<p>I have been set for quite a long time on double majoring as an undergrad, but now I am thinking about minoring as well. I intend to earn a master's in library science, and I want to get a lot into my undergraduate years. An option is creating my own undergrad major, but I don't want to limit my college search to schools that provide that option. Has anyone done this double major + minor thing? Does it sound completely absurd?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>It can be difficult and leaves you with little to no room for electives - taking summer classes might be necessary. It strongly depends on the majors as well. Some majors require a ton of credits (Engineering) and others not many at all (History). Same with minors. 2 majors that aren’t requirement-heavy plus an “easier” minor is doable. </p>
<p>I’m double majoring in Econ and NeuroSci and unfortunately don’t have a lot of room for electives, but I get to study what I want so i’m happy. Look into the requirements for the majors you want at the colleges you’re interested in. Also pick a college that doesn’t have a lot of core requirements for obvious reasons.</p>
<p>Are you not even in college yet OP? It’s pointless to ponder things like this before you even get to college because you have no idea what the lifestyle, benefits, or courseload are like, or how you’ll change your mind based on your experiences. And believe me, you’ll probably change your mind about something at some point. I had aspirations of majoring and double majoring in something I tangentially liked and minoring in this and that. I quickly saw how pointless (and annoying) it would have been and I’ve got one major now.</p>
<p>This is not to say that double or triple majoring is always pointless; whether it’s right or wrong for you depends on your reason for doing it and your aspirations. But as a high school student, you’re really not in a position to know that because you don’t know much about college or what graduate school really entails.</p>
<p>well, I’m guessing he is a high school student and the reason he asked is to hear from college students what it’s like.</p>
<p>Some double-majors are relatively easy. An Economics/History double major wouldn’t be hard - each major only requires 8 or 9 classes in my college, all the requirements can be finished in 2 years, leaving tons of room leftover for a minor. But 2 other majors might be very hard to do, especially if the subjects are completely different, like Engineering and Literature. It really depends on what kind of student you are as well.</p>
<p>Double majoring is great if there’s 2 subjects you love equally and can do well in. I wouldn’t say it’s pointless at all, unless you do it for the wrong reasons (like double-majoring because you think you’ll make more money, when that’s not true).</p>
<p>Depends on the majors, minor and college. I’m planning on double-majoring in Psych and Genetics, and I can only consider it at all because I came in with a ton of AP credit (I started as basically a second-semester sophomore). There’s no way I could fit a minor in there and graduate on time. My roommate’s major actually doesn’t really allow for electives at all; she originally was planning a double-major but dropped that idea when she discovered just how unfeasible it was. On the other hand, you might be able to pull it off with two majors that overlap a lot, or which don’t have that many credits required. </p>
<p>A good alternative might just be to take one major and a minor or just a double-major and see what interesting classes you get to take on the side. Most majors will include classes which are annoying and which you want to get out of the way so you can take the fascinating stuff. For instance, I have to get organic chemistry and biochemistry out of the way for my genetics major before I can take the majority of the interesting genetics classes. If you just take the classes you find interesting, you don’t have to plow through the ones you find boring, and you’ll still look like someone with a lot of interest in the world when grad schools read your transcript. </p>
<p>Some colleges, like mine, have online lists of what courses a major in that college will entail. You might want to take a look at those to get an idea of what you’d be in for, maybe construct a four-year plan to see if you can do it at all without giving yourself eighteen-hour schedules for five semesters or something. ETA: If you want, I’ll post a link to my university’s website so you can at least see an example.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind when deciding on a double-major is that most majors are fairly structured and will require a few classes that you are not at all interested in. (For example, a history might have to take a few classes on Asian and African history when he is really more interested in European and American history.) A minor will usually give you a lot more flexibility to take the classes you are actually interested in. </p>
<p>I considered a math/CS double-major, but then I realized that a CS major requires several classes that I don’t care about at all. Now I am only minoring in CS. I am still taking enough classes for a full major, but not in the distribution necessary for a major. But I much prefer taking classes I like over classes I need for a piece of paper, given that I already have another major that will give me that piece of paper I am paying $200,000 for.</p>
<p>If you want to double major and minor as well, prepare on extending your college experience past 4 years…</p>
<p>I was also thinking of doing a double major, so I’m going to ask specifically is International Studies and Geography Doable? Consider maybe a minor in a foreign language as well.</p>
<p>Sibrarian, what majors and minor are you considering? If your heart is set on a master’s in library science, my advice would be to choose one major to begin with and go from there. As barium said, there may be courses within a major you don’t want to take. You could just have one major and take additional courses that are relevant to your career goals/that you find interesting. If you decided you want to officially declare a second major or minor, do so when you’re 100% sure. </p>
<p>For example, I’m a history major. If I wanted to pursue an MLS, I might take courses in information systems, communications, etc., but not necessarily pick one of those up as a second major or minor. You only need one major to earn your bachelor’s. If you want to get the most out of your undergrad years as you said, don’t commit to classes you don’t need/want. Rather, take courses that are relevant to your personal and careers goals, and that allow you to develop as a student. Talk to a librarian or an advisor if you are unsure about which courses to take.</p>
<p>Just spend a couple hours researching the required courses for the major(s) and minor(s). See which requirements overlap (ex. for a business major, taking spanish classes could fulfill both the gen ed requirements and the spanish minor requirement). If it works out to where there are 3-4 required classes you need to take each semester then it’s doable (especially if you take summer classes at a local community college that transfer over).</p>
<p>I feel slightly idiotic. I had to Google “library science.” Never even heard of that one before.</p>
<p>That said, yes, it’s doable. But I strongly suggest not attending a LA college as it seems most have quite a number of additional GenEd requirements which you could be using that time to conquer your major classes. You need to plan ahead, look at classes that might do dual requirement filling. You need to be sure you want to double major in the majors you’ve chosen. From personal experience, the notion of almost completing a major and then changing your mind at the last minute…hellish feeling.</p>
<p>I’m double majoring, and I have a minor as well. It just takes a lot of planning! Also, some courses may be interdisciplinary, so figure out if there’s any way you can kill two birds with one stone when it comes to your requirements.</p>