<p>I know people double major all of the time, but I'm wondering how doable it is.
Right now I think I'm interested in majoring in neuroscience, but I also love chemistry. If I could have it my way, I would like to double major in the two of these.
Although I know the two subjects are somewhat related, there is still the problem of the workload. Regardless of the school I go to, I know it is going to take a lot of extra work. So:
1.) Do you personally feel like double majoring is a "doable" option. Obviously people double major, but I mean is it doable without becoming overbooked/stressed/etc.
2.) I'm assuming that if both majors require a certain class to go towards the degree, the college isn't going to make me take it twice. Knowing this, would this impact your opinion about double majoring?
Thank you so much!</p>
<p>As far as lower division goes, you’d probably have 2 biology classes a Chem major doesn’t take; and 2-3 math classes (Multi, Lin. Alg & Diff EQs) a Neuro major doesn’t take. If you have tiered science classes, your Chem classes get an upgrade~</p>
<p>Combined with the option of skipping Single-Variable Calculus, I wouldn’t be concerned about lower divisions, effectively buying you a lot of time. What I’d actually be more worried about is stacking up on labs during Upper Divs. Also consider the following:</p>
<p>1) Is the extra time worth the added flexibility for internships, research and extracurricular.
2) Would you want the added degree to make a difference to where you end up or are you in it for intellectual pursuit. If the former, ask yourself that question. If the latter, is there a specific reason you’re rushing it?
3) Are you the type to graduate in 4 years to save money and time (even with added stress) or would you mind spending a 5th year? Is summer a time for relaxation or non-academic pursuits or is it summer school? Just good questions to answer. </p>
<p>Finally, yes double majoring is “doable” in Neuro & Chem but don’t rush the decision to double major in lieu of non-academic experiences. If you have the time to decide, use it.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your quick response. I definitely have time to decide (I’ll start applying for colleges next fall), so I really appreciate the questions I should ask myself you provided. Thanks again!</p>
<p>1) Yes, it’s doable. Anything’s doable. You just have to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice to do it. You may end up having to sacrifice nothing (I didn’t to do my double major), but you may end up having to give up graduating early, doing an internship, working a job, whatever. You just have to decide where to draw the line, and depending on where you go to school, what credits you come in with, and/or how they structure the majors, you may not have to give up anything.</p>
<p>2) No, colleges wouldn’t make you take the class twice if it’s required for both majors (like o-chem will probably be in both majors). But your school may have rules on how many classes can be shared between each major. My school required that a certain number of classes be unique to each major, so even if you technically could make a large number of classes overlap between the two majors, you still had to have a certain number of classes for each major. So yes, having classes that overlap between the majors helps, but it might not be as significant of a help in terms of fitting in all of the classes you want to take, as you might expect initially.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind just pure scheduling issues. Chemistry majors often have to do several chemistry labs that can take up a lot of time in your schedule, potentially making it difficult to fit in the different classes that you need (or want) to take. That’s something to consider when you’re trying to map out whether or not you can fit in the double major.</p>
<p>My advice is always to make a four year (or five or three or whenever you want to graduate) and see if you can fit in the double major in a comfortable time frame. Try to give yourself some wiggle room, in case something changes or something else comes up (you want to take a lighter load so you have time for research or work or whatever; you decide to study abroad; you can’t get into the classes you need to take or they’re only offered a certain semester at a certain time or two classes you need to take conflict). If it’s a schedule that you think you can handle, then go for it. You can always change you’re mind later. There’s no reason you have to be locked into it from the very beginning.</p>