Last May, I sat down at my dining room table to start writing one of my final essays when my roommate came into the room. “You seem so calm for finals. I wish I had an easy major and just had to write papers,” she said. What she said infuriated me. I had been gathering information for days, just so I could start writing this particular paper. What I was about to do wasn’t going to be easy.
At NC State, there seems to be a hierarchy of majors in regard to their difficulty. Students with certain majors are not allowed to complain about their level of work because they have an “easy” major, and students who have longer exams are seen as harder working than those who don’t. I could have three term papers due in one day, but my work would still be belittled by peers since it’s not a “real” exam.
This hierarchy of majors is seen in practically all departments, but the biggest divide is between STEM and humanities students. CHASS is the second largest college on NC State’s campus, and 40 percent of CHASS undergraduates earn Dean’s List honors. The world doesn’t only need STEM majors — it needs humanities students too. Journalists, teachers, lawyers and many more all are conceived from a strong humanities background. However, CHASS students’ academic efforts are often downplayed compared to other colleges.
I’ve taken plenty of exams in college and have made the Dean’s List, but this is my first semester only writing reports and papers. For my English classes in particular, normal testing with exams would not be feasible. If I am learning how to become a better writer, taking a multiple-choice test would not be applicable to my future career.
There are many students on NC State’s campus that have similar course lists, but it doesn’t mean our majors are easier or our stress level is lower. I may be an English student, but writing an essay is still difficult and stressful for me; however, I feel like I am better understanding the material I have learned.
Over the last few years there have been debates on testing and if it successfully measures a student’s intelligence. A study led by Columbia University’s Office of Work/Life concluded that one of the cons of testing was, “There are many people who simply do not perform well on tests. Many of these students are smart and understand the content, but it doesn’t show on the test.” Writing an essay can give these students the opportunity to explain the material they’ve learned throughout the year.
At NC State, the Counseling Center recognizes that students are built differently and do not process information the same way. The Counseling Center’s website gives students advice and study tips on all types of testing scenarios, including essays. It gives detailed reasoning for why professors give certain types of tests for students to understand the material. On the Counseling Center’s website it says, “Essay questions call for analysis. Your instructor wants to know how well you apply course material and class discussion to the essay question.”
The Counseling Center also recognizes the high prevalence of test anxiety in students and provides help for those who are impacted. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, about 16-20 percent of students have high test anxiety. Test anxiety can cause mental and even physical symptoms preventing students from performing well on exams.
We should not glorify the amount of work our majors require nor the stress we experience. We should especially not judge other majors that we are not familiar with. Saying that one major is superior to another deepens the divide between NC State’s departments. Each NC State student is unique and learns differently. Taking a test or writing a paper both require effort, time and knowledge. Taking exams is not the only way NC State students should have their education evaluated, because it is not the only way to measure it.
