<p>I'm going to UCSD in Fall of 09. I know that I want to major in philosophy, but now I'm thinking of double majoring in Philosophy and Economics. I'm only in my first semester @ my CC and I've already started to take philosophy classes. I'm just not sure if double majoring in those two subjects is to much of a workload. I also plan on joining clubs and taking music classes. So should I double major or should I major in philosophy and minor in economics? Please help me!!!!</p>
<p>A lot of people think that double majoring is good... I dont think it's that big of deal.. if you really want to learn the stuff it's up to you if you want to spend the extra money and time. But as far as getting hired for a job it will be very hard to get a job where you will apply BOTH, Philosophy and Economics, so is it really worth it?</p>
<p>You have to decide.,..</p>
<p>Let's see.. assuming you finished all the lower-division requirements for both Philosophy and Econ major:</p>
<p>Econ Major - 13 Courses</p>
<h2>Philosophy - 12 Courses</h2>
<p>Total - 25 Courses</p>
<p>It's totally doable if you are willing to take summer session and/or spend 3 years in UCSD after you transfer.</p>
<p>Are you comfortable with math?
Seeing the econ curriculum for UCSD.. it's very math-heavy, requiring solid foundation of knowledge in Calculus and Statistics. While there's very little reading to do, you'll pretty much have to become a best friend of mathematics.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Philosophy is very reading- & writing-heavy, and you'll spend most of your day reading classics by philosophers which will take significant portion of your time.</p>
<p>I personally believe while doing double major is totally doable, it'll be extremely challenging for you since you'll have to master both mathematical aspect and reading & writing aspect of academia in order to be successful. If you can double-major, it'll give you a signficant edge on pretty much all graduate school exams (LSAT, GMAT, GRE... maybe not MCAT) and will make you a very employable candidate.</p>
<p>If I were you, i'd rather minor in Economics and try to enjoy college life. Less courseload (doesn't mean it'll be light.. you'll still have to take about 7 or 8 upper-division econ courses) while still having time for extracurriculums such as clubs or music classes.</p>
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But as far as getting hired for a job it will be very hard to get a job where you will apply BOTH, Philosophy and Economics, so is it really worth it?
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<p>Philosophy itself may not really help you in real life (really, who gives a damn about what Aristotle thought about politics 2000 years ago?) but it will surely train you to think and write logically, which is an extremely crucial skill in real life.</p>
<p>I agree Phil is useful for almost anything.. I love it</p>
<p>In terms of getting a job, doing double major or doing a major and a minor are equally helpful. However, does it give a significant advantage over someone with a single major? That remains to be seen, but based on what I've heard from most employers, it doesn't. If you really want to get a competitive edge over other job applicants, you want to earn a degree higher than Bachelor's.</p>
<p>In terms of professional schools, it does not make you a better applicant. Grad schools don't really care either.</p>
<p>Think of it like this, does having 2 mediocre engines make your car run as fast as one with a much better engine? No, it doesn't.</p>
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In terms of professional schools, it does not make you a better applicant.
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<p>I disagree. Take Business School for example. The three skills that the adcoms want to see in an applicant are quantitative, writing, and critical thinking. If you've been a philosophy, it may give the adcom that while you are strong with writing and critical thinking, your quantitative skill may not be of your strength due to the nature of the major. Of course, for business school, work experience means more than anything but that doesn't mean undergrad. academic record doesn't mean anything. They absolutely put into account what kind of courses you took and the grades you got. You don't necessarily have to major in something to take a course (you can take econ courses while not majoring/minoring in it) but having an additional degree won't really hurt either.</p>
<p>And person who has both degree in a major that is heavily writing & logic based and a major that is math-heavy do tend to have better training for graduate entrance exams (for example, LSAT tests your logic, which is a boost if you major in philosophy). Double majoring certainly do help, but what plays bigger part is WHICH majors you doubled in.</p>
<p>I guess I should have been more specific. When I said professional school, I meant medical school, dental school, and any other schools that requires a state certification exam for you to practice your trade. These schools could not care less about what you majored in or if you double majored as long as you have a strong GPA and high admission exam scores.</p>
<p>I understand that those who double major are taking a wider range of classes, however, that does not necessarily make them more well-rounded than those who choose to stick with a single major. There are many other ways to show proficiency in a skill that you do not choose to take as a class in school, such as participating in research program that require experiments (logic, critical thinking, quantitative) and publications (writing). The point is, you don't have to cram your academic career with so much work when there are other alternatives that develop these important skills for grad schools and professional schools.</p>