Hello! I’m considering majors right now, and would really appreciate any input and advice. Would it be a bad idea to pursue a double-major in biology and political science/economics? I was considering this because (1) I enjoy both subjects enormously and would really like to study both in depth (2) I am looking into potential careers in law, public health, and science research.
I’ve heard double majoring tends to be a bad idea, so I wanted to know if anyone has some advice about whether or not I should, and what it will mean for my workload (i.e. just less electives, or would it be a significant increase on workload).
Where have you heard that double majoring is a bad idea? Double majoring in and of itself is not a bad idea. I think the conventional wisdom is that it’s simply not necessary, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad as long as you can complete the coursework itself.
It could be a significant increase in workload, or could not - it kind of depends on what you are comparing it to and what electives you would take instead of the second major. The “work” sometimes comes in in trying to hit all of the major requirements - both schedule-wise and also in the sense that core major classes sometimes tend to be more rigorous than the ones you would take as an elective (e.g., the quantitative political analysis class a sophomore-level major would take is more rigorous than the American Presidency class a sophomore level bio major who was just taking a poli sci class for fun might take).
I agree with Juillet. I think double majoring is a great idea. Unless you want the flexibility to take lots of classes in many different areas, I would strongly suggest a double major, especially given your interests.
I plan to encourage my kids to do it, even if it means taking an extra semester. Unless they go to private school, of course 
Also: If anyone has specific info, the program I am considering specifically is {Ethics, Politics, and Economics} and {Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (B.A.)} at Yale. Disappointing I wouldn’t be able to explore more, but I’d love to be able to go into a career in either field. Is it worth limiting exploration of random electives?
I was recently looking at anthropology, with a concentration in biological anthropology. It looks like an interesting combination of the social and physical sciences. Maybe that’s something you want to look into?
I assume you can just drop one of them later on if you decide you want more freedom.
Good point, @jjwinkle.
@dsi2000 - Thanks, I’ll look into it!