<p>How difficult is it to double major at Princeton? Is it even possible? I may be asking really stupid questions, but I'm really not sure what is- and is not -possible at Princeton. Thanks in advance for any help!</p>
<p>You can’t double major but there are certificates that are very much like minors.</p>
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<p>It’s actually not so simple. In the event that you fulfill the requirements for two departments (which means writing two theses), you pick one of the departments, and that’s what it says on your diploma. But on your resume, you can still list both majors. Double majors are very rare – I’ve only met one in my three years at Princeton, and he was an absolute god academically. So long story short, don’t plan on double majoring at Princeton.</p>
<p>I feel like this strategy is a bit shaky…</p>
<p>I mean, I could put 4 majors down on my resume, and nobody would be able to stop me. If anyone asks I could just show them a transcript. It’s not all that different from what you just described.</p>
<p>Oh and you need to write theses for certificates as well. Most of the time it’s incorporated into your primary thesis, but imagine if you tried to mix Physics with Dance or something? May as well be two theses.</p>
<p>If you fulfill the requirements for two departments here, the department you don’t pick will give you a form letter for you to present to grad schools, employers, etc. stating that Princeton doesn’t really award double majors, but you fulfilled all of the requirements for that additional department anyways.</p>
<p>Ok, so I suppose a traditional double major is certainly pretty difficult. Now what if I really concentrated, as newest newb suggested, on two very different fields…I don’t know, chemistry and IR. Is it feasible to get, I don’t know, a major in one and a certificate in the other? But to really stress the importance the certificate? I know that sounded really stupid, but I guess I’m trying to figure out is there a way to truly emphasize two very different fields of study on your transcript? Sorry for being so unclear.</p>
<p>Not all departments offer certificates, so you should check [url=<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/whatsdistinctive/experience/certificate_programs/]here[/url”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/whatsdistinctive/experience/certificate_programs/]here[/url</a>] to see if Princeton offers one in the subject you’re interested in. Your transcript will simply indicate the courses you have taken and the major and certificates you are earning. There’s not a section where the registrar can certify that “Johnny is really, really dedicated to his certificate and wishes he could have double majored.” But graduate programs base their decisions on much more than your transcript – you will have ample space to talk about your secondary field in your personal statement.</p>
<p>Besides, you’ll be really educated in that second subject area and have the necessary experiences to show for it if you ever need to “prove” that you studied a lot of IR…</p>
<p>Haha, true. Anyway, thanks for the responses guys…they really helped a lot!</p>