While students may expect organic chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and advanced topics in quantum mechanics at Stanford University to be among the hardest college classes in the country, Boston University’s Introduction to Philosophy class is also ranked among the top 10 most difficult college courses, according to a
March 28 article on HerCampus.com.

The philosophy class ranks among the hardest classes in the country because it “covers topics including ‘the relationship of mind and body,’ ‘the foundations and limits of human knowledge’ and ‘the nature
and structure of morality,’ doing so with heaps of reading and memorization,” according to the article.

Difficult exams and an unclear professor were also given as reasons for the class’s presence on the list according to the article.

BU’s Introduction to Philosophy professor Walter Hopp said that while he does not think his class is as hard as organic chemistry, philosophy does come with its own challenges.

“I was a bit surprised to find PH100 on the list,” Hopp said in an email. “Although I think it’s quite difficult, I would be surprised if it competed with the other courses mentioned.”

Hopp said his class challenges students to think in a way that many incoming college students are not used to.

“It is not an easy course. The readings, even the clearest, can sometimes be agonizingly difficult,” Hopp said. “Thinking philosophically is not something we do naturally. You have to unlearn the unconscious connections you’ve drawn between concepts.”

Hopp added that the subject matter of his philosophy class is inherently difficult.

“Who, after all, is prepared to provide an analysis of free will?” he asked. Hopp said the average grade in his class was usually in the B range, but generally very few students earned an A.

“It’s even harder to learn philosophy for oneself,” Hopp said. “Constructing decent arguments is the ability that separates the A students from the B students.”

Students currently enrolled in the course had mixed feelings the ranking.

Arielle Egan, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, thought philosophy was too subjective to be that difficult.

“My understanding of philosophy is that there is no wrong answer,”Egan said. “Intro to Philosophy isn’t on the same level as those other courses.”

Maryanne Sutton, a freshman in the School of Hospitality Administration and current student in Hopp’s class, agreed with Egan, but said it also depended on the professor.

“If you have a good professor who is passionate about the subject,then you should do fine,” Sutton said. “My professor makes things interesting and really knows what he’s talking about, so it’s relatively easy. To me Principles in Sociology was harder than Intro to Philosophy.”

Nirali Shah, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said she thought philosophy did belong on the list.

“I’ve never taken it, but it could be that difficult,” Shah said. “It makes you look inside things instead of just at the surface. It forces you to think deeper.”

CAS freshman Manasi Gaje agreed with Shah.

“Philosophy is pretty challenging,” Gaje said. “Thinking abstractly can be more difficult than thinking concretely.”