Hi guys! I’m currently a sophomore in high school and I had question regarding majors & minors. So as of now, I have a strong interest and passion for both English (still debating between general or creative writing) and Asian Studies (more specifically East Asian Studies) and I really want to study both of these subjects in college. I am just confused whether I should double major or do a major and minor? I am passionate in both of these subjects. Thank you!
You are getting waaaay too ahead of yourself. Why on earth do you think you have to worry about this now? Making a decision now will only make you feel boxed in a corner down the road. Give yourself some breathing room, allow for the possibility that your interests and career goals may change in the next group of years and that you will have to adapt your plans to where you end up for college.
As a practical matter the decision will depend in part on what can be realistically completed in four years so it will depend somewhat on college you attend, the general education requirements there, if you come in with any college credits, the exact requirements for each major/minor etc. FWIW my D decided on her minor junior year of college and had no issue graduating on time.
I would suggest that you get off of CC until your junior year. It is great you are serious and understand that college is in your future but your time can be much better spent as a HS sophomore. For now you should focus on:
–Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage.
–When the time comes study for standardized tests.
- Becoming involved in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
–Enjoying spending time with your family and friends.
Hey I’m a sophomore in high school and I still very heavily think about this stuff too!
Double majoring could definitely be an option. If you have certain colleges you’re looking at, then I would recommend going on those websites and looking at each major’s requirements individually. This will give you an idea of if you would feel comfortable double majoring.
If you decide you are not comfortable doing that, maybe a major + minor is the right thing for you.
You have all the time in the world to decide. Go hang out with friends and to teenager stuff! 
I would disagree with the above commentators as a junior in college. I was very goal-oriented thought a lot about college beginning freshman or sophomore year of high school. By sophomore year of high school, I wrote in my notebook that I wanted to study abroad in Europe. I was going to double major in journalism and political science and then minor in Spanish. Well guess what, I chose a college that had one of the best journalism programs in the country and was located near major journalism outlets. I did study abroad in Europe for my entire sophomore year. The reason I was able to go for a year rather than a semester was because of the extensive AP classes I took in high school that awarded me college credit. I achieved fluency in Spanish from that time abroad. I am still a journalism major today. I decided not to minor in Spanish but am walking away with more language skills than most minors. ( It was something with my school’s credit approval process). I did not double major in political science due to the workload involved. But I was a campaign volunteer in the 2016 presidential elections. I registered dozens of people to vote. I’ve covered stories on politics. After my experiences in undergrad, I understand that I want to work in international relations. But I would not have known that without my experience living abroad, the courses I took there, the people I met. Choosing journalism as my major has allowed me to develop writing and communication skills that will be useful in a career in international relations. I will likely go to grad school one day but many jobs in IR require grad school but journalism majors take liberal arts core classes which are great to transition into international relations. Also choosing a major that I excelled in has allowed me to maintain a high GPA that will make getting into a good grad school possible for me.
I was a balanced student and I’m sure you are too. Other people told me that I had time to think about my future and then they were shocked at the things I achieved - foreign language fluency, high paying internship in NYC, multiple leadership positions. It wasn’t because I woke up and decided to do those things, it was because I planned and prepared.
As for your major options, English is one of the most popular. East Asian studies will set you apart. Asia is leading in the 21st century in technology, trade, and economics. My foreign language studies helped me become a better writer and analyst in both languages. You take cultural and language classses, you still have to read and write a lot. I personally would do East Asian studies. When looking at colleges, make sure you look at schools that have East Asian majors. You can do a double major but you have to weigh pros and cons. The benefit of English is that it’s more recognizable. In general, I think a lot of people waste their time with double majors. Many jobs will accept people with a variety of degrees so your major doesn’t matter as much as you think. I think if you have to choose between a double major and dedicating more time to one major (to really understanding it, to really excelling at it), than it’s best to do one major. That’s my advice.