Some Reassurance

<p>@Mollie</p>

<p>Although you cannot triple major, you can quadruple major. A friend of mine who was accepted into MIT last year has already placed out of most freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. He will enter with a major, and finish his freshman year with a second major. In two more years, he will have quadruple majored.</p>

<p>

No, you can’t. The most you can officially graduate with is two majors and two minors. You can take as many courses as you want/can handle in as many departments as you’d like, but even if you complete the requirements for four majors, you will graduate only with a double.</p>

<p>I would be interested in knowing which degree program at MIT it is possible to fulfill with transfer and advanced standing credit. I don’t know of any departments which, for example, allow students to place/ASE out of their laboratory requirements.</p>

<p>Probably 18. No lab/thesis requirement as far as I know, not that many classes, and relatively straightforward to pass out of classes if you’ve been lucky enough to get to learn the material beforehand. I’ve never heard of anyone entering with a major already, but I suppose it’s possible if you petition enough classes.</p>

<p>Someone did quadruple major, I think he was a 2010 or 2011, but it was two bachelor’s and two master’s majors, not four bachelor’s. And I’m pretty sure he did majors that “made sense,” if I remember correctly it was 6 and 18 and then 6 and 15.</p>

<p>Even if you get credit for a whole slew of courses, I’d be really surprised if you were able to ASE out of a CI-M. It’s not actually the courses per se that I think would be the difficulty – it would be the GIR-type requirements (REST, Institute lab, CI-M, etc.). </p>

<p>I agree that it’s possible to double-major and then earn one or more M.Eng. or possibly S.M. degrees. But that is not a “quadruple-major”. That’s a double-major with two master’s degrees. MIT stopped allowing triple-majors (and never, to my knowledge, allowed more than three SBs to be awarded) in 2000 ([link](<a href=“http://tech.mit.edu/V119/N67/67academic.67n.html]link[/url]”>http://tech.mit.edu/V119/N67/67academic.67n.html)</a>). (Also, fighting words: that was when double-majoring at MIT was actually hard, not like the current pansy complete-the-requirements-for-two-degrees nonsense.)</p>

<p>The next time I speak to my friend I will ask him specifics (If I remember… I wouldn’t count on it). I wish I could tell you the details, but I simply do not know them. All I can say is that he was finishing senior math/physics courses at MIT while being a senior in High School (heck, he was basically graduating from MIT when he graduated from High School).</p>

<p>I actually know the guy who received the two masters and two bachelor degrees this year. He did Mathematics and Computer Science, and then went on to get a masters in Computer Science and one in Finance as well.</p>

<p>What I, myself, would like to do is double major Mathematics(theoretical) and Physics(focused) and double minor Philosophy and Psychology. If I could, I would like to see if I could get a masters in physics before I graduate. Does anyone know if that is possible?</p>

<p>@acasadonte Yeah, it’s possible. At least the majors/minors are; I haven’t heard of anyone doing a 4- or 5-year Master’s in physics-- the most common (and, iirc, the only) 4/5 year Master’s programs are in EECS and MechE.</p>

<p>But you have to realize that you’re asking this as a high school junior-- the people who are telling you to think about this if and when you get in are probably right. Don’t count your chickens before the eggs hatch. As confident as you might be in your ability to get into both schools-- I have met very few people here who are not extremely down-to-earth, and the people who are the most incredibly intelligent and talented are usually also the most humble-- and most people are honestly shocked that they even got in. Maybe think about this a little bit.</p>

<p>Oh yes, I agree. I don’t have much confidence I will get in, but I have an intensity about my expression and as well much hope for the future. I am sorry I sound overconfident, but truly I am always doubting and think that my accomplishments are unworthy of admission.</p>

<p>I would be out of my mind surprised if all that I have become and aspired to be is seen by MIT to be worthy of acceptance. I really would be.</p>

<p>Thank you for your concern though. I’m sorry I am just a little too excited.</p>