[leggomylibro]

"Weed-out" classes are pretty common across subjects, though.

I remember taking an introductory course in our undergraduate pre-med track which was basically just a new presentation about novel research every week. The exams would be on these fairly specialized papers which most first-year students were at a loss to understand, so they ended up being exercises in rote memorization.

When some of us complained to a TA that we didn't see how we could learn enough to understand the concepts without just memorizing key points and angling at the professors to find out what was important, their response was something along the lines of, "then are you really sure that you want to study biology and medicine for the next umpteen years?"

On the other hand, I hate telling people that a field "isn't for them" just because they don't feel like putting up with the bullshit which has accreted around the way that a subject is currently taught.

Personally, I'd like to see an introductory class about how to effectively search for answers online, find useful sources, ignore ads and obvious SEO-gaming, etc.

[ianai]

Weed out classes shouldn’t exist. Not when a degree is mandatory and student loans can’t be defaulted.

[leggomylibro]

I agree - I sure didn't stick with studying medicine - but there they are.