dollyllamaa

I'm going to be a freshman this year at Barrett. I believe I'm going to major in Political Science (BA) and Psychology (BA). Now I'm also considering getting a minor in Art History.

Can anyone tell me how difficult it is to get a minor along with two majors? Is it done very often?

dollyllamaa

any thoughts?

christalena2

It's done at Barret more often than you'd think. It's very doable if you come in with some credits and take a couple classes during the summer, as well as plan your 4 years really well.

dollyllamaa

thanks, christalena2.

no one ever posts on these asu threads. haha.

christalena2

Yea, it's too bad.

mmmcdowe

I agree that it is certainly doable. What are your future plans? Just understand that the more classes you take, the less time you will have for ECs and other things.

dollyllamaa

Well I'm most likely going to law school. I figure that double majoring and getting a minor will give me a diverse background of education, making me a more competitive candidate.

I sketched out my future term schedules to see if I would have room for all the credits I would need to fulfill the two majors and the minor. What I found was that I would have exactly enough room to get the degrees if I took 15 credits per term for terms 3 through 8. So if I really wanted to take one more class in any of those terms--giving me 18 credits--I have that option.

In regards to time for ECs: I feel like if I was taking 15 credits for most terms--an average amount--I could still participate in a decent amount of ECs.

Christian2

Law school is mostly number oriented. Your LSAT and GPA count the most. Take something that you enjoy and you will do well. You do not need to concern whether those classes will qualify for another minor or major. Law school in general does not care.

dollyllamaa

Huh. That's interesting to think about. Thanks, Christian2.

mmmcdowe

I agree, get a good GPA and go do things that demonstrate positive qualities. I know that for medical school admissions they are also pretty unimpressed by what major or how many you have, so long as you have the grades, ECs, and MCAT score.

christalena2

Personally, if you handle everything and plan accordingly, you can do a lot with both your classes and EC's. Personally, I'm double majoring and getting a minor and a certificate, am an officer in several clubs, play on a sports club team, have held an internship during one semester and had a job another, have a social life, studied abroad, and still hold a 4.0.

It's doable. Trust me.

If you have the opportunity and are interested, why not try it out?

mmmcdowe

You sound like someone I knew at the BHC, but she graduated I believe.

Regardless, wouldn't you agree that if you didn't have the extra major that you would have more time to do ECs and the like? As Christian mentioned before, GPA is much more important than multiple majors. Even with a 4.0 in two majors, adcoms don't really care that much. It's another drop in the bucket, but having a long term EC in its place is much more likely to sway them.

christalena2

Yup I would completely agree. But I still like the challenge nonetheless. If I can fit everything in, without overloading myself on credit hours it doesn't hurt, and I take advantage of the opportunity in college. It's not everyday that you have the chance to get two degrees at once.

mmmcdowe

I agree that its a great opportunity to do as many classes as you can. I did minors in dance and history myself.

dollyllamaa

I'm thinking I might just take some classes in subjects that I might want to get a minor in, and just see where it goes from there. But since law school does mainly just look at GPA and LSAT, I'm probably going to reconsider getting a minor simply to impress.