<p>I plan to major in astronomy at Texas yet I am also very interested in minoring in a liberal arts field such as philosophy. Between Plan II and the Dean's Scholars, which honors program do you think is "better" and which would best suit my goals of a science related career. Also, is it possible be in both honors programs?</p>
<p>bump :)</p>
<p>You can do both, which is what I'd recommend.</p>
<p>Yeah, you can definitely do both.
There are a few people that are doing so.
You can use your DS thesis for your Plan II one so at least you don't have to do two!</p>
<p>DS is science-intensive, while Plan II is your typical liberal knowledge...so the two complement each other quite well!</p>
<p>Can I do a research project with a prof. even though I am not in ds?</p>
<p>Of course. You can talk to a prof on your own or join the Freshman Research Initiative. College</a> of Natural Sciences | Freshman Research Initiative</p>
<p>It's definitely a lot harder to do research at UT, considering the number of undergrads vs. professors. You really do have to make a conscious effort to look. If you really want to get into a specific lab, hunt the professor down and talk to him/her. Professors tend to overlook emails (I emailed about 10-15 professors and 2 responded).</p>
<p>FRI does help, if you get the right stream. I am currently doing the Viral Evolution stream and I find it pertinent to most of the research done on campus (DNA extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing, gel electrophoresis, etc.), at least when it comes to molecular/cell biology labs.</p>
<p>Do both. If you decide you hate one or the other you can drop it without problems.</p>