The guts and gore of being a triple major are extremely scary, and if you were to ask me a year ago if I still wanted to be here doing this, I would have no idea what you were talking about because I was originally never even thinking about double majoring, let alone triple majoring. I am about to write a lot of awful things that I have experienced as a triple major but I do want to remind everyone that I am still a triple major and will continue to be a triple major because I honestly do love what I am doing right now and wouldnʻt change it for the world. I have the privilege of majoring in English, history, and communication, which are all subjects that I love. So this article is just to explain the different consequences that I have to overcome to be able to do what I love.
The first gory part of being a triple major is that you are going to be burned out almost all the time. There is not a time that I can think of (except for winter break and spring break) that I am not burned out. I have learned that no matter how burnt out I become, I am always able to light even a little candle. It’s gory because you are truly in it alone. No one else, except other triple majors, really understands what you are going through.
Another terror of being a triple major is the brain fog. There are times when I will be in my English class and fully start answering the question by thinking of one of my History class books that we have read. I also normally get brain fog when trying to talk to my friends about their normal days because my brain has a tendency to wander back to my classes and what we have learned that day. Another activity that comes with burnout is crying. I cry on a daily basis. There’s no shame in my game. Being a triple major is frustrating and hard, so the best way I have found to deal with it is to cry it out and get back on my grind no matter what.
The third gutty part of being a triple major is that time management sucks. I have one day off a week from school. Sometimes it is not even the full day, though; sometimes it is just an evening or a morning. I basically live in the library, so if you’ve been to Hamilton Library, chances are we’ve been there at the same time. Most of the time, I hide out on the second floor between two random bookshelves, reading. I spend about 100 hours a week doing school. I know you think that I am exaggerating, but I can promise you that I am not. I am here when Hamilton opens. Then I go to my classes and come right back to Hamilton, where I am usually here until they close. It is my home away from home. I have cried, laughed, and even slept in Hamilton before. I am currently writing this article right now from the Hamilton Library.
The last part that I dread about being a triple major is the class loads. There are ways to minimize the extra classes you have to take by taking Summer classes and such, but you will virtually never have a 12–15 credit class load. For me personally, I usually have an 18–21 credit class load even over the summers. So while it sucks to have all those classes, think of the benefits. You save a lot of money, and you save yourself a lot of time. For me personally, I will be graduating with 3 degrees in 3 years, so I am saving thousands and thousands of dollars by doing it this way. I am also saving myself nine years of extra school.
The guts and gore are just that—guts and gore. If you are scared off, then it wasn’t meant to be your path. Then I am happy for you. However, if you do decide to come into our fun playhouse of horrors, other triple majors will welcome you with open arms. We also come up with a multitude of tips and tricks to ensure that you will achieve your goals.