Should I minor or double major?

College Majors Science Majors
1

I’m starting college as a freshman this fall at Simmons College and I’ll be majoring in Neuroscience. There are two tracks within the major - the Neurobiology track, heavier in Biology and Chemistry courses, and the Cognitive & Behavioral track, heavier in Psychology courses. I am following the Cognitive & Behavioral track.

Ultimately I want to go to graduate school and get my PhD in the field. I plan to go into research related to cognitive function - my main interest is developing better ways to diagnose and treat mental illness, such as brain scanning/mapping, as well as understanding why mental illnesses occur. That being said, I’m not sure exactly what path will get me there. I already qualify for a minor in Psychology because of how Psych-heavy my major is. I’m considering a double major in Psychology. However, that would mean filling up most of my schedule with Psych classes, in places where I’d be able to choose Biology classes instead. I’m a bit worried that I won’t be as prepared on the scientific side of things by the time I graduate.

For that reason, I might just scratch the double major and instead double minor in Psychology and Biology. The minor in Biology would require a couple of additional Biology classes outside of what is already required (or offered) within my major. I think that this would give me the scientific background that I want to prepare for graduate school, but I hear that minors are basically pointless and don’t look as good on graduate school applications as a double major would.

So, would I be better off with a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology (BA) while missing out on some more Biology-related classes, or should I spring for the double minor in Psychology and Biology (with a major in Neuroscience, of course)? Which would better prepare me for grad school, and look better on applications in the future?

2

Additional majors don’t matter. Minors especially don’t matter. Major in whatever you’d like, and take relevant courses to add depth to your education. This is particularly true for a PhD–the most important thing will be your research experience, in addition to your grades and test scores.

3

Thanks for the response @AuraObscura. After reading more and more about admission to PhD programs, I’m learning that what you said is true. I’ve decided to focus on just taking as many research-based courses as I can within the Neuroscience field, rather than worrying about a second major. I’m hoping to stand out when applying to grad school, and it seems that’d be the best way.

I actually discovered today that my school offers a minor in Biostatistics. Better yet, 3 of the 5 required courses are already covered by my Neuroscience major (general bio, intro to psych, and intro to stats). The other two required courses are Statistics courses in the area of medical research. I think that would be a more beneficial and productive minor to pursue.

4

Would you even have been allowed to minor in biology or psychology with a neuro major? At my university, it was explicitly stated that neuro majors couldn’t minor in either of those because there was too much overlap with the major.

I also concur that the best use of your time is to get involved in research rather than pursue a second major or a boatload of minors.