By Megan Krueger
Most of us have a list of red flags that we look out for in other people. If we’re being honest, we all have our own personal red flags that we like to warn others about, too. But have you ever wondered if your college major is one of them? Well, I polled friends, classmates, students in my residence hall, and fellow GW Local correspondents and these are our top ten most red-flagged, side-eye-inducing majors.
Disclaimer: This article basically just boils down to stereotypes and generalizations of every major, so try not to take it too personally if everyone I spoke to apparently hates your major. It’s quite possible our gripes with your field of study don’t really apply to you—maybe you’re the one computer science student who bathes, for instance. In that case, we’re proud of you.
10: Theater
Students said: “Loud and obnoxious.”
Drama is an essential part of this major, but by God, do the rest of us not want to be a part of it. It’s time for theater majors to realize that they are not, in fact, the main characters before they graduate with zero career prospects.
9: Gender Studies
Students said: “So you can really afford to be that delusional in your choice of studies.”
I’ll be honest: I think most students don’t really know what people with this major do. The bigger problem is, most employers don’t either, which is why this major reads as an immediate indicator of privilege: most of us have to choose something we know will be useful in order to justify paying GW’s tuition.
8: Pre-Med
Students say: “Very competitive for no reason: why do they feel the need to brag that they got one more point than me on that one exam one time?”
I think at this point we’ve all heard of the mean-girl-to-pre-med-student pipeline, and a lot of med students confirmed for me that it’s certainly not a myth. However, they also assured me that because this degree is so high-commitment, most of the jerks get weeded out before graduation.
7: Philosophy
Students say: “Pretentious.”
These majors tend to pick one school of thought and make it their entire personality. Unfortunately, understanding the difference between naturalism and non-naturalism is not actually a very marketable skill, so we can’t help but feel it’s time for these students to come out of Plato’s cave and into the real world.
6: Engineering
Students say: “A classroom of engineering students smells like a Smash Brothers tournament.”
I guess it’s hard not to be full of yourself when you’re pursuing one of the most notoriously difficult degrees, but that future high tax bracket also comes at the detriment of your social life and hygiene, so I don’t know if you really want to brag about that.
5: Computer Science
Students say: “Cringe.”
I guess it’s hard to see how any major that attracts hordes of nerdy, awkward, straight, white males wouldn’t be a red flag. These folks are pretty comparable to engineering students: poor-to-nonexistent hygiene, sleep schedules, and social lives. They may be able to pass some pretty advanced math courses, but their ineptitude in every other aspect of life has us questioning how any software exists in the first place.
4: Psychology
Students say: “I did not consent to be your test subject.”
If we’re honest, therapy probably would have been a cheaper way to find out what’s wrong with you than going to university to study psych. Folks with this major really enjoy diagnosing others with narcissism despite being some of the most self-centered people you’ll ever speak to.
3: International Affairs
Students say: “Insufferable.”
There are way too many people with this major at GW and their collective ego is getting on everyone’s nerves. Just because you study international affairs does not actually make you an expert on the economies of other countries, and to the IA students in my residence hall specifically, please stop discussing Latin American politics in the dining hall. Your ignorance is hurting all of us.
2: Political Science
Students say: “SHUT. UP.”
This one goes out to all the GW Hillterns convinced they’re going to be president one day. This was typically the first answer out of everyone’s mouth when I asked, “Which major would you consider the biggest red flag?” likely because it’s truly impossible to have a conversation with them—the minute the topic turns even slightly politically it turns into a lecture or an argument.
1: Business
Students say: “Like a real-life house of Slytherin.”
Based on my poll, business students are hands-down the most toxic, but rather than calling out all business majors, I’ve decided to break down the top 3 most mentioned concentrations (so any of my fellow marketing majors can count their blessings because we get a pass just this once).
So, without further ado, here are the MOST toxic majors:
1.a): Finance
These students give the rest of us the ick. Maybe it’s the vibe that they’re just using you for their own social advancement, or their fiscally conservative theories, or an alarming amount of knowledge about crypto. And yes, we can see you all checking your stocks in class.
1.b): Entrepreneurship
We all know that one entrepreneurship major who thinks they’re going to be the next Bill Gates and spends all their time praising Elon Musk (because unlike many of the majors that have appeared on this list, business majors don’t have enough homework to justify their irksomeness). Most of us just want to see these majors go find a personality, because entrepreneurship culture does not count as one.
1.c) Economics
American Psycho was a documentary about these people. Seriously, do you have anything on your bookshelf other than get-rich-fast self-help books? Also, if you ever want to hear these majors lecture for a full forty-five minutes and potentially burst a blood vessel, just ask the age-old question, “Why can’t we just print more money?” Trust me, it’s fun.
And there you have it, our top 10 majors equivalent to flying big red flags all over campus! In all seriousness, this list does rely on stereotypes and generalizations that likely don’t define the majority of students within these majors. It’s extremely possible to be an econ and finance double major with a minor in entrepreneurship and still be a good person. While, of course, it can be fun to laugh at ourselves,–or at the expense of others who share our majors–at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what others think: whatever field of study you most enjoy is a green flag for you.
