<p>Yeah, it's probably pretty crazy to consider this. I'm only a junior in HS right now, but I'm thinking of colleges and majors right now. I want to major in physics because I want to be an astrophysicist, and if I do that I'll probably take a minor in computer science, but how crazy would it be to consider double-majoring in physics and music? How long would it take? What about at a college where there are fewer core requirements? Would it be less crazy to instead major in physics and double-minor in computer science and music? (I'm pretty good at managing time, I'm a straight-A student, and I'm going to try to get into a really good college.)</p>
<p>The problem with double majoring in two such disparate fields is that they both require a lot of time to master and there is very little overlap. Some people can do it but it is very tough. I have known individuals who managed with engineering and music theory (not performance) and I know others who hoped to do pre-med and jazz performance and discovered that it was a disaster.</p>
<p>I know a lot of physicists who love music. Perhaps you could get just as much benefit out of making music an extracurricular activity without the pressure of having to manage two majors. Remember that getting into a graduate program can depend on your overall GPA and if one or the other suffers, you might be hurting your chances.</p>
<p>Music tends to have a lot of requirements, and can be very time consuming due to the time needed for the many “lab” (i.e. performance) courses.</p>
<p>It may be more feasable to choose some out-of-major electives in music (and other subjects of interest), rather than try to fulfill an entire music major.</p>
<p>What exactly are your interests in music? What would you hope to do with a music degree? If music is more of a personal interest, as opposed to a potential career goal, then an academic education in music in far from necessary. As an extracurricular activity, you can still do a lot with music. </p>
<p>That’s a good point. I have a far-fetched dream of being a music writer, but I’m not yet sure how that would work with my idea of being an astrophysicist. It is probably more practical to just take a few interesting classes.</p>
<p>One thing is certain…the job prospects for musical composing astrophysicists is pretty slim. </p>
<p>These are both fields that take a lot of dedication. The physics you’ve seen so far is the very simplest of physics. It gets significantly more complicated very quickly. Music is equally difficult in its own right. </p>
<p>In high school I also thought about something like this. But I realized my interest in music was best suited to a hobby rather than a second major. Although I enjoy it, I’d never have the skill to be a professional musician, nor was that ever my goal. If you want to be an astrophysicist, major in physics. Do a music minor, take lessons, or join some musical groups on campus. I’ve been a part of a couple of bands on campus and taken a few music classes. I don’t regret my decision to leave out music as a major to focus on science academically.</p>
<p>There probably are not that many jobs in astrophysics. However, physics majors do seem to have non-physics job opportunities in areas like computers and finance, where “smart people who can do math” seem to sometimes get hired (with the expectation that they can learn the needed skills on the job relatively easily compared to most people).</p>
<p>This is more an observation than a comment. It seems a lot of high performing HS kids (and the stem fields has a lot of them) have a variety of interests that they have cultivated in HS and would like to continue at the college level. I see the OPs question asked a lot but I don’t believe I have seen anyone respond that they have successfully completed multiple majors. My sophomore D is a ChemE and plays in her college orchestra. She likes being able to enjoy something she spent a lot of time doing in HS without the stress of classes, lessons etc. She’ll be going to Spain with the orchestra over spring break. She also played in a local community orchestra while working at a coop this fall. I think it’s easier to divide ones attention in HS than in college. </p>
<p>I know of at least one student who pulled off dual majors in music and a hard science. The tricks: get as many general education requirements taken care of with AP credits from high school, and pursue a BA in the science major, which typically has fewer required science/math courses than a BS (at schools which offer both BA and BS in science majors).</p>
<p>It would definitely be difficult to do a dual major in music and physics (or any other pure science, for that matter). The biggest concerns would be graduating on time (since there is no course overlap) and large amount of studying time required for each subject.</p>
<p>While it’s certainly been done, as a previous poster stated perhaps you may want to consider one or the other a “hobby”. If you want to be an astrophysicist, major in physics and study music as a hobby.</p>
<p>I’m also a high school student and I love both physics and music. I will spend half an hour studying physics, then go unwind on the piano for 15 minutes or so, and repeat. It keeps my mind focused and clear, but I don’t think I could spend countless hours analyzing music theory in addition to understanding the physics of black holes.</p>