This is how much harder STEM majors actually work
They study more hours, sleep less, are more stressed out and pull more all-nighters
Harry ShukmanSTEM majors always claim they work harder than students doing humanities degrees, and now here’s conclusive proof that they do.
Based on extensive data analysis from student responses compiled by The National Survey Engagement and The Tab, we can conclude STEM majors study more hours per week, pull more all-nighters in the library, and feel more stressed out over work.
On every count except GPA (possibly because it’s more competitive), the data shows STEM majors have a harder time in college than those studying humanities.
The stats, which come from surveys examining homework, GPA, stress, sleep, and all-nighters, shows the starkest contrast when it comes to hours spent studying per week – research compiled by Indiana University’s NSSE. STEM majors, on average, spend 16.5 hours preparing for class (doing homework, lab work or reading) compared to humanities, who spend just 14 hours per week. That means STEM majors work more than 17 percent harder on homework than humanities.
See how STEM and humanities stack up below:
STEM majors study 16.5 hours outside of class per week, humanities study 14.07 hours
STEM majors have pulled 2.75 all-nighters this academic year so far, and humanities 2.21
STEM majors sleep 6.68 hours a night, humanities majors sleep 6.73 hours
STEM majors are stressed out 7.07 times per week, and humanities 6.15 times