There are a lot of misconceptions about what being a double major means for your academic and social life in college. As a double major with both legal studies and communication and media degrees, here are some of the myths and truths about life as a double-major.
Being a double-major means you can’t have a social life.
Myth.
If you are smart about choosing your majors, like legal studies and communication and media, there is not a ridiculous amount of extra classes you’ll need to take, and you’ll still get the social life every college student wants. I am a double-major and I still have enough time to stay on track with classes, play for the school hockey team, and work an internship.
Being a double major is a great opportunity for people who aren’t quite sure what they want to do after college.
Truth.
Adding a second major allows you to broaden your academic discipline. This can be great for students who aren’t 100% sure what they want to do after they graduate. My plans for “what I want to be when I grow up” have changed pretty much monthly since I first heard that question. If you’re anything like me, having a broad range of academic exposure in college will help you narrow down your interests and decide on something you can consider your life’s work.
Being a double major helps you broaden and develop your skill set.
Truth.
My two majors are a perfect example of this. I plan on attending law school which involves endless reading, writing, and public speaking. Luckily for me, I was not only able to get a solid base of legal knowledge, but I had the chance to take a full course load of communication classes like Written and Visual Rhetoric, Persuasion, Media Ethics & Law, and Oral Communication to hone skills that I will definitely use in law school.
People who are double majors do twice the work everyone else does.
Myth.
If you are smart about pairing your two majors, you can take a number of classes that fulfill requirements for both. It’s the academic version of “double-dipping.” Pairing majors that have a lot of similarities means a lot of double dipping. At Nazareth, so many of our classes our cross-listed with other majors or fulfill multiple requirements. For example, Media Ethics & Law is a class I need to take to receive my communication & media degree, but it also counts as a required class for my legal studies degree.
Get the most out of your college education; be a double-major. Don’t listen to the people telling you it’s “too much work” or “overwhelming.” It’s not; it’s the smartest thing you could possibly do with your time in college.