I don’t believe that’s the case. I already planned my schedule (I know that upper divs will vary, I just put MATH X, CS Y etc… for upper divs) And I can finish a double major in 4 years (with only 4 classes each semester, not even the upper limit), there is absolutely no reason to take a fifth year. And I can always enroll in summer session. Of course, these are provided that I don’t fail at some courses, but I’m not that stupid to continue a double major if I fail at some courses… If I see that I cannot manage a double major, I will just quit it.
@mathandcs and @juillet
Thank you for your long and elaborate response! As you said there is not much difference between a minor and a major, just a couple extra upper divs (and to be honest, there are some math upper divs I believe very crucial for CS, such as Cryptography, Metamathematics etc…) So if I complete a minor and take one or two upper divs that I want, what’s the point of not completing a major? Will it be harmful in my application that I have a double major? Does that alarm admission office that I may be an `intellectual dilettante’? Even if I explain myself correctly?
I honestly don’t think my problem is a simple “I like both math and CS”, as I explained myself, I am more interested in the intersection of these disciplines, and I won’t be satisfied with studying just only one of these. Don’t you think I can explain this well enough in my application essays, motivation letters that admission committee can get me?
Another thing is, yes I know that my interests, and motivations may, and will change. I know pretty much nothing about Math or CS (as you said only calculus and programming experience). But don’t you think that it doesn’t necessarily mean I cannot figure out what I like’ and what Idon’t like’ at the moment? If I end up hating math I can simply just not declare a double major (I’ll declare major in my sophomore year, everyone in Berkeley L&S are undeclared). I know all these “humans-are-not-static” arguments. But what if I don’t? What if I end up having same interests at today? I’m trying to plan for that so I won’t regret the classes I took in my senior year…
So about my first semester, Both CS and Math lower div prereqs are same (except Math has extra multivariable calculus). So, whether I will double-major, minor, or not won’t matter that much in my freshman and sophomore years. I’ll see what I like, don’t like in my sophomore year and declare according to them.