Which Is The Hardest Discipline?

[doodles]

Just to add to the mix I found Humanities and Classics easy peasy and loved them. Science was a nightmare - I still remember a good friend trying to explain to me how a fax machine sent a message and for a reasonably bright university graduate I came across as a complete bimbo.

Let's face it all three areas are important and it's a good job we don't all like the same thing. Perhaps we will always classify as "hard" the subjects that we have less interest/ability in.

[First-timer]

Hmm. Haven't voted as I have no experience of Latin or Greek.

I think if sciences are taught properly, they are fairly easy. Learn the stuff and apply it. Sorted. Arts and social sciences require a bit more independent thought in order to do well. In science exams, often the full 100% is up for grabs. In essay based subjects, it's unusal to get more than 90%. Not sure that makes a difference to the easiness of a subject, though.

A lot does depend on the individual. Some people are better suited to some subjects than others. Also, we are talking about broad terms here. Sciences are not all equally difficult. At uni, I noticed that people were often caught out by philosophy subjects and I would say that I think these are probably the most difficult.

[sherry_d]

Sciences just scare me, I rememeber at uni we did about 15 hours lectures and tutorials weekly and those in the sciences esp medicine seem to be forever studying or doing classes. In high school those who did sciences also seemed to be forever studying when some of us were having fun so for that reason sciences "seem" a bit hard to me. It also seemed like those highly gifted and talented were mainly in the sciences and I still kind of think that way.

As for classics, I have no idea what that is

[Flamenco]

Which discipline do you think is the hardest to learn and by logical conclusion therefore, would attract the cleverest students.

Thanks guys for participating.

Well, to answer my own query, the question of what is "hard" is rather subjective as many posters have said already. Personally, I've a natural flair for the humanities, have passed professional exams on related subjects sometimes without even opening a textbook. But when it comes to the sciences, especially chemistry, I'm completely hopeless, not for lack of trying.

Really, I know much more (say) about the origins of the gypsies of Andalucia or the Dutch exploitation of the Far East in the last 400 years than understanding what is E=mc2 or the Black Hole.

Therefore, to me the sciences are the hardest subjects; and are scientists the cleverer people? 'Yes' in their field, but I'm the cleverer in my field.

[doodles]

Exactly Flamenco, the reproductive organs of a rat and how a fax sends messages are a complete mystery to me but Virgil's Aenid or tribal cultures in Papua New Guinea are a walk in the park!

Glad we are all so different - it's what makes sociologists like me tick!!!

[T.i.p.s.y]

Virgil's Aenid? Now talented as I may be I haven't learnt which part of the body that is to be found.

[yoyo123]

Sciences involve far more structured time, labs, lectures etc. I had labs , seminars or lectures every day and some days were 9 to 6.30. My friends doing humanities had far less contact time, ( a friend doing american studies ahad 4 hours week!)

However I think maybe Humanities are harder to do really well in as so much dependson background reading etc. Itis possible to do OK in Sciences without too much additional reading and essay writing. (I did a mixed faculty degree--give me a lab report any day!)