Poll: Do engineering, math, & science require greater intellect compared to all other fields of study?

stem guy wrote:

To answer the original questions, yes, hard sciences and engineering do require a greater intellect to graduate from a similarly rated program/school compared to other majors. It's just a fact, get over it.

lol

After reading this, I knew you were going to be a science/engineering type.

Huo Hum wrote:

(and WTF is a "3rd-level course"?).

You don't get to those until 20th grade.

I have a STEM background and I get tired of the superiority complex that so many STEM majors have.

First of all, some STEM disciplines, like Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry, are largely rote memorization.

Second of all, the ones that involve complex problem solving and logic can usually be passed if you compensate by studying a ton. For instance, if you're in Calculus and don't "get" Calculus, you can still do 1,000,000 practice problems and your brain will memorize the ways to solve them even if you couldn't've figured out the solutions on your own.

Third of all, STEM classes are way harder at some universities than at others. I saw one of my friend's Math exams from his university and they were cinch compared to mine.

logician wrote:

stem guy wrote:

To answer the original questions, yes, hard sciences and engineering do require a greater intellect to graduate from a similarly rated program/school compared to other majors. It's just a fact, get over it.

lol

After reading this, I knew you were going to be a science/engineering type.

You had to read my first couple of sentences? You didn't pick up on my name? Real bright one here.

Proper courses in the liberal arts can and should be just as demanding. Two things have happened in the last three-four decades that have hurt the liberal arts, however. First, the high school student is a much poorer writer than he/she was a half century ago. The quality of the writing at the college level is pretty much atrocious. This forces humanities professors to fail most students, or lower the standard. Obviously, the latter has happened due to societal pressure and pressure from university leadership who need students. Second, the liberal arts as an academic regimen has been saddled with the addition of all kinds of new courses and majors that are, to say the least, hardly legitimate academic pursuits. I'm talking about communications, business, gender studies, ethnic studies, etc... These have plenty of courses where you can indeed BS your way to a B, because the whole course is really nothing more than BS. I think it's fair to say that a true philosophy major is in for a rougher ride than a communications major.

What are you doing with your ME major today, if I may ask?

Critical Thinking wrote:

Holy cow you had to apply concepts you learned to novel situations? Wow, that sounds like something that one would never encounter outside of engineering.

Maybe I should have expanded more, but I thought it was obvious from other posters in this thread. These concepts are difficult to grasp to begin with. And they all build on one another. Didn't do well in second semester calculus? We'll you're going to struggle in Thermodynamics. Didn't do well in Thermo, well Heat Transfer is going to be a bitch. And so on and so on.

I could jump into any Business class and BS my way to a B. None of my non-engineering buddies could do the same with my classes. Look, I struggled to even graduate. This isn't me trying to pump my chest. Like I said, it's just a fact that engineering specifically requires greater intellect.

I am a phd student in biology.

In my experience/opinion, here are smartest fields at the grad level:

1. Math

2. Philosophy

3. Physics

4. English lit

5. Engineering

6. Economics

7. Chem

8. Bio

To your point, I'd never argue that someone with a liberal arts degree is by default less intelligent than a STEM grad. That's obviously ridiculous. I'm just saying that at a comparably rated school, a STEM grad on average will have greater intellect that an average non-STEM grad. And based on your post, it sounds like that's changed from at least a generation ago. Which is unfortunate.

And I'm in technical sales. Wasn't going to be enough money in straight engineering for me. But it certainly helps to have that background in what I do.

stem guy wrote:

You had to read my first couple of sentences? You didn't pick up on my name? Real bright one here.

Why would I read the names of posters on an anonymous internet forum? Unless someone is replying to a message of mine, there is no need.

And all I said was "After reading this, I knew you were going to be a

science/engineering type."

Which was correct.

Chill.

stem guy wrote:

Look, I struggled to even graduate. This isn't me trying to pump my chest. Like I said, it's just a fact that engineering specifically requires greater intellect.

But it's not a fact.

It does not follow that

"engineering specifically requires greater intellect"

from anything you've said.

logician wrote:

stem guy wrote:

Look, I struggled to even graduate. This isn't me trying to pump my chest. Like I said, it's just a fact that engineering specifically requires greater intellect.

But it's not a fact.

It does not follow that

"engineering specifically requires greater intellect"

from anything you've said.

Considering I have most rational people on my side of the argument, why don't you prove that it doesn't. Or don't. I don't really care. Football is on.

stem guy wrote:

Considering I have most rational people on my side of the argument

1) Your assertion "Considering I have most rational people on my side of the argument" is an unjustified assumption.

2) Even if the aforementioned assertion is truth, the truth of something is not dependent on the number of people that believe in it. Therefore, an assertion that a proposition is true because "I have most rational people on my side of the argument," or that it is some evidence that it may be true, is an irrelevant objection and can be dismissed.

why don't you prove that it doesn't. Or don't. I don't really care. Football is on.

This answers the question pretty well:

https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table4.pdf

Though it only applies to people applying for Grad school, which might vary by major.

Engineering, math, & science all require students who think they're smarter than those in other fields of study.

Thb hust wrote:

What does this have to with intelligence? You're talking about experiences. OK, someone who has experienced great suffering knows something that a sheltered math professor might not. So what? That is irrelevant. We're talking about mental prowess, ability to learn, speed & ease of understanding, ability to digest complex ideas, ability to solve complex problems & create new solutions. This is what is meant by intelligence. Expertise in a STEM field requires, but then further fosters this type of thinking. What does this have to do with suffering?

Exactly what is wrong with this country. You don't get it, never will. Proof why a hundred million plus American Christians are phonies... You are asleep. Not even .001% awake to enlightenment.