This might be a better question for the forum specific to the college I’ll be attending this fall, but I thought I’d try here first
I applied to my college as a linguistics major, unsure if that was exactly what I wanted to do or not, but entering as an undecided/exploration major kind of scared me. Looking at the requirements for a B.A. at this school, the classes I’d need to take and the credits the school awards for passing AP classes in high school, I’ll have completed my degree in two and a half years (and that’s with either a Russian or French minor). I see more benefit in sticking around and making the most of my time at college than entering the workforce at age 20 with a notoriously unemployable humanities major (as much as I love language and humanities)
So I initially considered a double major in math (school offers different math tracks - I’d probably be doing the financial track, which incorporates some business and accounting skills). I’ve always liked math, and other than struggling some with the workload that comes with pursuing a double major, I think I could do it.
Another option would be to pursue an honors degree in Linguistics, which has different and harder set of B.A. requirements, so I would probably end up taking a full 4 years worth of classes and end up graduating with just a linguistics degree (or math degree, if I decide that I enjoy that more). My question is, which would be more useful/look better on a resume? Would employers value being more knowledgable in different subjects/having a broader skill set over the higher quality of education that I’m assuming comes with taking honors classes and graduating with an honors degree?
Right now I’m leaning towards the double major, just because I think it gives me more options. If I want to go to grad school for linguistics, I could do that, but I would also have a more employable degree as a backup. But considering I have absolutely no idea how much more valuable an honors degree is - or if it means much of anything - I wanted some second opinions.
Thanks for any advice!
What’s the difference between the courses needed for the honors degree compared to the regular degree?
I think the double major would be more marketable than an honors degree in linguistics. I don’t think the honors degree will make that much of a difference, but it depends on what’s the difference in coursework in the actual degree. For grad school, I think you’d be fine with either option, while of course supplementing your students with advanced coursework and research experience.
Given these two options, I would suggest going with the double major. An honors linguistics degree is still just a linguistics degree. A math degree opens up significantly more options, not to mention gives you an advantage if you’d like to do something involving quantitative linguistics. Moreover, in my experience, most employers don’t really care about an “honors” designation on your degree, though linguistics is not my field, so take this with a grain of salt.
@baktrax I’m not sure about the difference in coursework. You have to take an extra science lab or something, and a few other things, but in terms of the difference between the honors classes themselves and their regular equivalents, I don’t really know. I’ve heard they’re harder, but that’s coming from someone who’s only taken the honors courses. But I agree, a double major would give me more options should I change my mind with what I want to do (which will probably happen)
And that’s what I was really wondering AuraObscura, …I didn’t know if an honors diploma was on paper the equivalent of taking honors classes in high school (i.e. don’t mean squat) or if it actually meant something. I mean I think the opportunities an honors track can give you - more research opportunities especially - can get you places, but I’m leaning towards the double major
You are absolutely correct about this. It varies from school to school, of course (since every honors program is different), but I think most of the benefits of an honors program are intangible. The honors designation itself doesn’t carry much weight. If access to these benefits will dramatically improve your post-graduation prospects, then the honors program might be worth it. But, again, linguistics isn’t my field and I’m not familiar with the honors program at your school. The math double major still sounds like the most universally sound option to me for the doors it will open.
What the honors program actually gives you is more important than just the honors distinction, which is why I was asking. Getting an honors designation is nice, but it doesn’t really matter. If you have lots of other benefits, like easy access to research opportunities and mentors, good networking opportunities, priority registration, etc, then that can be beneficial to you, regardless of what the actual label is on your diploma/transcript.
But also keep in mind how feasible it would be to get those opportunities outside of the honors program. You can do research without being in the honors program, for instance. It’s really just weighing the pros and cons. I wouldn’t recommend putting any weight in the label of the honors degree, though. Instead, focus on the benefits that the honors program gives you–not the name.
Just adding my perspective, as someone who came in as a linguistics major and is currently double majoring with computer science: Go for the double major in this case. I was in a similar situation, where because the linguistics requirements are pretty light at my school I could’ve finished in 7-8 quarters (instead of 12), including GEs. I took a CS class and loved it, then after taking a few more CS classes and figuring out an approximate schedule I realized I could add on a CS major and still graduate in 4 years. So that’s what I did. I’m currently a third year and am still on track to graduate by next spring.
The honors degree is nice, but the math major would most likely open more doors for you in the long run. As baktrax was saying, you can still get good networking opportunities and research if you’re not in the honors program at most schools. That said, drop the math major if you get into it and realize it’s not for you. And do seriously consider the honors program if only honors students can get research (and any other benefits) at your school.
Thanks, PhantomVirgo. I’m definitely learning towards the double, as one, I think it can only help me in terms of marketability (which many of you have said), and two, I’m not sure exactly what I want to do with my life quite yet. So I’ll feel better knowing that I don’t have to totally give up prospective of being a STEM or a humanities major quite yet, even if I decide to drop one (which would probably end up being math). I’ll get to take some mid to upper-level math courses early on because of AP credits, so I’ll hopefully be able to decide whether I like it or not pretty quickly