Double Major, Double Minor, and IR Certificate

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior who is almost done with my school's business management requirements and would like to add an Economics major to my transcript. In addition those two majors, I also plan on getting a psychology minor, a Chinese minor, and an International Relations Certificate. I'm also in the university's Honors College, which has its own set of requirements, including a huge thesis/project at the end of the year.</p>

<p>The problem is, I don't think I'll be able to finish all of the above in four years. Financially and time-wise (I'm a year older than most juniors), it's probably the best for me to graduate on time in four years. This semester, I'm carrying a load of 9 classes and it's been really rough, to say the least. If I were to finish all my majors and minors listed above, then I'll be overloading credits during my senior year like a maniac (taking at least 8 classes per semester). This could potentially jeopardize my GPA, which is currently a number high enough to qualify me as the top 1% in my class.</p>

<p>So the question is, am I doing the right thing? Is getting all these majors and minors worth the effort? I'm planning to work after graduation and get an MBA in the future. I have had great internships for the past two years and am very involved in leadership positions on campus. I feel like there something missing from all of this, and that is the GMAT. Should I cut back on my ambitious list of majors and minors and instead dedicate some time to prepare for the GMAT? Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!</p>

<p>What is the rush? You have your whole life ahead of you!
You are learning so much, and if you really enjoy the subject matter, take the time and learn it properly.
Not to critique, because if you love it, then do it… but why the psych minor? And if you are going into IR (with the Chinese lang), why the need for an econ major?</p>

<p>Re-evaluate what you really want to do. You have a lot of time, relax and enjoy learning.</p>

<p>Hi Vegas,</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply. For my psychology minor, I’m taking courses such as Industrial Psychology, Psychology of Pop Culture, and Social Psychology, which (I think) will compliment my management major well. In a globalized economy, I feel like the IR Certificate and the Chinese minor will serve me well, as I have ambitions to work overseas one day. And as for the economics major, I feel like it’s a solid, analytical subject matter that, combined with my business major, could broaden my career opportunities.</p>

<p>As much as I want to relax and enjoy learning, there’s just too much competition out there, and I’m doing all of this in hoping that I could stand out among other applicants in the job market and the grad school admissions pool. The thing is, I’m wondering if it’s better to just cut back on my academic load and maintain a high GPA and prepare for the GMAT.</p>

<p>And please, feel free to critique me! I need to be critiqued, haha.</p>

<p>Sounds to me like you already know what to do.</p>

<p>Remember this though… great starting salaries are nice, and your choice of grad schools is too… but you are only young once, enjoy it.</p>

<p>I take those words to heart, Vegas. ;)</p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Doubtful, you only need one major to qualify for the job the rest is what makes you able to perform better than your peers. All because you don’t have the degree doesn’t mean you lack the skills. I should have a music minor on my resume but I neglected to finish the paper work on time. I took all the courses, played in the orchestra and chamber ensembles for my entire time at school but didn’t get the “degree”. I’m an engineer though, the minor gets me nothing but something interesting to talk about.</p>

<p>So, even if you don’t get a Chinese minor if you are still fluent you are still fluent. You still will understand the psychology of your customers better than others because you understand psychology.</p>

<p>Personally, I would do whatever you need to stand out enough to get recognized, but not so much that it looks like you just want to paper yourself with degrees to cover the fact that you really can’t perform outside of academia. I would keep the minors because they add depth to you character (on paper) and forget about economics major. However, when you pursue your MBA then would be a time concentrate in economics to get that distinguishing pointer across.</p>

<p>I’ve recently decided to drop out of my honors college and go with the double major in Management and Economics, double minor in psychology and Chinese, and the International Relations Certificate. It turns out that all of these will give me a dual degree in the end. I hope this will give me the competitive edge that I need when it comes to business school admissions.</p>

<p>Just remember…
Good GPA (3.3+ in almost any major) plus great GMAT (680-700+) plus excellent experience (large business with heightened responsibilities) with quality recommendations trump everything for business school.
Get busy on some great connections for a job when you graduate.</p>

<p>I dont think there much of a rush to cram all your minors in. I believe finishing your majors should be your uptmost priority. As for the minors, if you are bundling these minors so you can learn and apply these minors, then it is always suitable to be taken elsewhere to learn after you have already graduated. Minors don’t show on your degree or at least on most universities. Thus, if your minors don’t show on your degree, try not to rush at everything. Enjoy your college life! I’m sure you are already doing very well. Don’t worry too much.</p>

<p>Honestly unless its something you are really passionate about dont waste your time doing minors…after you graduate no one will care *** you minored in…</p>

<p>Like Vegas said…for b-school all that matters is your 1) work experience, 2) having a high GMAT, 3) a good GPA and 4) good recs…</p>

<p>For the business world all that will matter when you are trying to land your first job out of college is your GPA and internship experiences. </p>

<p>I personally would keep the double major…keep that GPA high…and spend your extra time networking trying to land a top job that will set you up for bschool.</p>