<p>I’m about to start my second semester at UMD. I’m currently a journalism and history double major. I would like to write for magazines/newspapers or go into radio (we’ll see how that goes…). I love history, and with my AP credits I realized it wouldn’t be too difficult to do the double major. If everything goes according to plan, I could do that and still graduate a semester early. Due to my AP credits and the fact that I will not have to take any upper level electives because of my double major (according to my advisor), I really do not have to take very many classes outside of journalism and history (duh!) BUT I am interested in other subjects too! Like English and psychology and art history, etc. I feel like my college years are being regulated so strictly! What should a poor girl do? Not do the double major so I end up taking the 16 credits of upper level electives? Stick to the double and feel like a zombie devotee to the two subjects? Help!!!</p>
<p>While you state it is possible to double-major and still graduate a semester early (due to your AP credits), is there a necessity to do so (financial or otherwise)?</p>
<p>If there is no compelling reason other than simply that you are able to, I personally would recommend going all 8 semesters. Do the double major but spread it out so that you take one class of your own choosing per semester. That way, you get the benefits of both worlds - you are fulfilling your academic requirements for two majors while still getting to take several classes just for the sheer joy of it - things you are interested in, that are outside of the box for your norm. You’ll graduate in the normal expected time frame of four years, but won’t “feel like a zombie”…Don’t forget, you still have to take GenEd classes, and you might find that those alone meet your desire to take classes outside of your majors. Every semester has different classes offered for GenEd and remember that you are in the first class to have GenEd instead of Core classes needed for graduation. So, I imagine that the offerings to fulfill GenEd are still evolving.</p>
<p>Here are some pros and cons to consider, if graduating a semester early can be considered an option rather than a need…</p>
<p>The first thing to consider is a personal opinion and not necessarily what others may agree with or have experienced. I personally think a spring graduation is more exciting. Yes, they do a great job for December commencements - they absolutely have all the same pomp and circumstance! However, based on sheer numbers, to me it still isn’t the same as graduating with the larger majority of your peers. You may find December graduation more appealing for the exact opposite reason - smaller numbers means more intimacy. So, that’s a personal preference.</p>
<p>Another consideration is weather and hotel availablity. If you have family coming in from OOS, it is far easier for families to book hotel rooms in December, but it’s easier to travel to campus for graduation in warmer months without the threat of a winter storm threatening…</p>
<p>One additional consideration is the job market. When is it more advantageous to look for a job in the field you are looking for employment (journalism could be open year-round, but if you are looking to teach history, then note that not many teaching positions become available for a January start)?</p>
<p>Having said all that, as a parent, I know that one less semester to pay for would be a great thing, especially in this economy. However, I firmly believe that there is nothing like the four years of college and you should take advantage of the opportunity to learn for the sheer pleasure of it. </p>
<p>You don’t have to make a decision today. You have only completed one semester, and you don’t know for certain how you will feel after completing several semesters. I chose Maryland (many years ago) because it had the specific major I wanted, yet I ended up changing my major several times before graduating!!</p>
<p>I know that probably doesn’t help, but that’s as honest as I can get. Talk to your parents, talk to an adviser, and think things through. You have plenty of time to see how things will unfold and which path you would prefer to take.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice! The only reason I had for graduating the one semester early was to save $. But like you’re saying, if I space out the requirements for my majors then I’ll have room to take some extra courses in different subjects too. I don’t have too many GenEd classes to take because I came in with Engl101, Math140, Psyc100 (plus 9 non GenEd credits) and then most of the courses I’m taking this year are GenEd. I’ve only given this so much thought because it’s a requirement for freshman journalism students to complete a four-year plan and turn it in to an advisor. Otherwise, the highest grade you can earn in Jour200 is a C. I went into UMD as a journalism major then added history a few months into the fall semester because I’ve always enjoyed the subject and realized it would be worthwhile to do the double major.</p>
<p>Obviously, I’m not familiar with CORE but GenEd is extremely double-counting friendly. According to this <a href=“http://www.gened.umd.edu/documents/GeneralEducationSummaryChart.pdf[/url]”>http://www.gened.umd.edu/documents/GeneralEducationSummaryChart.pdf</a> , you could satisfy all of the GenEd requirements with 40 credits whereas the lowest number for CORE is 43. I know that’s not a huge difference, but I do prefer the GenEd format!</p>