The reason you didn't major in science or math

In a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, researchers Ralph

Stinebrickner of Berea College and Todd R. Stinebrickner of the University of Western Ontario say that college students are fleeing from math, physics, chemistry and the like after dipping into some classes.

The researchers surveyed 655 students entering Berea College. Berea college is a private liberal arts college in Kentucky. During the falls of 2000 and 2001. The students were asked about their beliefs pertaining to majors 12 times during each year they were in school, the first time prior to starting college. The questions covered a many topics, including their certainty of graduating with a particular major, their anticipated grade point average and the amount of work they expected to do each day.

The researchers found that while math and science majors drew the most interest initially, very few ever finished with a degree. More students dropped out of the math and science majors, and fewer students switched into them than any other major at the college.

The students didn’t drop because of an unexpected amount of work. In fact, students who expressed interest initially anticipated more work than other majors.

The students switched out because they were dissatisfied with their grades. Todd R. Stinebrickner, one of the paper’s authors said, “What they didn’t expect is that even if they worked hard, they still wouldn't do well.”