Hello,
I will either be attending Appalachian State University or UNC Charlotte in the Fall of 2019. I am stuck between studying two majors- a BA in Communications with a concentration in mass media, or a BA in Philosophy. I know the stereotypes of these degrees, but in your opinion, which is the better of the two? I will be furthering my education and going to graduate school, or possibly law school. I am a bit indecisive about my long-term future goals. I know Philosophy majors score high on the LSAT, but if that doesn’t work out for me, how is it as a standalone degree? I enjoy both of these subjects very much. Would a double major be recommended? I have an Associates in Art that I have earned at a community college while I was in high school so I have a lot of credits under my belt. Any suggestions or experience from a graduate of either of these degrees would be greatly appreciated.
I have a philosophy degree. It’s a great conversation starter and gets much higher esteem internationally and as you point out it’s good preparation for law school.
Do you have to declare now? Can you attend classes in both departments and see which is a better fit?
I majored in philosophy.
If you can, test the waters a bit before deciding. Also if you have a negative experience with a philosophy course, I wouldn’t stop there. Know that there are many different fields in philosophy. One subject (e.g. political philosophy) may not appeal to you, but another (e.g. epistemology) might.
Also, I am not sure how much philosophy helps on the LSAT. It very well might help a lot–I am honestly not sure. I suspect the reason philosophy majors tend to do well on the LSAT has a lot to do with the type of student who majors in philosophy as well as the fact that philosophy majors disproportionately attend more competitive schools.
Philosophy will prepare you well for anything that requires reading, writing, analyzing, synthesizing. It’s also known as a more difficult major and thus commands intellectual respect.
Communication is interesting but you could do it as a minor to complement philosophy?