I’ll never forget the day that I first experienced life as
a North Campus major in the rough terrains of South Campus.
When I revealed to an engineer in my math class that I was a
political science and physiological science student, he scoffed,
“Political science isn’t even real science.” This
led me to explain how studying it is important because it governs
law and society and to remind him that science is not the only
factor driving world progress.
He wasn’t convinced.
Throughout my short-lived journey as a dual-campus major (I made
a complete switch to South Campus this year for career-path
reasons), I found myself constantly observing the great divide
between the two campuses.
Sure, oftentimes this rivalry exists in good fun, promoting
individual campus spirit and pride. But it’s no lie that the
rift has led to serious misunderstanding and disrespect between the
campuses.
“People don’t understand the validity in other
disciplines. It’s almost like cross-cultural
dialogues,” said Elisabeth Berger, external president of
American Medical Student Association.
Common generalizations float in South Campus that North Campus
classes are easier, and thus North Campus students have more free
time and will get mediocre jobs in the future.
These generalizations survive despite the facts that North
Campus classes require dense reading and difficult, time-consuming
writing and that science degrees are not necessary for all career
success (just look at CEOs).
On the flip side, the stereotypical South Campus student is
antisocial, intensely consumed with school work and doesn’t
know about current events.
But I know plenty of South Campus students who party hard, are
heavily involved with social and political issues (note the number
of South Campus clubs affiliated with social outreach), as well as
being (gasp) cultured music and art connoisseurs.
Why do such assumptions exist, especially when they are hardly
true? Why is there such lack of respect and appreciation between
the campuses?
Interviewing students from both sides of the divide has led me
to the conclusion that “cross-cultural”
misunderstandings exist between the campuses due to many
institutional differences.
One of the reasons that North Campus classes may appear
“easier” is because they are usually not graded on a
curve like South Campus classes are, eliminating stiff competition
and allowing greater attainability of higher grades.
As a contrasting example, Communication Studies 10 is a purely
North Campus class, yet it is very difficult to achieve a high
grade because of its highly competitive nature as a weeder class
for communication studies students.
Many assume creativity in North Campus means fabrication, also
known as the art of “BS.” Samia Temsah, president of
the Political Science Student Organization, doesn’t agree. In
her major, it “may seem like you can make up facts, but you
have to know the politics and the history.”
But these methodical discrepancies cannot account for
differences in difficulty level. The two campuses employ learning
approaches too different from one another to have a basis for
comparison.
One person might be more apt at writing essays over studying for
tests and thus considers writing essays “easier.”
Another person may favor studying over writing essays, and thus
consider this “easier.”
Since everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, each part
of the campus offers difficulty, albeit in different ways.
Andrew Carlos, a fourth-year sociology and math student and the
communication coordinator for the Sociology Undergraduate
Association, said that both sides of campus offered difficulty: the
intensive nature and competition from South Campus, and the immense
amount of reading and essay writing from North Campus.
Stereotypes and technical differences aside, it’s easy to
forget in the campus’ polarized atmospheres that society
today depends on merging liberal arts ideas and the sciences to
thrive.
For instance, many careers today depend on scientific background
as well as political, historical and writing competence.
Wendy Breckon, a UCLA alumna and environmental lawyer, stated
that law frequently coincides with science and technology.
In the more specific areas of law, such as those of chemical and
environmental firms and other science-related fields, scientific
knowledge is desirable, if not required. In the case of a
malpractice attorney, “You pretty much have to end up with a
huge medical knowledge,” Breckon said.
It is also a misleading but commonly accepted belief that majors
dictate career paths.
While South Campus caters to fixed occupations and North Campus
offers open career options, career success ultimately depends on
the tenacity to find opportunities and build upon them, regardless
of educational background.
For example, Breckon majored in psychobiology during her years
at UCLA and eventually decided to pursue law.
The division between the arts and the sciences stands not only
internally but in the university’s physical arrangement as
well.
But before graduation and entering the real world, it would be
wise to realize that in reality, both are equally significant in
society today, and thus appreciation and respect is due for both
fields.
E-mail Yoo at jyoo@media.ucla.edu.Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.