Hey!
I am applying to Hopkins next year and I was wondering if having double majors overwhelmingly hard at Hopkins?
Thanks!
It really depends on which two majors you’re considering. For example it’s downright easy to double major in electrical engineering and computer engineering due to the huge overlap, but a lot harder to double major in BME and IS.
In general, due to the distribution requirement system that Hopkins uses for GEs and electives, it’s typically easier to double major at Hopkins than at other schools.
What would be a good overlapping double major for BME?
The most common ones I’ve heard of are Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, and Math. I think that there might be some other engineering majors that could work, but generally there isn’t much overlap. I knew one BME/Neuroscience major, but he was going through the struggle, lol. It really depends on the major, but given the structured nature of the BME major and the fact there isn’t much overlap particularly with Arts and Sciences majors (as in, not engineering), it will be more difficult to double major with BME.
The most common double majors with BME are BME & CS (I’m currently doing that) and BME & Applied Math. Basically the computational biology track in the BME curriculum has lots of overlap with those two majors making double majoring doable. Some people also do BME & EE or CE, but that’s a bit more difficult since the lower level EE courses don’t fit well into the BME curriculum. There are scattered people doing other majors (I also know the BME & Neuro guy), but those are much more difficult.
I would not go into Hopkins (or any school) expecting to double major. Take the standard course load and see how you do and incrementally add more units. Plan ahead and be reasonable. Also determine what the value of the additional degree would be. Talk to people in the industry you’re interested in and ask them if they see value. If you’re applying to med school or graduate school in general I can tell you double majoring is silly since it will most likely lower your GPA and that is what matters, more than showing you’re “special” and “eclectic”. Take this from a premed who double-majored and regretted it in hindsight since I saw there was limited value for the sheer amount of work put into it. You can pursue passions and take an additional class or two without having to sacrifice an enjoyable college experience trying to fulfill credit requirements.
^this is an excellent point.
Double majoring has a very limited value considering the amount of work that goes into the program.