I am a senior in high school about to apply for undergraduate admission and I am stuck between 3 science majors. I want to do a dual major of 2 of the following: biology, chemistry, and environmental science. I seriously cannot imagine giving up one of them (I would literally do all 3 if that was humanly possible), but I know I have to. HELP PLEASE
Why not major in one and take the most interesting electives in the other subjects?
Also consider how they may relate to your post-graduation goals.
Biochemistry with a concentration or minor in environmental science.
You can always do one as a graduate degree.
@Otterma had an awesome suggestion. Biochemistry gives you both microbio and heavy chemistry. Environmental Science is likely to build on lots of biology concepts, and if your school has a few biology-coded classes that focus on environments and ecosystems (Botany, Animal Behavior, Natural Communities, stuff like that), definitely try to fit those in.
Oh for goodness sake.
First: choose, apply to and get accepted to a college. You can put yourself down as ‘undeclared’ or ‘science’ or all three- ‘bio/chem/enviro’. It won’t make any difference as to whether you are accepted. The only difference is that your first year advisor is likely to be from that general end of the college, and if there is crush for space some colleges will prioritize students interested in it as a major.
Second: check out the common major requirements (almost certainly a good amount of overlap in the first two years), and take classes in ALL three areas.
Third: Start looking in November/December of your first year for summer research jobs in any related area (see if your college has any undergraduate research programs/ talk to your profs/ research REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduates- 10 week paid research positions funded by the National Science Foundation). Applications are due early in the new year. Don’t expect to get an REU the first year- you might, but many preferentially take older students. But you never know- some do get places, and some get told to come back next year. Either way, it’s good practice for the next year.
Fourth: In the autumn of SOPHOMORE year (that is, 2 years from now) talk to your advisor about what direction you want to go for your major. It might be that you decide to major/minor some combination of the three you list above. It might be that you chosee something that is related to some or all of them. It might be something that you don’t even know exists yet. It might even be a design-your-own major.
The point is that this is not a decision that you should make now- and definitely not one that you have to make now. At the undergraduate level, there are tons of colleges that are plenty strong in all 3 areas and none are majors where you are admitted directly to the major (as with, say architecture or engineering).