How does the rate of student happiness/unhappiness at MIT differ from major to major?

While the specific happiness rates for different majors at MIT are not directly compared in the sources provided, several insights can be gleaned from the available data and surveys:

General Satisfaction and Workload

• MIT students generally report high levels of satisfaction, with 91% of students in the 2017 survey and 87% in the 2020 survey reporting they are somewhat or very satisfied with their experience at MIT35.
• However, the surveys also highlight that students often find it difficult to manage their workload. A significant portion of students feel overwhelmed by their academic and research responsibilities, with over half reporting they feel overwhelmed "often" or "very often"35.

Major-Specific Satisfaction

• While the sources do not provide a direct comparison of happiness across different majors, they do suggest that the academic environment and workload can impact student well-being similarly across various fields.
  • For example, the high workload and competitive environment are common themes regardless of the major. Students in fields like engineering, computing, mathematics, and natural sciences, which are highly represented at MIT, often face demanding academic and research workloads35.

Subject Area Happiness (General Context)

• Although not specific to MIT, a broader context from the Top Universities article indicates that student happiness can vary by subject area. For instance, humanities students tend to be the happiest, followed by sport and exercise science, and then engineering. However, this does not provide MIT-specific data1.

Mental Health and Stress

• The MIT surveys highlight that students across various majors experience stress and mental health challenges. The 2020 Quality of Life Survey shows that students rate the MIT environment as more stressful than calm and more harmful to mental health than helpful. Common sources of stress include balancing multiple commitments, expectations to perform well, and concerns about life after MIT5.

In summary, while there is no direct comparison of student happiness rates by major at MIT, the overall satisfaction and stress levels suggest that students across different fields face similar challenges related to workload and academic pressure. However, the general satisfaction rates remain high, indicating that despite these challenges, many students find their experience at MIT rewarding.