<p>I know some of you may find this crazy, but I was considering to triple major in Econ, Stats, and PoliSci. After I got to Columbia and started to work on my schedule (both specifically for this semester and generally for the next four years), I realized that I can finish two majors w/ the core requirements in 3 years with the average of 6 classes per semester. The reasons are 1) I have the max. number of points granted for AP scores (16) and can also get out of a few classes, and 2) I speak two other languages fluently, so I do not need to take any foreign language courses. Thus I began thinking about doing one major and a joint major (since theres Econ/PoliSci, Econ/Stats, and PoliSci/Stats). So my questions are:</p>
<p>1) Which of the joint majors seem the most suitable? (My dream is to become a diplomat or go into public policy, but its just a dream. But I would probably stick to a similar field)
2) Is it worth double majoring?
3) Is it worth graduating in three years?
4) Am I crazy?</p>
<p>I applaud your enthusiasm, but I must ask: To what end? What goal are you seeking to attain by double- or triple-majoring? As an employer of lawyers, I don’t give a hoot what one’s major was, let alone whether he or she had one, two or three majors. I want to see genuine intellectual curiosity and success, regardless of the course of undergraduate study.</p>
<p>More importantly, college is the time to build the foundation as a human. Human interaction, through interplay with fellow students, professors, administrators and other community members, is as important as the course of study.</p>
<p>Unless personal financial circumstances dictate otherwise (and with Columbia’s financial aid, why would they?), why cut off a quarter of the college experience by graduating in three years?</p>
<p>This is very true – especially when we’re talking about multiple liberal arts majors. If anything, I think people are far more impressed by double majors like Philosophy and Physics. Econ, PolySci and Stats aren’t amazingly impressive at first glance.</p>
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<p>I disagree with this. As good as Columbia’s financial aid is compared to most schools, there are a good chunk of families who would be best off saving an extra year.</p>
<p>To pbr: thanks for your comments. I mean, Columbia is a great place, and I would like to stay & take a bunch of academically interesting classes too.
But I’m just thinking of double-majoring because it’s not something too demanding–right now I’m leaning toward Econ/Math and PoliSci, but double majoring in those fields would only give me about 35 semesters of required classes and just enough points to graduate (including the core…provided I don’t fail any of my classes).
And yes, my financial aid package is awesome, but I come from a disadvantaged background. My father has passed away when I was young, and my mom is…not the healthiest person, to say the least. I actually took a year off to work and support my mother when it got really bad, which is part of the reason why I want to graduate early (I’m a year older than most kids, you see). I just wanted to see if it’s worth it.</p>
<p>To Columbia2002: Thank you. My father double majored in Philosophy/Physics back in the day! Yeah it was impressive to most people.
But I do see your point about multiple liberal arts majors. I met this senior who’s triple majoring in Econ/PoliSci/History, but he was like, it’s not to impress people, it’s just because it’s possible and they’re his interests.</p>
<p>PaxPax: Thnx. Yeah. But I’m willing to put some effort. I don’t think my schedule would be crazy difficult either.</p>
<p>i learned a lot more outside the classroom than i learned inside. i learned how to negotiate different friend groups, how to prioritize, leadership skills, ability to look at things from different perspectives, how to deal with difficult scenarios. i feel that growth has been indipensible for me as i seek jobs and think about my own career and life goals. of my friends that graduated early there are two things i noticed - a) they were involved in fewer things (either internships or student activities), b) they have less of a connection to columbia, it was more of a placeholder. though certainly this is not always the case, it was something i will offer as an anecdote, and i think both situations make sense when someone is rushing to finish.</p>
<p>perhaps if you did not attend columbia or a school that is so rich in what it can offer you outside the classroom (not just nyc, but just the fact that the complexity of the institution means you end up having to think about issues you otherwise would not have to) i’d agree fully with c02 that saving the chunk of money makes sense, and in general if your only goal is to get a degree sure graduate as soon as possible. but a school like columbia can be (and i think ought to be) treated as so much more than a piece of paper, that it is to your advantage not to rush through it, or just think about things in terms of academics. i just don’t think columbia (especially with the core) really is set up for someone to want to run through academic requirements. though this is not to say there are not some students who do try to do it, just that the overall culture+opportunity of the place really encourage you to develop yourself completely in different ways.</p>