by Emma Frieze | May 8, 2023
About the Project
I created this reporting project as an exercise in professional communication. The task was to address a topic or issue that is newsworthy and relevant to Lawrence, Kansas, or the University of Kansas. The topic I chose relates to a local lens of a nationwide trend. Recently, many college students with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors have recently created social media videos that make fun of non-STEM students. Because this topic impacts college students directly, I was curious to see what students at the University of Kansas had to say about how they had been affected by college major stereotypes.
Below, I have included a reporting plan of action, a written news story, a 60-second voice-over video script and a visual element (a graphic) related to this topic. While working on this project, I utilized skills such as generating and developing a story idea, researching and interviewing, writing and editing for journalism, writing for broadcast, telling a story in a visual way and presenting my work online. I also used proper source attributions and utilized AP Style.
Thank you for reading.
This project was created for JMC 305: Writing for Media, Honors at the University of Kansas in spring 2023.
Reporting Plan of Action
Idea: Is there such a thing as an “easy” college major? How stereotypes about college majors can be harmful to college students’ self-esteem and even a university’s reputation
What is the issue?
There has been a trend on social media across universities in which students make fun of other students who are pursuing what they perceive to be “easier” majors. Usually, this content is generated by students who identify as STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors and is targeted toward students with majors such as business, communications or education. In these social media videos, business and communications majors are typically portrayed as lazy and bad at math, often shown playing video games or watching movies as their STEM counterparts are shown studying and doing homework. Meanwhile, education majors are often shown in these unflattering videos doing elementary school activities such as coloring.
Business is an area of study that is particularly portrayed in a negative light. One TikTok shows a “business student” taking a fake final that contains rudimentary, common-sense questions such as “3 x 2 = ?”. Another video directly highlights how STEM majors do not take business majors seriously. One video even has a caption that says, “Business major slander is fun.”
Popular news outlets have also contributed to this ongoing discussion over the past decade, particularly when it comes to business majors. In 2011, David Glenn of The New York Times wrote an article called “The Default Major: Skating Through B-School” in which Glenn stated, “Business majors spend less time preparing for class than do students in any other broad field …” In 2017, Jeffrey J. Selingo wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post entitled “Business is the most popular college major, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good choice.” In this article, Selingo says, “Students majoring in business spend less time studying than anyone else on campus, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement. They also spend less time reading and writing than other majors.”
In 2019, an article questioning the value of an MBA surfaced from Andrew Cunningham, chief operating officer at Import.io, on LinkedIn with the headline “Smart people don’t go to business school.” At a glance, a 2014 article from Beecher Tuttle in Business Insider might appear to argue the same point as these other articles. However, through “‘Get ready to drink’ and other honest advice about business school,’” Tuttle instead explored the paradox of business schools and how they may be more difficult than some people might think.
The issue is particularly relevant now with the growth of the University of Kansas School of Business over recent years. This draws us to revisiting this issue and answering these questions: Are business students really lazy? Are they actually bad at math or not qualified to major in STEM? How do business students perceive themselves in the context of the university, and how do other students really view business majors?
Who does the issue affect?
This issue affects business students and other students who may feel that their college experiences and hard work are invalidated by other people who look down on their majors. The School of Business could also be harmed if the prestige of a business degree significantly declines.
Why is this newsworthy to a local audience?
This is newsworthy because this issue has recently resurfaced on social media (timely). It has an impact on thousands of business students at KU (impact). It is an on-campus issue (proximity).
There are two sides of the story (conflict). The issue is fairly unusual because it is not commonly addressed head-on (unusual). While there are no particular prominent figures involved, there could be.
Where is it based geographically?
This is happening at universities across the country but also specifically at the University of Kansas.
Who might you interview?
I would want to interview STEM majors who believe in business-major stereotypes and who do not believe in these stereotypes. I would also want to interview business majors with various points of view. It would also be neat to interview people who come from both backgrounds.
When can you do your interviews?
I can do them in the next few weeks.
What is your plan for the visual element?
I would want to produce an infographic about the facts of a business education.
Notes added after meeting with my professor and other additional changes
My project expanded from a focus on business students to an emphasis on various types of non-STEM students, including business, education and (strategic) communications students. I also decided to change my idea for the visual from an infographic about the facts of a business education to a graphic featuring students’ responses to two common stereotypes about non-STEM majors. Additionally, my professor suggested that I interview a faculty or staff member, so I interviewed the assistant director of undergraduate recruitment at the School of Business.
News Story
“Any major can be difficult”: Students at the University of Kansas weigh in about college major stereotypes
By Emma Frieze | May 8, 2023
A nationwide social media trend has gained attention at the University of Kansas for showing college students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) making fun of non-STEM students for having “easy” majors.
These social media posts portray non-STEM students as unintelligent or lazy. For example, a TikTok video from @dumb.club shows college students who said that communications is the “dumbest major.” A recent Instagram Reel from @grades_saver portrayed a STEM student on his way to a lab who is passed by business students partying, and another Instagram Reel from @jaymehknocks mocked an education student studying basic vocabulary. Several University of Kansas students have noticed these stereotypes circulating on their own college campus.
“I think business kind of gets a negative rep sometimes,” said Ethan Watson, a junior studying accounting and political science. “For me, I was a high-achieving student in high school, and business is just what I was interested in … People need to realize that with the business degree, you can be incredibly high achieving.” Watson said that he is familiar with a “B-school, pre-school type mentality,” or the idea that business students have easy classes. However, he said that he puts in the same hours as his peers in STEM.
Students are not the only ones who have noticed stereotypes about business majors. “I think there is an outside perspective and stereotype that business is an easy degree choice,” said Cicily Corder, the assistant director of undergraduate recruitment at the University of Kansas School of Business. “The KU School of Business is challenging and rigorous in regard to its curriculum and programming.”
Meanwhile, Justin Pfeiff, a junior studying elementary education, said that a common stereotype about his major is that his homework consists of filling out coloring books. “I think we do a lot of very complex things,” said Pfeiff, who also said that his major requires an unpaid internship through student teaching. Aditionally, Pfeiff faces the stereotype that elementary education majors are women, and he said that he has been impacted by gender disparity as a male education student. “I think we talk about women in STEM and women in business … very rightfully,” he said, “but it’d be nice to see more awareness on this side as well.”
While many of the stereotype-based jokes on social media target non-STEM students, there are also stereotypes that impact STEM students as well. “I think the biggest joke in STEM is that … the kids don’t shower,” said Hamza Khaliq, a senior studying information systems. “They’re hygienic … That stereotype is a little old now.”
Khaliq recently switched from studying computer science to information systems and said that his parents “were a little skeptical at first” about his transfer to the School of Business due to the reputation of business students compared to STEM students. However, he said that despite the judgment that he received from other people for this change, he was still able to earn a computer science internship without an engineering degree.
Students who try various majors may learn that other areas of study are different than what they expected. Samantha “Trinity” Krouse is a senior studying strategic communications with a visual art minor, but she has also tried majors in English, environmental studies, psychology and visual communications. Krouse said, “I think unless you have a close friend in a different major, then it’s really hard to know what goes on in those other schools … When you actually get in there, it’s different.”
Some students do not take stereotypes about their majors very harshly. As Watson said, “Mostly, I think it’s just a playful joke.” However, Elizabeth “Libby” Frost, a junior studying business administration on the pre-medicine track, has another perspective. She said that stereotypes can hurt students’ self-esteem and “can turn away people from pursuing a major they may genuinely be interested in because they don’t want to seem dumb.”
Frost said that students would gain respect for each other if they took time to get to know people with other majors. She said, “I don’t think certain majors are easier than others. Depending on how seriously you take your classes, any major can be difficult.”
Video Script
Emma Frieze
Major Stereotypes
{ANCHOR}
A nationwide social media trend has gained attention at the University of Kansas. This trend shows college students who study science, technology, engineering and math (or STEM) making fun of non-STEM students.
{VO}
<video file=”Major Stereotypes“ time=”0:60”>
The social media posts portray students with majors such as business as being unintelligent or lazy. However, some KU students do not agree with these stereotypes. Ethan Watson, a junior at KU studying accounting and political science, said that he is familiar with what he calls the “B-School, pre-school type mentality,” or the idea that business students have easy classes. However, he said that he puts in the same hours as his peers in STEM. {VO from Watson} “People need to realize that with the business degree, you can be incredibly high-achieving.” {End VO from Watson} Libby Frost, a junior studying business administration on the pre-med track, said these stereotypes can hurt students’ self-esteem. {VO from Frost} “I don’t think certain majors are easier than others. Depending on how seriously you take your classes, any major can be difficult.” {End VO from Frost} There may be a solution for reducing these stereotypes. Frost said that students would gain respect for each other if they took time to get to know people with other majors.
Visual Element (Graphic)
Thank you for reading.
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