grr..humanities majors

[stifler]

ive decided not to share this frustration because it sounds to ignorant, but you guys know what im talking about.

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[Rafa]

edit: removed as well.

 

[Uvault05]

:edit

 

[MollyMalone]

As a humanities major, I'm sure I haven't a clue what you were talking about, and I'm equally sure I don't want to know, so thanks for editing.

 

[peterpansy]

by the time i finished typing up a respone, it became moot.

 

[eastsidaz]

Let's just call this what it is. You're pissed cause we have an easier time getting good grades.

I won't deny it. But no one forced you to be a science major. And some of us majored in humanities because we like them. Take out your frustrations on people who get good grades at crappy schools.

 

[Keg]

OK, so perhaps I'm qualified to address the elephant in the room. I'm a humanities major. AND a science major. I'm doubling in English and Biology at Vanderbilt, and I can honestly say that English has done more to bring my GPA down than Biology has. English has provided me with my most intellectually challenging coursework from the last four years of my education. So before you bash either side, humanities or science, make sure that you have experience in both.

Now, it's time for my class on Joyce (I'd much rather be back in Biochem).

 

[Depakote]

Damn I hate being well rounded.

 

[medicomel]

majoring in English also made my gpa suffer. my best grades were in the sciences. oh well...too late now! at least writing the personal statement was easy.

 

[MN81]

I am Bio and Chem Major, but did Honors Humanities coursework. I loved it.

Why are people hating it?

 

[eralza]

Sorry dude,
I had to comment on your ignorance. The humanities majors in my class are overall the most well-rounded, insightful, and enjoyable people to be around. They were able to enjoy the science classes they took as prerequisites and actually remember the material and can apply it. They have the keen ability to communicate with patients and understand topics outside of the confines of science.
Just so that I don't sound like a bitter humanities major...my undergrad major was microbiology.

 

[floridakppr]

Sorry dude,
I had to comment on your ignorance. The humanities majors in my class are overall the most well-rounded, insightful, and enjoyable people to be around. They were able to enjoy the science classes they took as prerequisites and actually remember the material and can apply it. They have the keen ability to communicate with patients and understand topics outside of the confines of science.
Just so that I don't sound like a bitter humanities major...my undergrad major was microbiology.

Does one's major determine communication skills and the amount of sympathy possessed by a person? Are these people more capable merely because they were a humanities major?

 

[MN81]

Maybe my school just has lax grading in humanities and tougher sciences, but the trend here at [small Minnesotan private college] is that Pre-Meds have a higher GPA in humanities than in the sciences.

 

[Law2Doc]

Does one's major determine communication skills and the amount of sympathy possessed by a person? Are these people more capable merely because they were a humanities major?

Not necessarilly, but a humanities major (and/or social science major) will have completed their major and done well in the prereqs, showing an aptitude in both disciplines. The key is being well rounded. On average humanities majors are probably better read too, both because their major requires it, and because one who chooses to major in something like literature, english, or history probably likes to read more than most. There are plenty of science majors who take the absolute minimum non-science courses their school permits, and thus end up being less well rounded. And truth of the matter is that medicine is only partly a science discipline. The majority of practice is actually a patient service industry, and those who have honed their interpersonal and communications skills are thus in demand.
No point being hostile to folks who took a higher yield path to med school than you did. No one ever said you couldn't have done the same.

 

[Indryd]

OK, so perhaps I'm qualified to address the elephant in the room. I'm a humanities major. AND a science major. I'm doubling in English and Biology at Vanderbilt, and I can honestly say that English has done more to bring my GPA down than Biology has. English has provided me with my most intellectually challenging coursework from the last four years of my education. So before you bash either side, humanities or science, make sure that you have experience in both.

Now, it's time for my class on Joyce (I'd much rather be back in Biochem).

Ditto here. I rock ass in my science classes and took all the same hard classes as the science kids. Joyce rocks and is a billion times harder than my hardest undergrad science classes.

 

[stifler]

well maybe you guys just attend better school with better professors than i do.

from my experience at a top school as according to usnews well known for our sciences AND humanities, the humanities here are a joke in workload despite its what my school is known for. ive taken a good mix of sciences and humanities. for example my biochem class has around 200 pages of text book reading and journal reading each week. this was suppose to be an intermediate course. i cant imagine getting more dense science reading when i take the advance level courses.

furthermore, my roommate is a humanities major, philosophy, if that makes a difference, he has less reading than i do per week. i think in total this semester ive written longer journal reviews and post lab reports than he has all this semester and last. perhaps the reason science majors struggle more in courses like english is because it wasnt your forte to begin with. i happen to do well in my humanities classes and i feel that people are not well rounded, they are liberal cookie cutters who say whatever "insightful" comments that they believe a professor would like to hear. also they tend to repeat themselves over and over. im pretty sure you can take a person who A's in science like microbiology and make them take courses in english, literature, history and they would do failrly well, perhaps not all A's, but they wouldnt fail, however if you took an A student in humanities and asked them to do the same aka throw them into a class on circuits, or a class on thermodynamics they might not even pass. it is possible to do well in humanities with little background knowledge, all you need to know is how to write stylistically and grammatically sound and if you went to any decent hs thats a given if you bothered to learn.

to write a good paper in most intermediate level humanities classes require for you to read the material and listen in class. i think thats a generalization, but a rather true one. in science, you do the same, but you need to do problem sets and really understand the material, because in providing a mechanism for a reaction such as that of the wittig reaction, there is pretty much just one right answer. you know it or you dont. sure you might say there is not much creativity, but science itself is synonmous with creativity and innovation. in the direct derivations scientists have done humbles me as a student and stuns me as a person of how smart they are. just look at people who have come up with using gfp for protein localization. the beauty of science and the complexity in science allows for no bs at least not at my level at knowledge, sure in the frontiers of science there are lot of bsing and theories made, but science ultimately overshadows humanities in creativity because it allows for creativity and structure.

ps dont be a snob and criticize my spelling,grammar, or syntax im on spring break. oh yea dont say get alife and get off sdn while you are on spring break. heh.

 

[Law2Doc]

well maybe you guys just attend better school with better professors than i do.

from my experience at a top school as according to usnews well known for our sciences AND humanities, the humanities here are a joke in workload despite its what my school is known for. ive taken a good mix of sciences and humanities. for example my biochem class has around 200 pages of text book reading and journal reading each week. this was suppose to be an intermediate course. i cant imagine getting more dense science reading when i take the advance level courses.

furthermore, my roommate is a humanities major, philosophy, if that makes a difference, he has less reading than i do per week. i think in total this semester ive written longer journal reviews and post lab reports than he has all this semester and last. perhaps the reason science majors struggle more in courses like english is because it wasnt your forte to begin with. i happen to do well in my humanities classes and i feel that people are not well rounded, they are liberal cookie cutters who say whatever "insightful" comments that they believe a professor would like to hear. also they tend to repeat themselves over and over. im pretty sure you can take a person who A's in science like microbiology and make them take courses in english, literature, history and they would do failrly well, perhaps not all A's, but they wouldnt fail, however if you took an A student in humanities and asked them to do the same aka throw them into a class on circuits, or a class on thermodynamics they might not even pass. it is possible to do well in humanities with little background knowledge, all you need to know is how to write stylistically and grammatically sound and if you went to any decent hs thats a given if you bothered to learn.

to write a good paper in most intermediate level humanities classes require for you to read the material and listen in class. i think thats a generalization, but a rather true one. in science, you do the same, but you need to do problem sets and really understand the material, because in providing a mechanism for a reaction such as that of the wittig reaction, there is pretty much just one right answer. you know it or you dont. sure you might say there is not much creativity, but science itself is synonmous with creativity and innovation. in the direct derivations scientists have done humbles me as a student and stuns me as a person of how smart they are. just look at people who have come up with using gfp for protein localization. the beauty of science and the complexity in science allows for no bs at least not at my level at knowledge, sure in the frontiers of science there are lot of bsing and theories made, but science ultimately overshadows humanities in creativity because it allows for creativity and structure.

ps dont be a snob and criticize my spelling,grammar, or syntax im on spring break. oh yea dont say get alife and get off sdn while you are on spring break. heh.

You should have done that track then. No one said you needed to be a science major -- you should major in whatever you wanted to. If you look at the AMCAS stats, you will see that humanities majors do better on the MCAT than bio majors, so we are not talking about a dumb group, and so maybe the higher grades are reflective of this.

 

[4paw]

"all you need to know is how to write stylistically and grammatically sound and if you went to any decent hs thats a given if you bothered to learn."

O.k. so we are in computer writing land, but you have missed an apostrophe and using 'sound' in the wrong way!!!!! Your whole point gets a little toasted there.... in an english class if the t.a. doesn't like what you're saying that alone could tip you to a B.

I remember hearing something from a person who had experienced both, and I agree with them...

In sciences, it is possible to fail in a really big way, and if you studystudystudy, it is also possible to totally excel - A+.

In arts, you won't fail, but you won't be gettin' a+.

 

[stifler]

"all you need to know is how to write stylistically and grammatically sound and if you went to any decent hs thats a given if you bothered to learn."

O.k. so we are in computer writing land, but you have missed an apostrophe and using 'sound' in the wrong way!!!!! Your whole point gets a little toasted there.... in an english class if the t.a. doesn't like what you're saying that alone could tip you to a B.

I remember hearing something from a person who had experienced both, and I agree with them...

In sciences, it is possible to fail in a really big way, and if you studystudystudy, it is also possible to totally excel - A+.

In arts, you won't fail, but you won't be gettin' a+.

for one who is criticizing my grammar, you apparently cant read. i said you not to criticize my rant cuz i didnt even bother to proof read it or even backspace. and how do you justify that you cant get an A+ in the arts. i have received an A+ for my writing in my government courses. sure im just one dot on the data plot, but how do you even prove that?

im taking a path that i like, my original post was to say humanities majors shouldnt walk around campus thinking they are the smartest ppl because they can easily get A's. but thats my school and there are lots intellectual snobs at MY school who think they are soooo smart because they got an A in a bs social science course or something.

 

[NapeSpikes]

ive decided not to share this frustration because it sounds to ignorant...

You're right. It does sound ignorant.

 

[4paw]

for one who is criticizing my grammar, you apparently cant read. i said you not to criticize my rant cuz i didnt even bother to proof read it or even backspace. and how do you justify that you cant get an A+ in the arts. i have received an A+ for my writing in my government courses. sure im just one dot on the data plot, but how do you even prove that?

Like many arts t.a.s, I decided not to read your entire post, and 'marked' you accordingly. Multiple choice exams don't have the same subjectivity. Look at the highest gpa at your school in the various disciplines. I can almost guarantee that the gpa in the arts will be lower. That's what it's usually like.

 

[Moto]

You have chosen your major, now lie in it

 

[NonTradMed]

Well, I think all college students should take both humanities and the sciences. I'm a firm believer in being well rounded and all that jazz. I was a history/lit and computer science major with a spigen of biology thrown in (didn't want it that way, just turned out that way). And I feel I received a truly well rounded education as compared to friends that did only the sciences or humanities.

That said, I DID find my social sciences/writing classes far easier than any math/science/engineering classes I took. Maybe I was just a naturally gifted writer ( ) but I could whip something up in one sitting and turn it in and get an A, even in the upper level history/lit courses I took.

I enjoyed my humanities courses and believe I learned quite a bit, but the actual work required to get an A was extremely easy when compared to the amount of work for some of my engineering classes---heh, maybe I have no aptitude for engineering, who knows .

I have never received anything lower than an 'A-' in any of my humanities courses. And I supposedly attend one of those top schools as reported by USNews, so it's not like my school is just 'easy'. I find my engineering and science courses to require a great deal more attention. And yes, I do know that my friends in the social sciences have higher GPAs than me. Some have taken a few beginners engineering/science courses with me (some were premed/engineering starting out), and they have told me that even though they have some tough classes (game theory, anyone?), in general, their courseload, are easier than when they were science majors. Of course, one can say any course is easier than that mamma of all weedout courses, CS101, we had at our school.

I'm not jealous since I was taking some of the same courses with them, but I'm cant say that humanities majors was harder than the sciences or that it makes a person a superior MCAT test taker (if that was only true...).

As I remember it, math majors score highest of all majors on their MCATs. Go math majors!

 

[Law2Doc]

That said, I DID find my social sciences/writing classes far, far easier than any math/science/engineering classes I took. Maybe I was just a naturally gifted writer ( ) but I could whip something up in one sitting and turn it in and get an A, even in the upper level history/lit courses I took.

That's my view -- some people have an easy time in humanities while their classmates struggle, and others have an easy time in sciences. For me, an essay test meant an easy A. Folks who were physics majors dreaded and did poorly on the same tests. And on the flip side, they had an easy time with science classes I never really got. It's all good.

 

[somewhere2010]

to the OP:

1) it doesn't take proofreading to avoid writing the ten or so run-on sentences which you have provided for our reading displeasure.

2) what was your goal in starting this thread? to make everyone think, "hey, he's right! shakespeare and bach were *******es, and einstein is clearly much smarter because his work has equals signs in it!"?

3) i hoped you actually enjoyed being a science major for more than its feeding into your unfounded superiority complex...

(for the record, and i studies psychology/neuroscience/music...it's all hard! this isn't worth arguing...)

 

[drmota]

i was a humanities major. my humanities gpa was ~3.9 with very minimal work. why would i want to bust my ass in science classes for the same grades? it's called having street smarts. and you hating on people like me just goes to show that you've lost the race and realized you f*cked up. better luck next time.
-mota

 

[gdbaby]

It must be the time of year. Everyone is freaking out since we are nearing the end of this process. So, this is the second time this week I get to quote jbone--"Hate the game, not the player."

(this is coming from a PhD in Anthropology)
Whether or not you think it is easier to get A's in humanities courses is a moot point. You only have yourself to blame for your performance in your science classes. Yes, I did well in humanities because I loved what I was learning and worked hard to make an impression. When I decided to go back and take my pre-reqs I also did well because I was determined to succeed in this arbitrary process.

Don't blame humanities people for your low grades in science. Apples and oranges, baby.

 

[Saluki]

The fact is that people have different natural aptitudes. I happen to be a lot better writer than I am a mathemetician... I did majors in chemistry and liberal arts- my grades in the sciences were a tad lower, though I did well in both. However, I know a lot of science majors that say things about the humanities being easier- most of those are people who just took basic lower level humanities courses that everyone has to for graduation.... If you find it easy, it usually just means that that's what you're better at- kudos to you!

 

[ND2005]

Hmmm...non-science GPA: 3.72...science GPA: 3.77

Gosh-darn me and my humanities grade-padding ass.

 

[sit down lucy]

the whole argument depends on so many different things... different humanities majors can be really easy or really hard, depending on the university you attend (ie where i go to school, english is relatively easy, whereas art history majors do as much studying as the engineers). also, within ANY major (science or otherwise) that has freedom in what courses you take, it's likely easy to pick a more difficult major or a really easy one.

anyway, who cares. i'm an engineer, which has been tough as **** for undergrad, but i love what i study and i know what i've learned as an engineer will serve me well as a physician. i know i won't be thrown for a loop by all of the science at once in med school (which i might be if i was an english major). if you aren't happy with the path you chose, then you probably should have put a bit more thought into your major.

 

[CaipirinhaQuinho]

that's funny cause i've always thought the same thing about both the arts& sciences. stop memorizing and start thinking.

engineers rule!

 

[peterpansy]

On average humanities majors are probably better read too, both because their major requires it, and because one who chooses to major in something like literature, english, or history probably likes to read more than most. There are plenty of science majors who take the absolute minimum non-science courses their school permits, and thus end up being less well rounded.

Sorry, but I resent that comment. Maybe it's because I'm a science major at a liberal arts school, but most science majors I know take plenty of non-science courses (even if just to get a break), are very well read and well rounded. I don't want to get into the whole who's better/smarter than who debate. Just wanted to point out that making assumptions about people based on what area of study they chose to pursue is rude and unnecessary.

 

[peterpansy]

the whole argument depends on so many different things... different humanities majors can be really easy or really hard, depending on the university you attend (ie where i go to school, english is relatively easy, whereas art history majors do as much studying as the engineers). also, within ANY major (science or otherwise) that has freedom in what courses you take, it's likely easy to pick a more difficult major or a really easy one.

anyway, who cares. i'm an engineer, which has been tough as **** for undergrad, but i love what i study and i know what i've learned as an engineer will serve me well as a physician. i know i won't be thrown for a loop by all of the science at once in med school (which i might be if i was an english major). if you aren't happy with the path you chose, then you probably should have put a bit more thought into your major.

I know GPA is important, but I personally would rather enjoy myself for four years working my a$$ off, than bore myself to death in easy classes I don't care about.

 

[Uvault05]

maybe the op shouldve taken a few more humanities courses so that he could be able to write good and avoid writing ignorant run on sentences that dont seem to go NEwhere but thats cool hes on spring break from his top10 usnews school.

 

[relentless11]

Whatever happened to doing a major because you like it?

Really, if humanities major do well in science courses (and/or the MCAT), great. If they did well in their non-science courses, awesome. Aslong as they enjoy it.

If you are a science major, doing well is great too. But hey, we're a dime a dozen. Most people apply to med school as a science major, therefore the standard supply and demand. We upped the supply so the demand goes down.

A major is easy or difficult depending on the person, not the major. If someone believes one major is easier than the other, first they must do that major to be able to say that, and secondly, each person is different so their opinion is moot. Frustration over one group getting better GPA's vs. the next is also moot. If one has a 4.0 in biomedical engineering then they are just as good as someone who has a 4.0 in humanities. I don't care if people believe one major is harder than the other. If one can't get a high GPA in their major, regardless of what that major is, then its their own sad fault. The topic of what is easy vs. what is not sounds more like an excuse.

As many have stated, humanities classes can be hard. Might require a different way of thinking, but it can be hard in its own way. So maybe we all should take one step back and focus on doing well in our major, rather than point fingers, and waving arms. As the saying goes: "the grass is always greener...." well ok ya know the rest.

As for me, I am a science major. In fact, I'm now working on my PhD. I did these programs because I like it, and therefore did well in them. I never bothered with worrying about who will get the higher grade...because if it is your goal to get the higher (or even higest) grade, then no major, no grading curve, or class will matter. I MUST admit, that humanities classes are important regardless. As physicians we deal with patients, and patients don't care about you throwing out medical jargon at them, they want someone to talk to, and someone who knows what they're doing. Therefore if a humanities major has good interpersonal skills, and meets the standards to pass USMLE steps 1-3, then so be it. Don't care if they had major in underwater basket weaving either.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sorry, but I resent that comment. Maybe it's because I'm a science major at a liberal arts school, but most science majors I know take plenty of non-science courses (even if just to get a break), are very well read and well rounded. I don't want to get into the whole who's better/smarter than who debate. Just wanted to point out that making assumptions about people based on what area of study they chose to pursue is rude and unnecessary.

I didn't say all. You are reading a lot more rudeness and offense into my post than I think is there.

 

[peterpansy]

I didn't say all. You are reading a lot more rudeness and offense into my post than I think is there.

I didn't think you in particular were being rude. I was just trying to say that people shouldn't have to justify their choice of major one way or another, and that labeling someone unintelligent because s/he chose to study english or "not very well rounded" because s/he majored in a science is equally wrong. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

 

[relentless11]

I didn't say all. You are reading a lot more rudeness and offense into my post than I think is there.

Bah, its just the internet. lol. I think it sounded fine. I have to agree with your statement. On average, humanities majors do read(and write) better. On my end, I have found engineers to be pretty bad at writing. Not all of them though.

I agree that there are science majors that take the minimal amount of humanities to just graduate. Because I was initially one of them..lol. Then i realized that a minor in history was cool. So did that.

Of course we are talking about averages, so doesn't mean everyone does it

 

[SuzieQ3417]

I agree that there are science majors that take the minimal amount of humanities to just graduate. Because I was initially one of them..lol.

It works both ways....I am a music major who has music friends who took the bare minimum of science classes just to graduate (and try to sneak in credit from community colleges). These arguments always take the same path, and I agree with the person who said it is comparing apples to oranges. Who cares which one is harder...it is pointless to argue because so much depends on the person, the school, and the professors. I have about the same GPA in my science vs. humanities classes....for me (note: this is not a situation that applies to everyone so don't try to make a generalization based on one person) I studied more for science classes. But, on the flip side my music courses were more time consuming, making them difficult in different ways (ie time management and associated stress wtih feeling like I had no free time ever). You have a choice in your major, and if you honestly think it would be easier to pick humanities over science, what's stopping you?

 

[Law2Doc]

It works both ways....I am a music major who has music friends who took the bare minimum of science classes just to graduate (and try to sneak in credit from community colleges). These arguments always take the same path, and I agree with the person who said it is comparing apples to oranges. Who cares which one is harder...it is pointless to argue because so much depends on the person, the school, and the professors. I have about the same GPA in my science vs. humanities classes....for me (note: this is not a situation that applies to everyone so don't try to make a generalization based on one person) I studied more for science classes. But, on the flip side my music courses were more time consuming, making them difficult in different ways (ie time management and associated stress wtih feeling like I had no free time ever). You have a choice in your major, and if you honestly think it would be easier to pick humanities over science, what's stopping you?

Sort of, but the "bare minimum" of sciences for someone preparing to apply to med school is usually going to be more credits outside of his/her discipline than the bare minimum of humanities courses a science major can get away with taking at most colleges.

 

[peterpansy]

Sort of, but the "bare minimum" of sciences for someone preparing to apply to med school is usually going to be more credits outside of his/her discipline than the bare minimum of humanities courses a science major can get away with taking at most colleges.

On the flip side, a lot of medical schools require that a portion (how big varies depending on the school) of an applicant's coursework be outside of the science curriculum and specifically state in their admission requirements that they are looking for well rounded applicants with diverse interests. Thus, I doubt that there are too many premeds who only take the "bare minimum" of humanities courses.

 

[SuzieQ3417]

Sort of, but the "bare minimum" of sciences for someone preparing to apply to med school is usually going to be more credits outside of his/her discipline than the bare minimum of humanities courses a science major can get away with taking at most colleges.

I definitely agree. For a science major, the minimum humanities classes they take are not courses I ever had to...that is, they are designed for non-humanities majors or are strictly entry level coursework. Whereas the science classes I took (as well as other humanities/pre-meds) are courses geared toward science majors. I think I ended up with 2 semesters of physics, 2 calculus, 4 chemistry, 5 bio, and 1 biochem...so probably not all that different from a science major taking only what he needed to graduate.

Edit: I just read what I wrote, and I am not trying to imply all science majors try to get by with as little humanities coursework as possible. I'm sure there are plenty who received a minor in humanities and thus took upper-level coursework.

 

[Law2Doc]

On the flip side, a lot of medical schools require that a portion (how big varies depending on the school) of an applicant's coursework be outside of the science curriculum and specifically state in their admission requirements that they are looking for well rounded applicants with diverse interests. Thus, I doubt that there are too many premeds who only take the "bare minimum" of humanities courses.

What med schools are these? In general, med schools I am familiar with only require a year of english as part of the prereqs. I know many many science majors who took no other humanities courses other than this.

 

[Chronic Student]

In my humble opinion, I think that it's possible to be well rounded without taking a course on a subject. I took philosophy and a few writing intensive courses as an undergrad, in addition to regular degree requirements.

In spite of this I consider myself well rounded, even with a high concentration in the sciences. This is because I read a lot, including biographies, history and yes, some fiction. In addition, I am adept at photography and do some writing on the side. I would like to think that I can discuss a great deal of topics in the humanities and sciences without sounding like a hack.

Sorry, I'm just contesting the assumption that taking a class in the humanities = being well rounded and not taking them = knuckle-dragger!

Flame away!



-Mike

 

[QuikClot]

A lot of premeds are distressingly ignorant of anything outside the sciences. It makes them hard to communicate with, and hard for them to relate to the unscientific masses.

I definitely think the humanities requirements for med school ought to be beefed up.

 

[peterpansy]

What med schools are these? In general, med schools I am familiar with only require a year of english as part of the prereqs. I know many many science majors who took no other humanities courses other than this.

Hopkins for one requires 24 semester-hours of humanities and social sciences. I'm pretty sure I've run across quite a few others that look for general humanities courses and not just the one year of english, but I don't feel like looking it up right now. And I don't know about other colleges, but the curriculum at mine (which i somehow doubt is different from every other school in the country) has a writing requirement (2 semesters of English or a writing seminar), a language requirement (4 semesters or passing the equivalent level), and 2 semesters in each of three humanities sectors - Arts and Letters, History and Tradition, and Society - which are all mutually exclusive. So there is our bare minimum (which I personally easily exceeded even though i'm a science major). Even if a person tests out of the language requirement, that's still at least 7 semesters of humanities. I know there are science majors out there who don't like taking humanities classes. I don't know how you can say how many of them there are, or make statements about "on average, science majors aren't as well rounded" - it's not like there are statistics out there on this topic. Again, don't see why anyone has to defend his/her choices when it comes to picking classes. What difference does it make? Oh well, this is pointless. I doubt I can convince you of anything if I haven't yet, so I'll just quit arguing about it.

 

[Law2Doc]

In my humble opinion, I think that it's possible to be well rounded without taking a course on a subject. I took philosophy and a few writing intensive courses as an undergrad, in addition to regular degree requirements.

In spite of this I consider myself well rounded, even with a high concentration in the sciences. This is because I read a lot, including biographies, history and yes, some fiction. In addition, I am adept at photography and do some writing on the side. I would like to think that I can discuss a great deal of topics in the humanities and sciences without sounding like a hack.

Sorry, I'm just contesting the assumption that taking a class in the humanities = being well rounded and not taking them = knuckle-dragger!

Flame away!



-Mike

I don't think anyone is disputing that you couldn't be a science major and be well rounded or that taking a few extra english classes makes you well rounded. But as Quikclot pointed out a lot of science majors you come across are pretty far from making themselves well rounded. More humanities courses may not be the cure for this, but certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[peterpansy]

A lot of premeds are distressingly ignorant of anything outside the sciences. It makes them hard to communicate with, and hard for them to relate to the unscientific masses.

I definitely think the humanities requirements for med school ought to be beefed up.

I don't have a problem with that - as long as they are non-specific. I hated the fact that I had to quit taking French so that I could take a dumb writing seminar, or that none of my Russian Lit classes (even the ones taught in English, for which the papers had to be written in English) qualify as expository writing.

 

[Rafa]

Haha...this is great. I still have the original post the OP made, but the thread went the same way anyway. Amazing what a few hours away from SDN will show ya.

 

[Law2Doc]

I don't know how you can say how many of them there are, or make statements about "on average, science majors aren't as well rounded" - it's not like there are statistics out there on this topic. Again, don't see why anyone has to defend his/her choices when it comes to picking classes. What difference does it make? Oh well, this is pointless. I doubt I can convince you of anything if I haven't yet, so I'll just quit arguing about it.

I didn't actually ever say the quote you ascribed to me. I actually said on average that humanities majors are better read. But I agree with you, it is a pointless argument because adcoms determine who is adequately well rounded for med school. We've both aired out our viewpoints.