Worth it to stay an extra quarter to double major?

notaznguy · 11-06-2009, 11:29 PM

So I have a dilemma right now. Unless I take summer school this year and the year after (which is very expensive btw!!), I won't graduate with a double major in Political Science and History until I'm a 5th year senior, fall quarter.

I get a lot of financial aid, so it's actually a lot cheaper for me to take that extra quarter during my 5th year than to pay for 2 summers. That's why I'm considering the 4 years and 1 quarter. However, I do feel really iffy about it. Has anyone been a super senior? Honestly, what does it feel like? I mean, all your friends are pretty much gone and you're surrounded by underclassmen! Doesn't it feel lonely? Call me a drama queen, but I think social aspects like this should be taken into consideration cause I don't want to feel depressed or anything

I'm thinking about not double majoring and instead majoring in History and minoring in Political Science. Although...I feel...eh...about it because I'd actually finish a quarter early. In addition, my primary major would be History instead of Political Science, which is kinda a turn off for me personally. Although I don't think employers would care whether I was a Poli Sci or History major either way right? I mean, they're both, in the eyes of many employers "General Liberal Arts" BA's. I don't know, what would you guys do?

qipao · 11-07-2009, 03:52 AM

Yeah, there are super seniors. It's not a big deal. I have friends who became super seniors because they wanted to study abroad, because they wanted to take on an additional major or minor, because they wanted to take some time off in-between quarters, because they wanted a slightly less intense workload as an engineering student, etc.

I say stay in school. It gets a million times lonelier when you actually have to leave and get a job and figure yourself out.

Do you plan on going to graduate school? Applying to law school, right? Doesn't matter about the # of majors/minors you have.

notaznguy · 11-07-2009, 05:23 AM

Yeah, I do get gist that it's going to be pretty lonely once I graduate

The thing is, I know during senior year all you feel is "I wanna get outta here!!!" and then once you graduate it's like "Crap I wanna go back..." So yeah =\

Yes, I do want to go to law school. I'm just concerned like...if I couldn't get into law school (idk...something happened and I got like a 120 on my LSAT), what would I do with a BA in Poli Sci and History? You know?

any1can · 11-08-2009, 08:32 AM

notaz-you can get a single subject teaching credential for high school for one thing

qipao · 11-08-2009, 10:47 AM

Not everyone feels that way about leaving . . .

A lot of things. Work for the government, teach, teach abroad, get a master's or PhD, get your mba, take other classes in post bacc programs that would qualify you for certain types of graduate school (e.g. med school, opt, dental schools)... get internships that would open the door for certain fields (e.g. marketing, advertising etc)... work for nonprofit organizations (i have some friends doing this)

i know some people who are doing absolutely nothing related their major:

psychobiology --> kindergarten teacher
poli sci --> worked for the govt then decided to go to nursing school
poli sci + asian am minor --> nonprofit org focused on asian / pacific islander group
psychology/history --> teaching in Japan
.................etc

it just depends on you and what you're willing to do.

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Why are you pursuing a double major? Just do it. It sucks to leave college. It sounds like the only thing preventing you is loneliness. JUST DO IT. Or figure it out towards the end of your last quarter of school. You don't have to decide everything now... you can just work on your history major and poli sci minor.

On the other hand, I have some friends who 2x majored and their second major hasn't been something that has given them a significant (or any) comparative advantage to others. If you want to do well in the job search process, you're going to want work experience more than anything.

Altema · 11-08-2009, 02:31 PM

Being a 5th year isnt so bad. I think the nice thing about college is you make friends with people that are not necessarily your year. At least that was the case for me. I had a bunch of friends in my year, but I also had good amount of underclassmen friends.

I'd do the extra quarter and enjoy college. I stayed for a whole 5th year and I loved it

.

notaznguy · 11-08-2009, 04:15 PM

My primary major is actually Poli Sci and I decided to double major in History because, quite simply, I really enjoy History. However, to switch it around and make History my primary major and Poli Sci as a minor makes me a bit iffy because I'm putting my "for fun" major as my primary :O

liek0806 · 11-09-2009, 02:53 AM

IT DOESN'T MATTER! One day in the future you'll realize how being concerned with your fun major as your primary major wont matter, or even about double majoring.
There's always being a paralegal if you don't make it to law school. It's the next best thing to being a lawyer.
The only real benefit I see to staying longer is the extra time to figure s*** out. You can take up an internship or a part time job at a law firm, be it as a file clerk or having more responsibilities.
I'm thinking about studying abroad for a year, and if I do I'll probably end up staying longer than I need to, but its fine with me because that means more time for me to explore internships and different careers. The only people who care or will care if you stayed and extra quarter will be you. Seriously, only you.

mikemac · 11-09-2009, 05:44 PM

Not too long ago the average time to graduate at UCLA was closer to 5 years than to 4. However with the echo-boom crunch on campus enrollment they tightened up the minimum progress rules. So even a few years ago what you are thinking about was more the norm than the exception.

As for advice, I would stay the extra quarter. Really that keeps your options open. If you happen to find a job starting in the fall or decide to go to grad school then you just file the paperwork to graduate after 4 years with one major (and maybe a minor).

Nobody out in the work force is going to care if you have one of those degrees or two; this is something you do just for yourself. But if you enjoy what you're learning then keep in mind you get to work for the next 40-something years but this is your one and only chance to be an undergrad.