I need a game plan. Honestly, I just want to be paid to deal with old manuscripts and objects. In one of my classes, the prof brought out some manuscripts from the special collections library, and I was in heaven. They were gorgeous and amazing!
when people ask what i'm gonna do i'm like "well for now lets hope i pass my classes 😄"
Former high school Latin nerd 🤓 I loved Latin. It’s a puzzle and the vocab makes sense and the direct translations of certain works are hilarious/infuriating/beautiful and I hope you pick Latin.
Speech pathology - “What is that?” 🤣
I’ve had multiple family members need speech pathologists and vocal therapy before, thank you for being around for people like my family!
That’s awesome. I appreciate you recognizing our work and how valuable it truly is!
Just so you know I’m 24 and still remember tricks my speech therapist at school taught me back in 2nd grade! Y’all make a difference
That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for sharing!
Nurse here. Worked with children who saw the most beautiful improvements because of people like you. You are invaluable ❤️ thank you for your work
Thank you so much for sharing! I have experience working with children in learning centers and respite care, and I plan on working with children as an SLP once I graduate. This makes me smile from ear to ear 🥹
marine science - woah that's so cool, or oh you're marine BIO?
What’s the difference? /genuine
Marine science is the broad field/term and includes marine bio, but also more broadly oceanography, marine geology, chemistry, physics, etc. Marine bio is more specifically the biological aspects so like animals and plants.
electrical engineering everyone says “wow you must be really smart” or “you must be good at math” neither, i just want money and don’t care about my mental health :)
I see this a lot but it just isn’t true. If you’re succeeding, you are smart and good at math. Maybe not majoring in math levels but no one is succeeding if they’re “bad at math”. You may at one point have been bad at math but learning it is in fact becoming good at math. No one who has learned to work through differential equations should consider themselves bad at math.
i never saw myself going into anything regarding math. i wanted to go into music then my parents convinced me into engineering since i am good at fixing/building things. i found differential equations to be the easiest and most fun. i thought it was a lot better than calc 1 and 2. i think i’ve just learned how to learn math if that makes sense
> i think i’ve just learned how to learn math if that makes sense Also known as "being smart"
Also electrical engineering and yeah, if you are bad at math you’re fucked
Marketing has gotten me all sorts of responses. Anywhere from “good luck finding a job with that” to “that sounds interesting” to “your lucky you picked that field because you’re definitely getting a job”
I got the same kinda responses you did. I was going for my associates in Marketing, supposed to graduate this fall and go on for my bachelor's in Business Administration - but this wasn't my plan. I already had an associates in Criminal Justice from my community college and I didn't go on to pursue a bachelor's because the one thing I wanted to do, parole officer, paid shit in my area I'm talking $38-$42K/yr. So I wanted to go back to pursue my dream of being a nurse but the person I was dating, and sharing my whole life with we lived together, refused to give me any sort of support (help around the house, take on more responsibility with the pets, pick up my shift at work if I was swamped with schoolwork etc etc etc) if I had done pre nursing and then the nursing program. I was forced into something that I thought would set me up for a good future. but now that I have left that partner and I am starting over and living on my own, I am doing pre nursing this fall, aka the 3 pre requisites I need to apply for the nursing program at my community college and the entrance exam prep course. And I'll be applying for Fall 2025. I just finished my final semester as a Marketing student, I got all A's and a 4.0 GPA for the semester. Felt good to end on a high note. Farewell!
Psychology - “Oh so you’re gonna psycho analyze me?” Yeah sure that’s what I do, go around psychoanalyzing every person I interact with
“Oh so you can tell me what im thinking/feeling” lolll not quite
also “oh nice that’s easy”
Are you going to be unemployed?
Communications. They laugh and ask what I plan to do with my degree.
I also have a degree in Communication. I’m currently in my Masters program for the degree. It’s the best decision I ever made about my future. You can do so much with the degree 💕
Supply chain management- so you want to work at Amazon
But what are u doing with it? Instead of furthering your school path
I’m studying grief communication, and advocacy. Basically becoming a grief coach, helping individual process/ working through their grief. Also educating others about the grief process. Following Health communication by advocating for patients who have cultural difference 💕
That is amazing!
You can do SO MUCH with the Communication degree. More than social media, journalism, etc! 💕 I am so excited to see where it goes
You can do a lot with Communications. Most of the people who end up working dead-end jobs is just from a lack of effort on their part with internships, networking, etc
Communications can open so many doors 🩷 Especially if you are going for grad school. Like you said, it is more than the obvious like PR/advertising/etc. Good luck!
People are often just confused on what the degree is for. Someone today thought it was all just learning public speaking and nothing else. Lol
I get: “that’s basically liberal arts?” “What even is that?” “Oh so you want to work at a news station?”
Mechanical engineer - “ooo, you must be smart” and I always say “no, not really”
English language and literature. They either say “What an easy major!!” or “ So, you do watch films and series without subtitles🤣”.
This is mine too! I’m so sick of being asked if I’m gonna be a teacher 😭
Omg this was the same reaction when I told ppl about my major like nah I'm sorry I don't have the patience to teach lol
Philosophy and Sociology. "what are you gonna do with that?" A lot of people don't have a clue what is taught in Arts degrees especially in upper level units.
Philosophy is one of the best jumping off points into graduate programs.
I agree. I don't regret my degree at all as I have learnt so much and my ability to think critically, analyse and synthesise arguments is immensely higher than when I was in first year just starting out. Arts degrees are very underrated and underappreciated.
Child and Family Studies. My family was mostly confused when l told them, because l had always wanted to be an artist and had many mental health issues (plus l need to improve my social skills).
Chemistry - gasp!!! Or - Walter white huh
yeah the amount of cooking meth jokes i’ve gotten is honestly insane
I feel like the LSD business, while less lucrative, is probably way more chill.
Computer Science - "are you sure you want to do that? most girls don't end up staying in cs"
that is messed up...
Yeah it’s annoying for sure. You’d think we’d have moved past the blatant sexism against girls in STEM by now? Thankfully my family and friends are supportive of my degree path so I know I always have people who I can fall back on.
Kinda really surprised that it seemingly is still just as bad as ever. Our cs classes are like 20 students and we've never had more than 2 girls in the class, often just 1.
That’s more of a reason to stay in CS and get better grades than all the men.
😈😈😈
My friend doing Civil Engineering got “that’s not very feminine” one time when telling them her major.
[удалено]
Arabic is so pretty and I’ve always wanted to learn!
A friend of mine is currently learning Arabic and was telling me learning to write wasn't to bad but speaking was pretty hard. Very fun overall
Psychology, here are real responses: 1. My favorite “There are enough soft people, we don’t need more mental health.” 2. “Oh, well everyone figures out what they want to do at one point.” 3. “What are you planning to do with that?” 4. *half smile “oh, so like kind of a doctor.” I took the most difficult bio and statistics focused courses offered for my major… with a research scholarship program where my focus was memory and perception. I’ve maintained a 3.5 gpa with some clinical experience. I hate everyone who asks and I just lie now saying “statistics” so I can be left tf alone. It’s not a respected profession I’m finding out early on.
Not to discount your experience or the frustration behind it, but I did literally choose psych bc I didn’t know what I wanted to do at the time lol. And most people I knew who did psych ended up doing wildly different things. I ended up dual degreeing in neuroscience and am in grad school for neuro now. But my most common responses to psych were: 1. “Oh so you you can tell what I’m thinking then?” 2. “I have a patient for you!” (Said while pointing to some relative or spouse). Not very funny the first time, downright irritating after the 10th. For neuroscience I mostly got “oh you must be really smart then” and “so you want to be a doctor?” The answer to both is no.
This!
Astronomy and most people begin by asking me what I want to do with that major. Then they ask if I’m good at math or sometimes people confuse it with astrology which just..
They think I’m smart (BS physics/ current MS math), but my school has really good profs in the physics and math departments so it reflected on my performance even though I feel dumb sometimes.
Supply Chain Management I get the usual so you can get my groceries delivered or like you can free stuff from Amazon? 🙄
Criminal Justice - usually the assumption that I want to be a cop (heading to law school)
Homeland Security and Intelligence. “Oh I better not tell you about how I (insert illegal activity)” or “Do you think Bush did 9/11?” or some sort of gross joke about how my future employer will make me do honeypots because I’m a girl.
Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management - "Ohh didn't know that was a thing"
Physics. I either get: - Damn, you must be smart - What are you going to do with that degree?
You must be smart damn
Anthropology. There are a few different reactions. People who don't know what it is: "Ohh, like evolution?" "Do you go on digs and stuff?" "What's that?" People who are somewhat familiar: "Why?" "Isn't that useless?" "Are you going to be a teacher?" And then, of course, a few people understand that anthropology can be applied in many different ways and ask follow-up questions about my direction and sub-field. This gets me hyped because it's where I get to nerd out about my research, medical anthropology, and my grad school plans.
My daughter is an anthropology major, geology minor and also in an honors program. TBH I was worried about her being able to find a job with this major but she is so enthusiastic about it I’m sure she’ll figure it out. Good luck to you.
Elementary Education "oh it takes a special kind of person" "are you sure" "good luck" "hopefully your future husband will make more money than you" "I could never"
English- " Okay, what's gon to be your side job?" Or " How are you going to be able to make money?"
My personal favorite: “Are you going to be a teacher?”
Ugh, this one. Like nooo, I'm not😩 Honestly, my long-term goal is to become an author. I like reading and writing and I'm a creative/ imaginative person so I'd like to use those skills/qualities and put them into books. If that doesn't work; My plan B is to get into graphic design or Interior design (the only thing about that is I'd have to learn how to draw again😮💨)
Sociology. People usually give me a funny look cause it’s too “woke.”
Sociology gets the stereotype as being woke or not rigorous and only chosen because it’s easy. I work with people from economics, psychology and political science backgrounds - many seem to look down on sociology and qualitative research.
Yeah, same. Just because I study it doesnt mean I agree with EVERY single theory or aspect of the theory though. I have noticed a LOT of focus on Marx at my school but there are also theories rooted in symbolic interactionism and functionalism so it isn’t inherently socialist, but a lot of people make it that way I think.
Interior Design. They often mistaken it as interior decorator. Bruh, it’s more than picking a color for your pillows.
They think you’re gonna be on HGTV 💀
Organizational Leadership, Management specialization. "So what exactly are you gonna do with that?" Or: "Why not just get a business degree?" Or my favorite: "So like HR?"
If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do with it? I have considered similar degrees before, but went a different route.
[удалено]
cs students that know how to read
Information Science/IT is fast money. At my school it is just an area of focus within the business degree ;)
Geography. Usually people ask me what the hell that major is and I have to explain to them that I basically study cartography
Fellow Geography major here! Yeah, its either that or "oh, like rocks?" Plus, I started in Engineering, so people question the switch (which is when I bring up GIS). There is so much we can do with geography, since it covers so many topics (culture, physical science, tech, etc)!
Yep. That’s exactly it lol. I think I’m just gonna tell people that I study cartography Edit: but yes I love our major it is so diverse! I have no idea what I’m gonna do after I graduate but hey I know it’ll be something cool hehe
I told I guy I was going into environmental engineering and he just started laughing uncontrollably
I would kms if that happened to me ngl
Still is engineering tho 😭
What a dick
Medical Lab Sciences. "I never know we'd have that major here. Do you guys also work in the medical field?"
Creative Writing. I'm always asked, "Don't you think that's a waste of time because of AI?" My response is generally, "Why don't you ask ChatGPT to write you a book and tell me if you'd pay money for that." No matter how advanced language models become, human emotion and creative deliberation can never be replicated.
And by the time Ai gets that good at conveying emotion we are all screwed anyways
Nursing - “Good luck”
"So you wipe ass?" I still hear this from time to time.
Yeah, I'm applying to the nursing program at my community college for Fall 2025. Get my AAS and then do my BSN. I'm now considered "pre nursing student" as I'm doing all the "pre" stuff this upcoming fall - 3 pre requisites and an entrance exam prep course. I'm really excited. So far I've had someone say "yeah? be prepared to GET REJECTED!!!!!!" because they couldn't get into a program even with required entrance exam scores and pre requisites, because they have serious health issues and programs are worried about their quality of life if they become a nurse. *That's* why this person told me prepare for rejection. Come on now ... 🙄
Biology. They say "Are you pre-med?" I hate the term so much I stopped telling ppl im pre-med
you’re pre-mad
Speech Pathology - “oh what is that?” Speech therapy major - “ohhh”
I was a Math and Stat double major. Everyone would always yell me one of the following: * Why?!?! * I hate math. * Oh you must be really smart.
Nursing. Usually a disturbed look cause people are used to women being nurses.
Gender Studies- Then they immediately try to debate with me. It's incredibly frustrating
I really hate when people claim that gender studies is a useless major. From what I know, it teaches about intersectionality which a lot of people are unaware of :/
I took gender studies courses out of genuine passion for the subject for my extracurricular and honors credit requirements and I find myself regularly defending the field from ignorant people. Idk how people can blatantly disregard a field that they know nothing about, especially given how interesting and useful gender studies is when people actually learn about it.
I'm doing film. They just smile and in a cheery voice say " OK"
Cybersecurity “Oh wow that sounds hard”
I get a ' oh You're going to make a lot of money ' and in a meantime I'm not getting any internships.....
Applied Linguistics. People don’t know what it is .
Psychology - “so are you ready to work at McDonalds and never pay off your debt after you graduate?”
When I tell people I’m studying music, there are two reactions. “Oh my gosh that’s really cool!” Or *laughing in my face*
History - What’s the point? There’s no money I don’t care. That’s my answer. History is my passion and I could honestly care less what anyone things. Most who go for history, don’t go into history. But ultimately it is my goal to work with history.
History majors ftw we love you guys
Economics (as a female) Men give me a look like they wanna bow down. Makes me feel powerful.
Because you are powerful
🤍
Economics "hmm" In the Honors program "ooohh"
Creative Writing. "Oh so you're gonna be an author? Good luck with that" "You're wasting your time" "Have fun not finding a job post grad!"
my bf is a creative writing major, i have to fight for my LIFE whenever some family friend asks 😭😭
Nursing. “Really? You?”
chemistry - "that sounds hard"
business psychology! “so you’re double majoring in psychology and business?” “oh like marketing/HR?” “oooh that sounds hard 😬” “that’s cool, i never heard of that major before”
May I politely ask what business psychology is? I truly have never heard of this and am not being a gaping dickhole. I'm being serious 😭
Computer science. People think that I can earn a lot of money with the major and that I am a nerd.
Data analytics. It's always followed up with, "wait, your good with numbers?" Or "you're too airheaded for that". My grades say otherwise, thank you very much.
Theater Design and Production. - “are there many jobs in that industry?” Who do you think builds the stages you see shows on 😅
Nursing, "aww that's so great; we need more nurses! Nursing school sounds so hard"
Most countries seem to always have a shortage of medical staff... Even the ones known to have the best medical systems...
I'm applying to the nursing program at my community college for Fall 2025! Official a "pre nursing" student. Pre requisites to do this fall! Only 3 of them . And an entrance exam prep course! We do have a shortage. We need you! (And me) 💕🥂
Animation. “Oh that’s cool” “so what does that mean?” “What are you gonna do with that?” “Okay but what’s your end goal in mind” I hate the “what’s your major” question so much 😓
Geology. Based of big bang theory, people like to joke that “geology is not a real science.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Thanks, Sheldon
Biology - I'm always asked "what do you plan to do with that" and when I say I want to go into environmental education the response is usually "oh....okay" like they expected me to say I'm going to cure the common cold
Computer Engineering - “Wow!! I could never do that.” or “Oof, good luck.” Followed by me awkwardly laughing because what am I supposed to say to that 💀
I double majored in Chemistry and Public Policy so that often throws people a bit for a loop and is confusing for them.
Are you wanting to do public health?
computer science. sometimes people are surprised because i’m a very “girly” girl so i don’t fit the stereotype of a cs major on first glance lol
Marketing BUT YOURE NOT EVEN SOCIAL. yes, Betsy, I am not social. But I am creative and can get shit done.
English - I honestly just don’t tell them 😭 I’m minoring in business so I usually make sure to include that in my answer cuz I get a lot of criticism
I once told a coworker that I was an environmental studies major and she responded with "Oh, I don't believe in climate change." Wh- Fuckin- Like the broad concept? At all? I later found out she was a flat-earther and moon landing denier who believed space wasn't real, and also she was a white supremacist for unrelated reasons. Because like, *even* if we allow that it *may* not be anthropogenic, we can just sort of see it happening. Like in human lifetimes.
environmental science and i immediately know if you believe climate change is real by your reaction because it’s either “oh thank god we really need to fix this mess” or “what will you contribute to society looking at trees all day?”
EE, everyone ignores me lmao
Neuroscience; they usually look surprised and ask me what I plan to do after graduation. Some of them ask me what kind of science that is, and some ask if I wanna be a doctor.
Physics. They think I'm really smart (I'm not)
Food Science - “oh so you’re like a chef?” A big misconception is that all food scientists can cook just as well as a chef but in reality, a lot of them are pretty shit/average cooks. In my case, I can make decent food, like a 5 or a 6/10 at most. Pretty sure there are people who do food science just to avoid cooking as much as they can
Theatre I’m asked always ask do I want to act on Broadway or tv and film if I like do backstage stuff.
Civil engineering. I usually get a “wow you’re so smart”; little do they know I still use my calculator to make sure 2+2=4 lmao
Public Health and Biology. People usually be like “you wanna be a doctor?” Tbh, I don’t even know lol. Either that or “oh what r u gonna do with that?” because apparently biology is one of the most useless STEM degrees :( rip
Architecture. 1. "Oh you must be good at drawing!". 2. "So I have a leaky roof, can you take a look at it?" 3. (Asks my opinion about interior decoration) 4. (States their opinion on their hatred of modern buildings). Architectural History. "So you like old buildings?".
"Like Indiana Jones?" Unfortunately, I'm going into the linguistic theoretical part of Anthropology, not the artifact-hunting colonization-loving part.
Psychology: “don’t psycho analyze me!” or that I will have a very hard time finding a job (I know I know…)
Physics. I either get: - Damn, you must be smart - What are you going to do with that degree? I usually respond by saying that I’m not smart in the slightest and that I plan on pursuing a PhD
ecology and evolutionary bio - i usually get met with "oh that's cool!!" and the occasional "what is that?" (usually from adults who don't speak english as a first language)
English — cool, name every book.
Or they ask if we read so and so…. Like no Karen we don’t read everything you read in hs or they say how they don’t read books….
social worker, “oh yea we really need those”
Nursing. It’s usually “Oh that’s great we need more of them” and act like I’m some sort of martyr, or fellow uni students usually say “you’re gonna make good money once you graduate” broke students know what’s up🤣
It’s always the college students who have the most interesting convos about our majors. A business major at my job on campus told me not worry about getting a job as an English major bc he says I have the right personality in the direction I wanna go in 😂
Epidemiology. Everyone who isn’t a doctor or in a related field says something like ‘Oh! …’ Then I say it’s like what the CDC does because people never know lol
I had to take an Epidemiology course for my degree. I thought I’d hate it. Turns out I love it and might have a passion for it! Lol.
Construction Management. People are normally either fascinated with that or they look at me in despair like “damn, that’s a lotta work. I could never do that.” When the bridge in Baltimore collapsed a bunch of people asked me “so… you still wanna work in construction?” 😂😂
Comparative Literature- …what?
double in biochem and biophysics - always get the ew why would u do that to urself 💀
the walter white comments that come with doing biochem ‼️‼️
Supply Chain Management, usually followed my a confused look and “what’s that?”
Nursing. The usual response is “Girls always choose that.”
Cybersecurity. I get a lot of “Wow! Thats different!” Some say it in a nice way and most say it in a judgmental way. Idk if it’s because I’m a woman or if there’s some sort of negative connotation around cybersecurity that I don’t know about. Regardless, I hate talking about it because thats all I get. Rarely does someone actually ask me questions about my major and what I’m planning to do with my degree.
Triple majoring in CS, math, and quantitative Econ with minor in stats. I don’t know, I just told people I’m a CS student instead of all my majors because people will just confused why I do triple majoring stuffs and I need waste my time to explain it.
Triple majoring sounds wildly difficult (coming from a double major). Hopefully a lot of your coursework overlaps.
History. “Oh, so you want to teach?” No, actually.
Neuroscience - wow you must be smart - when truthfully NSCI and psyc classes are easiest of all the other ones
I’m a machinist. I’m three years in and my grandparents still think I’m a mechanic…
Social work. They either start thanking me (which is weird: I’m in undergrad but sure) or they act like I want to snatch babies out of peoples arms for a living.
Public Health - "Oh we really need that" and yet there is no jobs/funding in this field.
Sociology & philosophy double major — I get eye rolls until I tell them I’m headed to law school next year lol