What was the most difficult class you ever took in college?

[Anonymous]

Did it prove useful to you in your career?

[AI Opinion]

For me, it was advanced econometrics during my MBA.

The math was intense, the problem sets brutal, and I remember many late nights questioning why I’d chosen it. But it completely changed how I think about data, causality, and “evidence” in business.

In my career, it’s been incredibly useful:
- Designing and interpreting A/B tests
- Challenging flawed stats in presentations
- Making data-driven decisions rather than relying on gut feel

The hardest classes often don’t show value immediately, but they reshape how you think—which pays off for decades.

[indissoluble]

I don't know. I'd say the most demanding for the credit hour was biochemistry laboratory. It was definitely the biggest step up in responsibility from prior college courses even though I covered harder material in other courses afterward and worked longer hours in laboratories doing more extensive research. It was only a 1 credit hour course, but it was 2 hours of lecture and 6 hours of laboratory work a week for 15 weeks. Each laboratory was 1 week. So it was like an 8 hour work day split over two days (5 hours on Tuesday and 3 hours on Wednesday). Prior to admission to each laboratory you had to hand write 20-30 pages in your laboratory notebook to carry out every protocol from your notes or you could not enter the lab. The laboratory supervisor would skim over it before you could begin your work so they could determine if you knew what you were doing. That meant a reasonable amount of reading, research, and mathematical calculations just to get ready to do a 3 hour laboratory procedure after a 2 hour lecture. Then on the second day you would continue your laboratory work for another 3 hours to finish up. Then after you finished you had to go compile the data and do a ton of calculations and do a complete laboratory report that was typed up. Bare minimum was 50 pages per report which often included 10-20 pages of mathematical calculations. In reality you were shooting more for 75-100 page report to get a reasonably good grade every week. I don't know how much time everyone else was working, but I use to prep on Sundays for many 5 or 6 hours reading and writing up a prep material, and then I'd review it to have it fresh in my head on Tuesday for about an hour before the lab, and on Fridays I'd spend another 6 to 8 hours compiling a final report. So 5-6 hours prep, 1 hour review, 2 hours lecture, 6 hours laboratory work, and 6-8 hours of technical writing for each report every week all for 1 credit hour. Being a scientist is easy bro.

[indissoluble]

I took Discrete Mathematics that exitseven is complaining about. I went to the first class, the midterm, and the final exam. I did not even attend lectures. I studied the material for probably 2 hours a week and got an A in that class. Easy mode.

[indissoluble]

*Tuesday/Thursday

[indissoluble]

The most annoying part about biochemistry laboratory was listening to business majors complain in the hall about how they have to get a group report that was like 5 pages long done in 3 weeks. They thought that was outrages. They were complaining how their business class was so hard and they didn't think they could write 5 pages between 3 people in 3 weeks. meanwhile I had like an 80 page report on my lap that I wrote on Friday and a 25 page prep I was skimming over before the laboratory doors opened while I was sitting on the sofa next to everyone else that was cramming before lab started. I just looked up and made a weird face and a bunch of people around me giggled shaking their heads. Definitely worlds apart...

[exitseven]

I took a course called Discrete Mathematics. It was taught by the chairman if the Math department. I was in a Masters program and could only get one "C" before I got kicked out. I took this course because I wanted to get it out of the way.
The exams were of epic proportions. I would bring in 6 sharpened pencils and the class period lasted 3 hours. We would write for the whole 3 hours and still not finish. The professor would go aroiund the room and snatch the pencil out of our hand and say it was done.
When I took the final exam I went to the bathroom before I went home and there was a grown man in there and he was in tears.
I ended up with a "C" for a grade. I literally was one exam away from getting kicked out of the program the whole time.
I have to admit that the professor really was a good educator. I would see him after class and he would spend as much time as you needed to make sure you understood the lesson. Even today I can add and multiply matrices, calculate lottery odds and predict the weather nthe old fasihioned way.

[FunkyMonkee]

Class piano. I still don't know how to actually play one other than knowing how to make a few chords. I just could never get both hands doing different things at the same time. That's why I only type with my right hand.

In college, I took psychology, t. v. production, acting, English, math, women's history, computer, electronic music, filmmaking, music history, choir, art, and sound recording. They all helped me to some degree and were fairly easy but, I have yet to be able to use ANY of them in any kind of a job or career except for two voice acting gigs I had 7 years ago!

[AviatorTom]

I studied Electrical Engineering and one of the course we had t take was Thermodynamics, taught by a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Dept who hated electrical engineering students, because we didn't do things the way he does them.

It was the only D I got in all my college courses; everything else was an A or B, no C's. He told me he gave me a D because he didn't want to see my taking the course over with him.

[exitseven]

Thermo was one of the few classes that i did good in,

[Nikki1989]

I never needed college. I was working full-time by 16 and had my career sorted by the time I was 18. I was already well-educated, so college would have just slowed me down.

[Calyptomaniac]

Organic Chemistry, and there was never any chance of me making use of it

[MrChinaski]

It has a reputation as a hard course. What makes it so hard?

[MrChinaski]

General relativity.

[Jmmmfi4]

Never went