<p>I am thinking of undergoing the honors program in philosophy at Cal. Can anyone provide some insight into this subject? I plan on double majoring: is it possible considering this fact?</p>
<p>I was interested in Berkeley’s philosophy program but I’m not anymore, so I can tell you what little I know about it.</p>
<p>Berkeley’s philosophy program is known for being very, very difficult. They say that A’s are kind of rare to get. I’m sure it’s an exaggeration, but it’ll be very challenging to do philosophy there nonetheless. You probably won’t fail or get C’s if you do your best, but your best might get you only a few A’s in your philosophy classes. Just saying.</p>
<p>And you’re doing the honors program in philosophy? Good luck, lol. Double majoring shouldn’t be too difficult as long as you plan your class schedules carefully and accordingly. You’ll probably have to take winter and summer session classes.</p>
<p>I admire your fearlessness. Being in regular courses at UCB sounds intimidating enough, but honors courses? I rather eat a handful of red fire ants.</p>
<p>I may look into it as well, but not until I take my first semester here and see how it goes. I’m also planning on double majoring @Derhund12 so I’m in a similar place as you. @Cayton is correct, Phil at Cal is notoriously difficult… So I would suggest seeing how the workload is just by itself prior to seeking departmental honors.</p>
<p>Regarding double majoring, I’ve come to realize that it is highly dependent on which majors you are trying to meld together. Philosophy and Rhetoric, for instance, have requirements that total 88 units all together. You have roughly 5 semesters at Cal to pull off your double major, so prior planning becomes key. Luckily, you can get 1 course approved to be from another department for each of those major requirements (thus they can overlap). 88-8= 80. </p>
<p>So for me, in order to do what I wish to do, I have to take 16 units each semester for 5 semesters. I have no room for anything else… Unless I take summer/winter</p>
<p>@Cayton thank you for the insight and I will certainly keep your recommendation in mind. I will first test the waters when I begin taking courses. </p>
<p>@Freetofly112 </p>
<p>I am taking a few courses every summer so I think timing will not necessarily be an issue. What do you think about taking a few summer courses my first semester at Cal?</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the guidance. </p>
<p>@Derhund12 I think its a cool idea, I might do the same. I remember reading somewhere that if you do poorly at transfer edge they might rescind you though… I’m not sure if its true or not.</p>
<p>@Derhund12 I am also considering double majoring at UCB, in Rhetoric and Philosophy, and doing the honors program at the same time. I believe you can do it, however, that’s conjecture. </p>
<p>You will have to test the water by default. According to <a href=“http://ls.berkeley.edu/?q=undergraduate/honors-program”>http://ls.berkeley.edu/?q=undergraduate/honors-program</a> “To qualify [for the honors program] At least 12 units completed at Berkeley for a letter grade.”</p>
<p>Things to consider in making an informed decision, a single major entails a substantial amount of reading. If you read the UCB admissions blog,<a href=“http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/11/5-things-a-transfer-student-should-know/”>http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/11/5-things-a-transfer-student-should-know/</a>, you would have read “my sociology professor told us that we need to finish 100+ pages by next class” and in fact that is the case. That equates to five hours of reading, conservatively. And that’s Sociology, not Philosophy.</p>
<p>Arithmetic tells us you would be doing twice the work, 200 pages per class meet which is ten hours of reading.TEN HOURS (G-sus wept!)</p>
<p>To even consider this, you are by nature an ambitious student. HOWEVER, pragmatism pulls us in an antithetical direction. For, I am planning law school after undergrad and pursuing that double major entails, at the very least, compromising your GPA. </p>
<p>So in conclusion, the questions you need to ask yourself, the one I am considering long and hard this summer, is weather you like those two subjects so much that you would not care if they affected your GPA, given double majors’ GPA may be weighed different. And even then, you don’t have the chance not to have a stellar grades. Look, to be admitted to the H.P., “Earn a GPA in top 4 percent of L&S undergraduates (about 3.85);”</p>
<p>This is only to inform you. I hope you due pursue it.</p>
<p>@Freetofly112 How fascinating to find someone who is pursuing the exact same double major at Cal. </p>
<p>Just to throw this out - I’ve read a lot lately that if you’re thinking of double majoring, you’re way better off career-wise doing a single and then getting a masters. Of course, that is more financially equal if you’re taking an extra year for the double.</p>
<p>I second @lindyk8 on that. Double majoring is rarely necessary in a career sense and potentially damning to your GPA because the workload can get really intense. If you’re looking into grad school (med, law, business) there’s really not much to gain with a double major. Now, on the other hand if you’re doing it because you really want to for your own personal, then by all means; but career/grad-school wise, it won’t necessarily help.</p>