[smurfgirl]

I think the problem is a cultural one, in two senses. First, not enough value is placed on the STEM fields in our society, though people are slowly becoming aware of that and working to change it. It's difficult for people to initially become motivated to go into the STEM fields, and when they then experience how difficult it is, it often doesn't seem worth it to stick with it. Second, internally to STEM departments at universities, there seems to be a culture of valuing insane workloads and little sleep. This occurs to different extents at different schools, but it seems to exist everywhere in some form or another. Professors have insane expectations (I once had a class that assigned four, 20-page minimum lab reports to be due on the same day, several times throughout the semester), and students seem to add to it by frequently comparing how much work they have, how little sleep they've gotten and how many hours they've been awake - those who are most overworked and sleep-deprived are worshiped. This is obviously not healthy. If you're in a field you're excited about, working on things you love, then there isn't so much of a problem with staying motivated to continue. Overall, I love my school and my major, and I have some great memories from all-hours problem set sessions with my friends, but it's easy to see how a lot of people can get discouraged by four plus years of that type of lifestyle.