3/3     If you didn't take CS or EE, what would have been your 2nd choice
        in major?
        \_ probably business administration. Lots of hot chicks. More party.
           More fun. More interactions. More opportunities to learn
           social skills necessary later in life, in the real world.
           \_ If you failed to learn social skills in CS, I don't see how the
              BizAdd environment would be more amenable to learning them.
              -dans
              \_ The CS env was definitely more amenable to learning UNIX
                 and C/Java coding than BizAdd, but I'm not sure if the reverse
                 is true. If you learned all the social graces and had a blast
                 in EE/CS, more power to you. -pp
                 \_ Yeah, this was kind of my point.  BizAdd isn't going to
                    teach you social skills.  You learn social skills by
                    putting yourself into social situations, and BizAdd isn't
                    necessarily going to give you more of those. -dans
                    \_ I think bus admin majors do learn more social skills.
                       There is more interaction and discussion in class
                       with people who have those skills. CS majors
                       socialize in the Labs, but it is the blind leading
                       the blind. Also, CS/engineering/science is so
                       demanding that there's little time to socialize
                       outside of class. The bus admin folks tend to party
                       more because they have the time to do so.
                       \_ I'm doubtful that, if one is a poorly socialized
                          geek when one enters university, one is likely to
                          learn better social skills from class discussions in
                          any discipline.  You probably had to take at least
                          one English class with a discussion component.  Do
                          you feel that your social skills improved as a
                          result?  I agree that CS/engineering/science are
                          demanding, but I had a rich social life while
                          pursuing a CS major.  I think it's more a question
                          of priorities.  Having a life was important to me so
                          I made it a priority.  I guess I'm just doubtful of
                          your assertion that BizAd classes teach social
                          skills, or that BizAd majors are somehow more
                          socially gifted than CS majors, and, even if that is
                          the case, that this would rub off on a typical geek.
                          Also, I should note that almost all the people I
                          know who are throwing parties (i.e. raves, club
                          nights, etc.) post-college are geeks. -dans
                          \_ Geeks throw parties, too, of course. That's
                             beside the point. Who is learning more about
                             social interactions? An EE at home with his
                             breadboard at night and a class full of nerdy
                             guys during the day or a Spanish or Theater
                             major? My roommate majored in Spanish and
                             French and knew a lot of people from the
                             in-class interaction. It's not quite the same
                             as being in a Chem Lab with someone. As to
                             whether it would 'rub off' on a geek, I think
                             it does to some extent. Imagine being shy and
                             being surrounded by introverts. Now imagine being
                             surrounded by friendly, outgoing people. Which
                             one is going to do more to help you get out of
                             your shell?
                             \_ True to an extent, but I dispute that:
                                a) The majority of engineers are introverts
                                b) Even if I grant that the majority of BizAd
                                   majors are extroverts, I doubt they are
                                   necessarily friendly-- the business
                                   disciplines tend to be highly cutthroat.
                                c) I know many introverts who completely close
                                   off in a room full of extroverts.
                                -dans
        \_ English.  More time to hack. -dans
           \_ No doubt. Just remember, 2 papers, midterm, and final per class.
              25+ pages not uncommon. Still, left me with plenty of time to
              muck about down in the WEB. --erikred
        \_ Physics, but it was harder. -emarkp
           \_ 2ded, if I was better at math I would have been a Physics major.
           \_ I did physics, learned a ton, and incorporated programming into
              my projects where possible/sane. -!pp
        \_ History. Pretty much like English, but you learn more, er, history,
           which is kind of fun to know. Ok either that or premed.
           Math or Physics is the logical replacement for CS or EE, but... hm.
        \_ psychology.