tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post2396320173338772738..comments2024-03-15T01:11:32.832-07:00Comments on Bardiac: Multiple Majors?Bardiachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-89205444796408355382013-09-11T05:49:08.259-07:002013-09-11T05:49:08.259-07:00I deal with a lot of double or triple majors in my...I deal with a lot of double or triple majors in my department, East Asian Studies, usually combining international business and/or an Asian language-literature or history. But sometimes the other major is farther afield, like nursing, engineering, or tesol. I think in the near term from graduation a multiple major is a plus for our students, since an area studies major is interdisciplinary, so it demonstrates something different from a disciplinary major. In the long run, I'm not sure the details of an undergraduate degree make much difference to employers.richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-70894873142269324632013-09-09T06:41:38.406-07:002013-09-09T06:41:38.406-07:00Our university recently instituted majors (from a ...Our university recently instituted majors (from a concentration/specialist system). So now, if you opt for a major, you have to do TWO majors or a major and TWO minors. As you say, there can be not so much overlap, there, especially if you're in different divisions so that even the first-year breadth requirements are different!Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14093558563358431804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-73477015431938480232013-09-08T17:59:39.644-07:002013-09-08T17:59:39.644-07:00I am always surprised to hear students taking mult...I am always surprised to hear students taking multiple majors & minors. Last week I had a student who came in, disappointed that she'd been counseled against taking a second major. In my ideal world, a student wouldn't even need a minor - a solid major and a wide exposure to other things would be more valuable in a life-meaning sense. <br /><br />Most students who've mentioned the job worry to me are rarely concerned with how they'll like their job; having one that makes them lots of money seems the more meaningful to them. I was the complete opposite: I had jobs and little difficulty in getting them. But they were rarely satisfying and I didn't really define myself by my job. The more education I got, the more concerned I was about how I felt about my job and about myself. And, horrifyingly enough, the harder it got to get any job at all. I am now nearly reconciled to the fact that my students are so different from me that my own life experiences have little relevance to them. So I listen hard, and try to advise them to learn to learn, and that that will serve them better. As somebody noted several years ago, by the time this generation is 38, they'll have changed careers 5 times. And that most of the things they'll be doing haven't been invented yet. Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10849272391043604637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-72779337083734500722013-09-08T13:35:02.802-07:002013-09-08T13:35:02.802-07:00Yes, most of our Spanish students are double major...Yes, most of our Spanish students are double majors. It makes sense. Ironically, the one student I can think who only majored in Spanish was the one who got the job most business + Spanish double majors dream of: at a big corporation, and advancing fast (their are paying for his MBA right now)Spanish profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248530328973177920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-11959141925029791302013-09-08T12:25:08.892-07:002013-09-08T12:25:08.892-07:00That's a hard one to test since the people who...That's a hard one to test since the people who do multiple majors/minors are different than the ones that don't. There is some limited evidence that 4-year major isn't that important to careers in the long run (careers like engineering aside), controlling for say, SAT score. <br /><br />Both my undergrad and my grad limited the number of majors a person could have to two. <br /><br />My double major helped me get into graduate school-- my grad school seems to only take SLAC students if they also majored/minored in math or physics in addition to econ (or, in theory, have a masters or significant work experience). My guess is that's because most SLACs don't have separate business departments so the econ major is more business than economics. That is unlikely to be a big concern for the vast majority of students though, even at SLACs.<br /><br />Some schools have common double majors that make sense, like Spanish + business. I would assume that would help with targeted job hunting.<br /><br />My husband was one class away from a minor in CS (in addition to engineering double majors) and decided not to do it because in theory you don't need a CS degree to do programming. nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com