<p>Among the schools I've been admitted to, I'd say Princeton is my top choice and Cornell is second. Of course, Princeton is generally the more prestigious school, the one famed for all its successful alumni, strong undergraduate programs across many areas, and being one of the oldest and most historied colleges in America. That's good and all, but I've recently been trying to find out more specific information about programs I'm interested in to determine what advantages each school has to offer and to imagine what I'd do at each school. For specific programs, I've been able to find a good bit of information on the web and I imagine I'll be able to get a better impression after visiting later this month.</p>
<p>However, one thing that has been troubling me in my thinking and planning is that Princeton only allows each student to have a single major. Cornell has double majors and also the dual degree program, whose existence I take to imply that there are good reasons a student there might want to pursue degrees in two separate schools. Another fact that is influencing my thinking is that I've taken a lot of AP exams and will easily fulfill the basic credit requirements to graduate in three years from either institution, but perhaps I could spend four years doing a double major at Cornell that could give me greater opportunities after college.</p>
<p>Princeton students: have you felt restricted by the requirement that you can only have one major? Or are the certificate programs adequate to give you a structured, deep exploration of other areas? Do grad schools and employers take the certificate programs seriously?</p>
<p>Not at all. First of all, though you may go into Princeton thinking you want to graduate in three years (a lot of people have enough AP credit to, and are planning on it when they enter), you won’t end up wanting to–almost no one takes their advanced standing year because the experience they have at Princeton is so great.</p>
<p>I don’t know anyone who feels constrained by not being able to double-major–you can take as many classes as you like in other programs, and many certificate programs are essentially double-majors anyway (I’m an engineer doing a WWS certificate, and I take the same classes and do the same independent work as WWS concentrators).</p>
<p>Not being able to double-major made picking a major tough for me sophomore year. I was torn between majoring in Economics and Politics. Both have a program within their department called Political Economy, where you essentially take classes in both Economics and Politics and they count towards your major. I chose politics but I’ve still taken a lot of economics classes. I don’t get “credit” for a double-major, but the point is that you are taking the classes you like, not how it appears on a transcript. </p>
<p>But since you have to write a thesis (and 1-3 junior papers, depending on the major) in your home department, I don’t know anyone who would WANT to double-major here. Otherwise you’d have to write two, and I know that many seniors will agree that one is enough. Chances are, you will find a certificate program that will let you explore the other field you’re interested in, without having to write a thesis in it.</p>
<p>Super, it would help if you disclosed your intended major.</p>
<p>In general, a major at Princeton means that you conduct independent research and write a senior thesis on a topic in your major field. At other universities you major by taking a specified number of courses in that subject. At Princeton you can take courses in a second field as electives; so you can duplicate the experience of a double major. You said that there are good reasons a student there might want to pursue degrees in two separate schools without specifying your reasons. </p>
<p>Grad schools and employers care about the knowledge that you have gained. The top grad schools understand the Princeton system of concentrating in one field and certificate programs in interdisciplinary fields. Many parents have posted on CC that their child received a job offer based on the knowledge they gained in a certificate program.</p>
<p>In many cases, certificate programs–which often have substantial course requirements themselves–can offer the experience of a second major. You can also focus within a major in a way that incorporates other disciplines. For example, in French, a major I’m considering along with Woody Woo, I could focus on literature, philosophy, arts, politics… In other words, I could focus on the political aspects of the francophone world that are the reason I’m debating between French and the WWS. </p>
<p>And if anything, the combination of independent work and certificates allows for a more individualized experienced.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, this is reassuring. I’ll have to look into the requirements for concentrations and certificates I’m interested in.</p>