<p>I am currently a Computer Science and Philosophy double major who is considering graduate school in Computer Engineering. I'm not really interested in a lecture on how useless Philosophy is. I have time to finish up an Engineering minor if I so choose (2 additional classes). I dont expect that it would affect my GPA in any meaningful way. My question is if it would help my chances of CE graduate program acceptance to have the minor, or if it would just make me seem unfocused. I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to give. Thanks.</p>
<p>Wow, good for you. I think it speaks a lot to your character that you would double major in philosophy, especially since it’s pretty clear that you’ve received a lot of… ridicule for it.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be applying to a CompEng program, having more rather than fewer CompEng courses can only be seen as a good thing. If I were you and I were worried about seeming “unfocused”, I’d be thinking up a good explanation for taking philosophy courses instead of CompEng courses.</p>
<p>That being said, why CompEng? Why not CompSci, Philosophy, or even Math? It almost seems like CompEng might be too… mundane.</p>
<p>Why would a minor give the impression that you are “unfocused”? The main objective of a minor is for you to dedicate a small amount of time towards exploring a field that interests you. My recommendation is to take 2 classes in CompEng that provide you with an adequate foundation towards your graduate studies in Computer Engineering. </p>
<p>I do not understand why many people have this impression that college students are supposed to be automatons that cater to the needs of industry and/or academia. Take advantage of your time in college and learn as much as you possibly can! The true definition of unfocused is the student that changes majors several times and has absolutely no plan for the future.</p>
<p>Your current position is excellent. You are about to complete studies in Computer Science (a field that significantly overlaps with Computer Engineering) and studies in Philosophy (a field that nurtures your logical/critical thinking skills that are extremely useful anywhere you go); you also have the opportunity of adding a minor concentration in Computer Engineering that will give you a solid foothold into CompEng graduate school.</p>
<p>If you still have doubts, check out this gentleman:</p>
<p>[Michael</a> D. Griffin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Michael D. Griffin - Wikipedia”>Michael D. Griffin - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Haha, I don’t know if I was that interviewer at NASA I might have thought he was unfocused ;)</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I understand why a person like that may be considered unfocused. Many of us fail to realize we are not drones or automatons that take an interest in one, and only one, subject. Almost all human beings enjoy a variety of activities that in many cases are unrelated to one another.</p>
<p>For example, my plans are to pursue studies in Mechanical Engineering and Philosophy with minor concentrations in Mathematics and History. Yet, I am also interested in learning German, French, and Italian as well as learning to play the guitar. I simply love learning for the sake of learning. It’s the 2nd most beautiful activity human beings can engage in.</p>
<p>Famous examples? Leonardo daVinci (13 interest fields), Isaac Newton (6 interest fields), Leon Battista Alberti (6 interest fields), Albert Einstein (2 interest fields) among others.</p>