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Humanities are easier with less work

For me it is clear sciences and maths require more understanding and require more work than for humanities courses. Most people I know who do humanities/social sciences/ 'don't even go there subjects' have much more free time than I do studying physics. They also give you less useful information. For example, how is the information gained in history actually useful, although you may learn certain useful skills. Furthermore, I study Spanish in my spare time - I can't imagine and humanities students being able to learn any maths in their spare time ( and have never come across any humanities students delving into the the world of science). Sciences are also more profitable.

Science students can normally manage to do humanities. Humanities students can't do sciences.

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Reply 1
I couldn't do a humanities subject. Although that might be more down to lack of interest rather than lack of ability. But then again, the two aren't really separate things.
no i completely agree with you. i am doing a combination at a level. i have to put so muhc time into my sciences and french, and so little into geography.
Reply 3
why are you trying to make yourself feel better about your subject choice? sciences aren't 'better' than humanities, and humanities aren't 'better' than the sciences.

what a pointless attempt at an ego-boost.
It's just a different sort of learning. We all, naturally, prefer the things we do, otherwise why would we bother doing them?

A balanced base of education is essential. Which one you choose for yourself depends entirely on where your strengths lie, and what you wish to gain from your studies.
Reply 5
I couldn't disagree more.
Humanities subjects require you to think for yourself, use your own intellect, reason and understand things in far more depth than the sciences or maths. In the latter subjects, you're simply taught to regurgitate information on tap with no input yourself. There is no room for questioning, no room for any sort of personal response to questions and for me, that means that you are not involved in what you're studying. How can just being taught something be enjoyable and rewarding? Yes, rewarding in the sense that you either know it or you don't so when it comes round to exam time, these subjects could be considered more straightforward as there is only one answer.
There will be a million people on one side of this debate and a million on the other - both have their own pros and cons but there is no way that one can be considered easier than the other. They are two completely different disciplines - one where you're just a puppet on a string, churning out what somebody else has already worked out for you, and the other where you are you with your own chance to think about things. Humanities subjects require a lot more thought, concentration and involvement - you have to truly understand something to answer a question on it, not like in maths where you just follow a formula - no room to move.
I know, i do humanities and maths.
I consider humanities to be more work actually - because you mainly have to actually memorise things, and if you haven't actually sat there and put in the time and effort to memorise the facts, no amount of intelligence is going to save you in the exam, really :s-smilie:

I'd agree that sciences and especially maths require more understanding though. But I chose maths at uni because I thought it would be less work than something like History, where I'd actually have to sit there and memorise everything. Whereas in Maths, you can just look at something a few times, understand the concept there and then, and it becomes quite difficult to forget that concept because you're using it so often later on in the course.
Reply 7
OhNO!
why are you trying to make yourself feel better about your subject choice? sciences aren't 'better' than humanities, and humanities aren't 'better' than the sciences.

what a pointless attempt at an ego-boost.


Since you're doing English Lit why not try capital letters at the start of sentences?
Reply 8
the only humanities subject i was confident enough in my ability to take to AS was history. i doubt i would have been good (stood a chance of getting an A) at english.
(my other subjects are bio, chem, phys and latin)
Reply 9
ajj08
For me it is clear sciences and maths require more understanding and require more work than for humanities courses. Most people I know who do humanities/social sciences/ 'don't even go there subjects' have much more free time than I do studying physics. They also give you less useful information. For example, how is the information gained in history actually useful, although you may learn certain useful skills. Furthermore, I study Spanish in my spare time - I can't imagine and humanities students being able to learn any maths in their spare time ( and have never come across any humanities students delving into the the world of science). Sciences are also more profitable.

Science students can normally manage to do humanities. Humanities students can't do sciences.


Oh just shut up. Please. :smile: Evidently you're not a fan of essay subjects as you clearly can't construct a decent argument.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but really, just 'cause you hold no regard for humanities, doesn't mean no one else should. Frankly I see a lot more relevance in studying human philosophy and behaviour in history than in hyperbolic trigonometric functions. Doesn't mean everyone has to, it just changes for everyone. I say this as someone who does English Lit, Music, Maths and Further Maths, and I did History last year. Ultimately my honest opinion is if you completely shake off a whole discipline then you're missing out. But again, not true for all by any means.
Reply 10
yeh im doin english an its not very hard LOL
Reply 11
Sciences require less work. I still much prefer them though.
Reply 12
I do a mix, three sciences and two humanities.

Overall, I put more hours into history and English literature, than chemistry, physics and biology put together - but at my school science subjects give very little homework.

I'm also learning maths C1 and C2 for now at home, though I suppose I'm more a science student than humanities, but still I disagree that humanities students have a lot of time on their hands, we don't where I study anyway!
Reply 13
tazarooni89
I consider humanities to be more work actually - because you mainly have to actually memorise things, and if you haven't actually sat there and put in the time and effort to memorise the facts, no amount of intelligence is going to save you in the exam, really :s-smilie:

I'd agree that sciences and especially maths require more understanding though. But I chose maths at uni because I thought it would be less work than something like History, where I'd actually have to sit there and memorise everything. Whereas in Maths, you can just look at something a few times, understand the concept there and then, and it becomes quite difficult to forget that concept because you're using it so often later on in the course.



Yeah, I agree totally with this.
Doing the IB I do both science and humanities subjects. I think it is entirely untrue that students of science can easily do humanities subjects and not vice versa. Not everyone can manage a well-written and skilled essay, whereas it is a lot easier to learn scientific facts and simply repeat them.
Reply 15
ajj08
Since your doing English Lit why not try capital letters at the start of sentences?


Since you're trying to belittle an English Lit student why not try accurate grammar?
Reply 16
ChloeGsy
I couldn't disagree more.
Humanities subjects require you to think for yourself, use your own intellect, reason and understand things in far more depth than the sciences or maths. In the latter subjects, you're simply taught to regurgitate information on tap with no input yourself. There is no room for questioning, no room for any sort of personal response to questions and for me, that means that you are not involved in what you're studying. How can just being taught something be enjoyable and rewarding? Yes, rewarding in the sense that you either know it or you don't so when it comes round to exam time, these subjects could be considered more straightforward as there is only one answer.
There will be a million people on one side of this debate and a million on the other - both have their own pros and cons but there is no way that one can be considered easier than the other. They are two completely different disciplines - one where you're just a puppet on a string, churning out what somebody else has already worked out for you, and the other where you are you with your own chance to think about things. Humanities subjects require a lot more thought, concentration and involvement - you have to truly understand something to answer a question on it, not like in maths where you just follow a formula - no room to move.
I know, i do humanities and maths.


You are ridiculous. How can you say you don't have to think for yourself in sciences. How is anything ever discovered if you just reuse formulae ?
Reply 17
ChloeGsy
I couldn't disagree more.
Humanities subjects require you to think for yourself, use your own intellect, reason and understand things in far more depth than the sciences or maths. In the latter subjects, you're simply taught to regurgitate information on tap with no input yourself. There is no room for questioning, no room for any sort of personal response to questions and for me, that means that you are not involved in what you're studying. How can just being taught something be enjoyable and rewarding? Yes, rewarding in the sense that you either know it or you don't so when it comes round to exam time, these subjects could be considered more straightforward as there is only one answer.
There will be a million people on one side of this debate and a million on the other - both have their own pros and cons but there is no way that one can be considered easier than the other. They are two completely different disciplines - one where you're just a puppet on a string, churning out what somebody else has already worked out for you, and the other where you are you with your own chance to think about things. Humanities subjects require a lot more thought, concentration and involvement - you have to truly understand something to answer a question on it, not like in maths where you just follow a formula - no room to move.
I know, i do humanities and maths.


Sorry, science is based on not thinking and just reguritating info? excuse me?
Reply 18
I think science and maths are more difficult but humanaties subjects like history require more work in essay writing, memorising etc.
I wish I had done a science at A level now, I think it would have proved my intelligence more
ChloeGsy
I couldn't disagree more.
Humanities subjects require you to think for yourself, use your own intellect, reason and understand things in far more depth than the sciences or maths. In the latter subjects, you're simply taught to regurgitate information on tap with no input yourself. There is no room for questioning, no room for any sort of personal response to questions and for me, that means that you are not involved in what you're studying. How can just being taught something be enjoyable and rewarding? Yes, rewarding in the sense that you either know it or you don't so when it comes round to exam time, these subjects could be considered more straightforward as there is only one answer.
There will be a million people on one side of this debate and a million on the other - both have their own pros and cons but there is no way that one can be considered easier than the other. They are two completely different disciplines - one where you're just a puppet on a string, churning out what somebody else has already worked out for you, and the other where you are you with your own chance to think about things. Humanities subjects require a lot more thought, concentration and involvement - you have to truly understand something to answer a question on it, not like in maths where you just follow a formula - no room to move.
I know, i do humanities and maths.

I agree with you, I study philosophy and I always think that other people are just remembering and regurgitating things.

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