Double Major

<p>Would it be possible, mental-health wise and timewise, assuming that a college allows double majoring in the engineering field and a non-engineering field, to double major in a liberal arts field such as Philosophy or Economics/Political science and a second major in Engineering as well?</p>

<p>Assume the school will allow this.</p>

<p>What would be the ramifications on;</p>

<li>Free time.</li>
<li>GPA.</li>
<li>Law School Prospects and how much they would be harmed by engineering GPA</li>
<li>Fun/Having a life</li>
<li>Stress</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<ol>
<li> None.</li>
<li> Depends.</li>
<li> Depends.</li>
<li> Depends whether you think not going outdoors ever is fun.</li>
<li> Depends.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
<li>None.</li>
<li>Lower.</li>
<li>Significantly harmed.</li>
<li>None.</li>
<li>Lots.</li>
</ol>

<p>so you want to goto law school but consider doing engineering AND double major?</p>

<p>it's certainly doable. but with all practicalities concerned, i don't see a point of you doing engineering AND double major at all... maybe other than proving to your friends that you are extremely smart (if you do succeed, that is.)</p>

<p>seriously, if you want that GPA high for chance at a top law school, you really shouldn't do engineering.</p>

<p>I'm not assuming you will get a bad GPA if you do engineering. I'm assuming your GPA will be alot higher if you do something liberal arts and not do double major.</p>

<p>hmm.
I was thinking of double electric eng. and econ..
Maybe i should not do that .......
minor perhaps?
I'm currently a freshman at ucla
but Im pulling off about 3.7~3.85 counting this quarter..</p>

<p>I mean here, Im thinking of double majoring in
EE and business economics,
well the engineering courses may drop my gpa,
but econ would raise them perhaps?</p>

<p>Maybe Im too overconfident.
any thoughts?</p>

<p>what i'm saying here is that even 3.8 gpa kids who are in engineering AND double major would get even higher gpa if they did just one liberal arts major.</p>

<p>you want that gpa as high as it can be for law school</p>

<p>You should be able to do a double in another non-engineering field without too much of a problem if you're willing to sink all of your electives into that field (and probably take a handful of extra classes). One of my friends picked up a psych minor by accident, and then realized he only needed a handful more classes to get a double in it, so he wound up finishing his double major after only really starting it in the middle of his junior year.</p>

<p>Are you interested in engineering at all? If not, then you'll have a really hard time staying motivated for your upper-level EE classes with long labs and extensive problem sets. Much moreso than I imagine you would have difficulty sticking with econ.</p>

<p>I think you should just wait until you're in college... the answer will become pretty obvious by then (depending on the rigor of your engineering school, of course). At my school, I can't think of why anybody would WANT to do that. Taking a minor, or a few courses in areas that interest you is a lot more advisable... in my opinion, about 50% of most majors is useless anyway, its better to take a route that allows you to be more selective and just take the classes that really interest you.
I agree with Mr. Payne for the rest.</p>

<p>Eh I'm doubling in engineering and econ and it's not that bad. As RacinReaver said, you just won't have the freedom to take any other classes.</p>

<p>In terms of your questions, it really comes down to how efficient you are and well you manage your time.</p>

<p>If you are already an engineering major and you can handle the course load, I think it's possible a double major might raise your GPA. One seriously has to have a good handle on how much time it takes for them to personally do well in engineering classes though.</p>

<p>Hard, but not impossible. The psych major is a good addition.</p>

<p>As for econ or business, I would suggest focusing on getting a really go gpa instead. A good gpa in any engineering function can lead to a job in business and an MBA.</p>

<p>Well I was thinking of double majoring mainly because [this is for the engineering part];</p>

<ol>
<li>My dad wants me to study engineering, even though frankly I'm only mildly interested.</li>
<li>In case I screw up on law school, I can do some business work within engineering to still make some money.</li>
</ol>

<p>Would taking a few classes in engineering related fields, rather than taking the whole major, be nicer on those aspects in terms of fun/life in college, while still making it possible to pursue patent law or such? Do all patent lawyers need to have a major in a scientific field or will a few classes do. Personally I see from this thread and from my other inquiries that it will be a awful experience and frankly I want to get involved politically during college and I don't think a double major with engineering and being involved in elections/such will be very possible.</p>

<p>So could someone tell me about the patent law requirments, besides the required tests by the US gov, in terms of classes/knowledge?</p>

<p>My son originally tried to double major in engineering and a foreign language. He could do both and get A's, but there was not enough time unless he took a ridiculously heavy course load or went an extra year. Engineering has certain requirements for you to take electives in the humanities and social sciences, and you might end up taking six or more classes per term, some with labs and projects. Very tough to do.</p>

<p>There has been patent law discussion on the law board. Check it out!</p>

<p>I did CS and Physics in undergrad, and pulled down a 3.98 GPA. Took 150 hours in 8 regular semesters and over one Summer. It is possible.</p>

<p>Looking back, I wish I had just found a single major to satisfy my interests more directly. It would have been less work and just as much fun.</p>

<p>Still, do a double major if you can't find a single major which satisfies your interests. Don't double major as a resume booster. You won't make it.</p>

<p>Alright, thanks for the advice everyone!</p>