<p>Hello to all parents. I need some advice from you cause you’ve already reached the real world, so to speak. I’m in my junior year and i’m a biology major. I need some quick advice. Does a university minor like say in Psychology mean anything in the real world?? Does it hold any weight at all or is it just on paper?? I would really appreciate any advice or comment.
Thanks :)</p>
<p>I have read that a minor really doesn’t count for anything any more, except perhaps to show you are interested in other things. So many kids double major now, so that is the standard for a secondary interest.</p>
<p>Thanks for teh heads up!! really appreciate it. Kind of disappointing to hear, but then again expected… Thank you:)</p>
<p>I think that, unless a minor adds something radically different, it won’t hold much weight. For example, an engineer with a minor in writing would be able to demonstrate that he knows the English language.</p>
<p>I have a friend who majored in criminal justice and minored in psychology and he now works with mentally disturbed kids using his psych minor. I majored in business however minored in visual communications / fine art / photography and they have gotten me handfulls of web design and photography free lance projects.</p>
<p>It just depends what you plan on majoring and minoring in. An advertising minor for a graphic design major works great. Advertising minor for engineering doesn’t appear to do much, but who knows.</p>
<p>My sister plans on majoring in Sociology and minoring in advertising/marketing and graphic design… she plans on using the sociology aspect to figure out how to advertise/design towards certain groups of people. At least that’s the plan. We’ll see how it all turns out in the end.</p>
<p>That’s very encouraging!! Well I’m a biology major and i’m planning on minoring in Psychology! What do you think?? Might it open any doors for me?!?!</p>
<p>Funny, my D will graudate with minors in Chemistry, Religion, Sociology, and Anthropology (I thought it was going to be classical antiquities but guess not), and she’s trying to see if she can get in enough credit by the end of this year to add Arabic as the fifth minor, though this is doubtful - something about it would require 500 level classes with 400 level, whatever that means. </p>
<p>I have no idea how this is going to translate into anything anyone is going to pay her to do, but, it’s made her an interesting target - lots of potential employers have been approaching her and what they want to talk about most is the mix of minors - I hope the discussions are because they’re considering a knowledge base they can use, vs. along the lines of “why are you so weird”. She’s interested in federal law enforcement.</p>
<p>It might have made sense to add something from the business school to this mix - finance, for example…but… I’d just be guessing.</p>
<p>WOW!!! Latetoschool you should be very proud of your D !! That must have taken a lot of time and effort to accomplish!! She does seem eccentric but in a very good way!! If i were a potential employer and i was checking over her CV i would go after her right then and there!! thanks to all her minors, potential employers will see her as very hard working with very eclectic interests…translation: A GOLD MINE!!!
I just had one minor in mind…i’m interested in it because i never had the guts to actually major in it!! So i thought what’s the next best thing??</p>
<p>Funny, if you’re interested in it, and can in some way see some value, I’d say go for it. But - disclaimer - I have no empirical knowledge of the value of minors though - outside of the fun of learning. I am not at all sure how they pay off, or if they even do. I do not necessarily think they are a “gold mine” - I rather imagine potential employers are interested in the whole CV, including gpas in majors, employment, ECs, personal presence in the interview, etc. but - why not try the subject matter you’re interested in for a minor, and then, if you really like it, perhaps it might be a path of continuing into graduate school?</p>
<p>That’s what i’m going to do. I’m very interested in Psychology and i’m hoping to be able to continue it in grad school. I chose my current major very rashly and i’m now suffering from a lack in self - fulfillment. Sadly, it’s too late to back out. The minor is somewhat my only hope.
Thanks for your advice :)</p>
<p>A minor is a nice way to show “proof” that you have substantial background in something other than your major, and allows for more schedule flexibility than double majoring. Funny, I don’t know what your career plans are, but your major/minor combo could make you attractive for biopsych or neuropsych grad programs.</p>
<p>hey jessie… what exactly is biopsych in grad school???Thanks for the advice by the way :)</p>
<p>Biopsych (or neuropsych) is basically a subfield of psych that is heavily focused on the biological basis of psychological phenomena. Such programs emphasize areas like “neuroendocrinology” or “the neural basis of behavior”. To quote from the info page for Hunter College’s biopsych program, “Biopsychology interrelates the concepts and methods of neuroscience, cognitive science, the biological disciplines, and behavior analysis with experimental psychology.”</p>
<p>I know that Rutgers, UI-Chicago, UMass-Amherst, Penn State, and SUNY Stonybrook all have relevant programs. Sometimes the programs are called biopsychology, other times they have names like “neuroscience and behavior”.</p>
<p>My S has a minor in German (major in econ) - he works as an economist and the minor is absolutely a non-issue. However, saying he has a minor in German seems to mean more than just saying, “I’m fluent.” It’s concrete proof of a certain level of achievement. He hopes someday to jump over to the state dept. and his knowledge of a foreign language might matter more then.</p>
<p>My sister has a major in math (or accounting - I’m not sure which) and a minor in computers (from eons ago). She has worked for many years in the accounting dept as a systems administrator. She was hired specifically for her combination of concentrations.</p>
<p>My son has a minor in peace and conflict studies to go along with his film major. He intends to make/work on movies/documentaries that carry a progressive social message so the minor fits in very nicely with the major.</p>
<p>My son has a major in Film with a minor in Philosophy, which has proven to be an asset in terms of the content of his films.</p>
<p>Thank you to all of you! I think i now understand the status of a minor in “real life” very well. I greatly appreciate the help! I have finally decided that i shall continue with my biology major and i’ll add to it a psychology minor. Again, a huge gigantic THANK YOU to you guys!!!</p>
<p>My son has a minor in computer science along with a major in economics. Quite a large number of courses were required for the minor. Although he is not directly using his computer science background in his job, it demonstrates that he has a strong quantitative abilites and knowledge.</p>
<p>Depending on the minor, it can make a big difference. My husband is always looking for someone who has a strong math background. A psych or other humanities/social sciences major with a math or math sciences minor would put the resume in the keep pile.</p>
<p>A minor or certificate in a foreign language can mean a lot.</p>