Everyone usually attends college for the same group of reasons: to enhance learning on a subject you favor, to experience the stereotyped life of parties and drinking, to get paid more than those who don't attend or because it's what everyone else is doing.

Just like in any environment, biases based on competition emerge.

A select group of majors, such as engineering, science and pre-med, are known for believing that they have harder tests, grading scales, courses and material to learn. Comparing grade point averages between majors isn't possible, however, because of the heavier burdens they have to endure.

Engineering majors alone will take an average of 128 to 132 hours and are required to take calculus, physics and chemistry their first semester on campus. They are also the only college at the University with a complex flow chart outlining required courses and prerequisites needed.

Majors that don't appear as complex from their titles — such as kinesiology, studio art or communication studies — receive the stereotype that getting a major in said fields is easy.

Studio art freshman Patrick Lebas agreed.

"People think we color in books and draw pretty pictures," Lebas said. "We take foundation classes and go through materials before getting to actually produce anything."

By the time we get into college, everyone should know that prejudging anything is a mistake.

To claim certain majors are harder than others is like saying hockey is less intense than football. Both require specialized training and teamwork — how can you say that one is harder than the other?

I was under the crazy impression that everyone understood why students are given the opportunity to select their own major in college: by making the decision to major in a field of our choice, the decision to achieve its requirements is implied.

"It's what interests me. It's difficult, but not overwhelming," said animal science junior Keaton Lea.

Misconceptions about majors are too easy to make. When the average person on campus hears kinesiology, he or she usually associates the major with being easy or even one undeclared majors pick for the time being.

Kinesiology junior Brittney Hampton explained that her curriculum has many different concentrations, with most students interested in physical therapy looking at grad school, where a 3.7 grade point average is the minimum. Graduate Record Examination scores and experience in the field are also considered.

"We take chemistry, anatomy and conditioning classes where not everyone is easy to work with," Hampton said.

After discussing the topic of stigmas with students on campus, I found that most acknowledge majors like engineering are harder because of the courses required within a semester.

I also concluded that other majors even out in challenge when it comes to other aspects like networking, portfolios and internship/experience — something that future employers look at much more intensely in majors relating to communication or art.

"The hours spent studying and completing homework are equal to the amount of time we spend with paintings and graphic design," said studio art senior Justin Reed.

I always knew there was a reason that the design buildings were kept open practically 24 hours.

How we are taught the information needed to excel in the field of our choice is always going to be different. No need to claim that apples work harder than oranges — something that provides just as many benefits to society and is a fruit all the same.

"There will always be stigmas with anyone's major, but if you're passionate, that shouldn't matter," communication studies sophomore Bridget Bailey said.

At the end of the day, hopefully the lesson learned is that comparing majors with varying requirements is impossible because the scales are not the same. Pursuing any major in college will involve studying, while success in any field will require practice regardless.

Marie-Therese Yokum is a 19-year-old mass communication and finance sophomore from Lafayette. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_myokum.

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Contact Marie-Therese Yokum at myokum@lsureveille.com