Double Majoring- can't decide whether or not to do it!

[AnnShh]

I'm a senior in high school currently and will be heading off to college in August (go Ole Miss!!!). I'm having a dilema that I keep going back and forth with. My primary intended major is Forensic Chemistry.... but I"m also interested in Criminal Justice. There is no CJ minor, so if I wanted to do that I'd have to double major. I've contacted the heads of both the FC and CJ departments- haven't heard back from the FC head but the CJ head responded back and said that few people double major. He said that either major is great, but advised that I pick one and do a minor with it.

Now, I am not familiar with the average college course load, but the Forensic Chem course load seems pretty heavy (18 chemistry classes, 4 physics, 3 math, 1 CJ, 1 other class (pharmacy or something?) ontop of the usual required english classes and electives). While double majoring seems really appelaing to me now, I think I may be overloaded once I actually get there.

So, there I went back and relooked at the minors and they have a minor of Intelligence and Security Studies. That is along the lines of something that I have always been interested in studying but they didn't have that as a major. I'm seriously considering just skipping the double major and doing a major in Forensic Chem with a minor in Intelligence and Security Studies.


Thoughts? I guess I probably sound like I've already made up my mind... I just need to hear from others in college whether that is actually a really heavy course load or not.

 

[threewingedfury]

Just remember that you can always add a second major later on in college. I personally get bogged down with my one major (computer science) and don't see how I could handle 2 majors and be able to focus on things at home since I commute 3.5 hrs a day driving back and forth to classes and I have a few part time jobs here and there. I would try to start out with one major and see how that goes first off, then possibly add a second later on. But then again, I'm also married and have lots of critters to take care of, so I'm biased in some way. Also, remember college is an experience. I got married before I went to college, so I didn't get to enjoy the networking and having friends and having a good time (no, I'm not talking about getting drunk at parties either, because I don't drink). 2 majors can be very stressful, and I'd hate to throw away my freshman year if I wasn't already tied down.

 

[mapache315]

You won't need to make that decision until into your sophomore year. I don't know why you get declare-major-happy every other week. Relax. Double majoring depends on what you are majoring in and your school's requirements. Generally double majoring means that you will only have time for classes in your major, nothing else that might interest you. You might get there, have an awesome English teacher, and decide that you want to major in German Literature. Stranger things have happened.


College is hard no matter how many majors you have. It is completely different from high school, which you may think you understand now, but you won't until you get there. Especially if you are going to be living there, you're going to have to deal with things that you've never had to to deal with now. Sometimes you get really sick, and don't go to the doctor on campus because it means a 15 minute walk across campus in the snow, so you just deal with it. No one is going to tell you to go to bed, so a lot of people's schedules get REALLY REALLY whacky.

 

[chinchildren]

i think it is too early for you to be able to make such a decision. you need to get on campus, start working on your coarse load and see how it goes.

i have seen really good high school students get a little bit of a shock when they start college; it is not the same thing.

there is a reason why students are not expected to declare major/minor etc up front of even in freshman year.

good luck either way.


jmo

 

[alli713]

Yeah, I agree, just relax and don't stress out about it! Actually many people change their mind about what they're going to major in while in college anyways. Freshman year is mostly general ed type classes so you really don't have to stress to make your mind up right away.

From the colleges I went to, most people didn't double major. Personally I wouldn't have wanted to and don't see the point. It's a lot of work and once you graduate, I feel as though your specific major isn't that huge of a deal, it's all about the experience you have. Besides, if there's a class for the other major that you like, you can take the class and not have to major in that specific thing, so you could always do that, and take some of the courses as electives.

 

[Cory]

I went into college with one major (World Literature) and didn't declare my second major (Spanish) until the end of sophomore year. I agree that it would be hard to commit to a 2nd major from day one. Plenty of people finish college and still don't know what they want to do! If there is a 2nd major you are interested in then take some of the classes that would be required for that degree as your free electives. Then realize that if you declare a 2nd major you will have to use all of your 'free electives' to fulfill requirements for that 2nd major. All of my free electives as an english major became upper level spanish literature courses.

I agree with Tiffany that you also may want to figure out how you want to spend your time in college before adding a second major. I still met people, but spent most of my nights studying or writing papers because I didn't have any 'filler' classes. I finished in 4 years only because of having AP credits from high school and taking classes 2 summers & because a few of the literature classes I took in spanish were counted towards my world lit. degree. If you want to double major in two completely different things then you are definitely looking at spending more than 4 years unless you take a really heavy course load and summer classes. I don't mean to sound discouraging or like it's impossible, but it is a big decision.

 

[AnnShh]

I actually am required to declare my major up front before I enter my Freshman year because my intended major is one that is not offered at many schools and therefore I receive instate tuition. In order to get that, I have to send the paperwork and everything in showing that I have indeed declared that major.

Mapache- are you specifically talking about me "getting declare-major-happy"? Or using "you" in the general sense? If it was specific to me, I'm not exactly sure why you would make that statement. I don't believe I have ever started a thread on here about what I should major in, aside from this one- and that was to hear from other people their thoughs on double majoring. Not one person who I've talked to from this school (heads of depts, admissions councelor etc) has mentioned not needing to declare a double major until sophmore year.

I like to have a plan of action, so to speak, for what I'm actually going to do instead of getting to orientation and signing up for classes without knowing exactly what my plan is. Obviously plans change, but I still like to have some sort of plan.

 

[Tiatrack]

I actually am required to declare my major up front before I enter my Freshman year because my intended major is one that is not offered at many schools and therefore I receive instate tuition. In order to get that, I have to send the paperwork and everything in showing that I have indeed declared that major.

Mapache- are you specifically talking about me "getting declare-major-happy"? Or using "you" in the general sense? If it was specific to me, I'm not exactly sure why you would make that statement. I don't believe I have ever started a thread on here about what I should major in, aside from this one- and that was to hear from other people their thoughs on double majoring. Not one person who I've talked to from this school (heads of depts, admissions councelor etc) has mentioned not needing to declare a double major until sophmore year.

I like to have a plan of action, so to speak, for what I'm actually going to do instead of getting to orientation and signing up for classes without knowing exactly what my plan is. Obviously plans change, but I still like to have some sort of plan.

Mapache is talking about you, and I know what she's talking about. You had several posts on CnQ about what your major should be.

I have never heard of a school that makes you declare a major before you even graduate high school. Personally, I would avoid any school that makes you do that. Your likes/desires/interests change SO MUCH from when you are 17 to when you are 21. Very few people graduate with the major they started out with.

 

[Spoof]

You can change majors once you're there so go with whichever one you want the most, you can add the second later.

What I would do is get 'the book' (maybe it's online now) but it will show you the majors and all the required courses. Stuff like ENG 101 and low level maths are the same regardless.

Take the classes that are required for both the first year, science classes are an exhausting load, you have labs on top of your normal class time. I never took more than two labs a semester, too exhausting with working full time.

Once you get to the college, talk to the deans of the departments you're interested in - tell them what you want and ask if anything will cross transfer. I did that with my animal science and computer science clases.

Have fun!!

 

[alli713]

Yeah, I agree, if you have to declare the major right away, just pick whichever one you were leaning towards. You can always change later. It might involve more paperwork and whatnot to change, but you are by no means stuck with whatever you decide, and if for some reason your school says that you would be, I wouldn't want to go there! lol

 

[AnnShh]

Mapache is talking about you, and I know what she's talking about. You had several posts on CnQ about what your major should be.

I have never heard of a school that makes you declare a major before you even graduate high school. Personally, I would avoid any school that makes you do that. Your likes/desires/interests change SO MUCH from when you are 17 to when you are 21. Very few people graduate with the major they started out with.

My posts were never what my major should be, they were about deciding what school to go to and whether or not it was worth going to a school that had everything I wanted if it meant they did not have my exact major. This is a public BB, I'm allowed to post for opinions, certainly others have posted repetitive topics as well (I've seen them). No need to get your panties in a bunch.:wacko: If you don't like my posts, don't reply to them.

The school does not require all students to declare their major. As I already stated in an above post, my intended major is not offered at a lot of schools and therefore I am eligible for in-state tuition. I have to send the paperwork in to the Academic Common Market before my freshman year to ensure I'm all set with the financial arrangement.

I would certainly hope that I won't change my major. If I do, I'll also be changing schools. I refuse to pay out-of-state tuition when I can go to a school here in VA that offers the same thing. There are no VA schools that offer a forensic chem program, let alone a nationally ranked one.

 

[chinchildren]

i am 50 years old - i teach at duke and have taught at yale (both nationally ranked schools)

our best students are the ones that grow at their time at school. do not try and define yourself at age 18 too narrowly.

 

[Melissa]

My posts were never what my major should be, they were about deciding what school to go to and whether or not it was worth going to a school that had everything I wanted if it meant they did not have my exact major. This is a public BB, I'm allowed to post for opinions, certainly others have posted repetitive topics as well (I've seen them). No need to get your panties in a bunch.:wacko: If you don't like my posts, don't reply to them.

Please do not self police if you do not like a response feel free to hit the "warn" button and let the admins take care of it.


Back on topic.. I am double majoring now. And Im actually thinking about trading schools and getting a certificate instead of a degree for what I want to do because it is taking FOREVER to get through school. My one degree for a BS is a mandatory 5 year porgram. And its growing because they are adding more classes.. That is my Criminal Forensics Major.

I would say to declare one major and take your prereqs. You may change your major later.. I went from Criminal Forensics to Phychology to a double major in both to Criminal Forensics and Criminal Jusitce with a minor in Phychology. :wacko: And really? I think I can be a dolphin trainer and be ok with it.. I have NO IDEA what I would be happy with doing. I just want my career started already.

ETA: I think my freshman year everyone but 5 people I knew had declared a major..

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

I was going to major in Sociology, become a Social Worker and save the world!!!

Until I realized that I would have to take statistics...I graduated with a B.S. in English and a minor in Geology, and ended up happily working for The Denver Post for 30 years selling newspaper advertising!!! Go figure...:thumbsup: I'm now semi-retired and work Retail for Neiman Marcus.

 

[Sasha]

The way my courses worked out, the classes for Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences were quite similar. So I only needed an extra class to get a major in both. I was able to finish my double major in 4 years, with 2 classes being summer classes. Each year was about 10 classes (5 per semester).

It sounds like your majors are also closely related, so it could be do-able for you too. Just see how it goes. I was going into Pharmacy my first year of University, then I was aiming for med school my second and third year and now I have settled on Nursing. So your goals can change. Especially once you start the courses, and see what you really like.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I would pick the one you like the best so you can get the tuition rate, but be open to other ideas. Anyone who has graduated college and worked in the real world for a few years will tell you employers rarely care about what your specific major was. They only care if you have foundational skills that both programs might offer. Browse some job postings for jobs you might want to do in the future and see what criteria they are seeking in a candidate- more than likely they are going to list several degrees they feel are acceptable along with other qualifications.

I agree that you should get into school and see what the course load is like first. HS is not at all like college. I double majored in English and PoliSci but I came in as a Microbiology major and changed it the first semester because I realized I hated chemistry because it wasn't anything like HS chemistry. I switched to English because 1) I decided to go to law school, 2) I was good at writing and law school admission hinges on GPA scores.

At the beginning of my jr year, my advisor told me i would be finished with my major and still need 32 hrs to graduate and I could double major if i wanted. So I picked polisci because it fit well with law school and had the least prequisites.

Now life got in the way SR year and my dad died the weekend before i was scheduled to take the lsat. I revaluated what I wanted to do and decided I had the wrong reasons for wanting to go into law. Now, I am getting a MS in Communication and life is nothing like I thought it would be at 18. It's good to have a plan but keep your options open.

 

[Lmbswimmer]

I would start with just the one Forensic Chem, then you can always add a major or a minor, don't get bogged down in the details now. You can always change it later. I also had to declare my major before graduating HS because I wanted to major in Marine Biology, VT didn't offer that so I got tuition reduction for going out of state. I ended up changing my major and it ended up not affecting my tuition reduction at that point.

Keep your options open, the minor that you talking about could lead towards a masters in Homeland security, but that is kind of off track from your Chem. side. Check out the FEMA site about the Incident Command System. Some of the courses are online and free. For anyone going into rescue services/LE they are going to have to take those courses once hired anyway. The I-100, I-200, I-700 and I-800 should all be available online - explains a lot about how a disaster is run and might help you decide if that is something you are interested in along with the Chem. side. If you were to do both you could persue the disaster mitigation/clean-up end for either natural or nonnatural disasters that involve chemistry knowledge - one of the outside teams brought in. Many fire depts. also have Hazmat response teams. This state has 2 in my local area - one is the initial attack response team, the other is the clean-up team.

But first step is to get through your freshman year in college. Then you can start exploring more options - there is a lot of variety out there, and a Forensic Chem. background will open a lot of doors, more so than CJ, and frankly almost all LE jobs do most of their stuff in house, so the Chem. will set you apart and make you more appealing for most jobs. Most LE jobs that are entry level don't even require a degree, so personally I would start with the Chem degree and wait to declare anything else.

 

[Leah]

Since I've been in college, I've changed my major 3 times. And I'm only in my second semester!! I went in as a nursing student and realized how much I hated the higher level science classes and that it was just an equation for academic suicide.. then went to health science so I could still pursue some sort of medical (preferably physical therapies) and realized that the science was still a lot! Finally I took a step back and realized that all my life I've been very good at writing and I love English literature. SO, I did the v8 slap and changed my major to... English literature, duh! I've got a my next two semester classes planned out (tentative, of course), and I'm absolutely loving what is to come..

Luckily, when I was transitioning from nursing to HS, I decided to only take the core classes that the university requires.. which really saved me a lot of wasted time. I definitely recommend just picking the major you think you're going to be the most interested in and just taking your core classes with one or two of your actual major classes a semester. That way you can complete the basic requirements while just testing the waters to see if it's what you really want.

As far as the minor thing, you don't necessarily have to declare that right away. Most majors require you to have so many hours in electives, so just start taking some of the courses in the minor you are in interested in before declaring it. My boyfriend is graduating in May and JUST declared a minor in sociology (he's a Poli Sci major going to law school, too!). He's been taking the courses in sociology since like his sophomore year though. I took an art history class this semester just as one of the electives and ended up falling in love with it! I'm very much looking into an art history minor.

So, take it from me, what you think you want is usually the complete opposite of what is actually the right fit for you, but once you find it, you'll be in love! I went from being a nursing/health science major to English literature and art history! Like someone said before, stranger things have happened!