<p>Hi, this fall, I will be beginning my freshman year at Carleton, and there is one thing that I wanna ask.</p>
<p>I am somewhat confused as to what Carleton's policy is with double majoring and concentrations.</p>
<p>I know that students can double major, but it means that you need to write two comps and is a lot of work etc. I also know that Carleton offers concentrations in areas certain areas (for example, education and neuroscience.) But, before I decided on Carleton, my original plan was to (probably) major in political science and minor in environmental studies.</p>
<p>However, Carleton doesn't offer minors. And as much as I would love to do a double major, I doubt I would be able to handle the workload.</p>
<p>What I was wondering is if Carleton allows you to concentrate in an area that is also a major, or can you only major in those. Are concentrations listed as such simply because their departments are not as extensive as most of the others in the school, or are they specifically meant to be paired with some major? (except there are some crossovers so its probably the later)</p>
<p>So, basically, could I major in political science and concentrate in environmental studies?</p>
<p>I would ask my advisor, but I have no clue who he or she is yet, and I thought I'd see what people on here have to say.</p>
<p>Carleton’s policy on concentrations is that they are supposed to be interdisciplinary, so for example you can major in either Chemistry or Biology, but you can concentrate in Biochemistry, etc. If I were you, I would talk to people in both departments and see how feasible the double would be – you could perhaps do one comps junior year, and the other one senior year; additionally, some classes might count for both majors at the same time.</p>
<p>There are a few concentrations that are also available as a major (French and Francophone Studies, Latin American Studies, Women and Gender Studies), but Environmental Studies does not appear to be one of them.</p>
<p>That said, you should probably talk to people at Carleton.</p>
<p>Also, something to keep in mind: this spring when I was worrying to a senior that my crazy plan (which I don’t have anymore) to special major and do two concentrations wouldn’t work, she told me something that has kept me a lot more sane ever since, haha. You can concentrate in something without officially “concentrating” in it, i.e. take lots of classes in an area you’re interested in, but not necessarily fulfill the exact requirements or write a formal thesis on it or anything. (This goes for double majoring too) You might not get an official stamp of “MAJORED/CONCENTRATED IN __”, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t take the classes or enjoy it or can’t apply those skills elsewhere.</p>