Declaring a double major or minor appears daunting and overwhelming. A double workload that is increased and stressed, especially if it will lead to having to take more than 5 classes per semester. Even though declaring a double major or a minor could appear to be stressful, declaring a double major in communications and human development was one of the best educational decisions I have made. A double major has provided me with the opportunity to dive deeper into my interests, and learn a variety of information and develop skills. As a result, I have the opportunity to explore a variety of careers. I also can develop skills that could become my specialty I could utilize in a career, or continue to dive deeper into an area of interest. Before college, I had many interests and career ideas I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted to minor in a subject, but I thought double majoring would be an overwhelming workload to manage and be impossible.
Even though I was focused on pursuing communications/media and understanding human behavior/mental health, I was unsure about what my primary field of study would be since I wanted to immerse myself fully in both curriculums. After exploring my career interests and majors at SUNY Oswego, I decided to declare my double major in communications and human development. After learning double majoring or minoring is a norm at Oswego through my peers and advisor, I was encouraged to pursue my double major.
How I have learned to manage my double major
It is extremely important to carefully and strategically plan your semesters and communicate frequently with BOTH advisors. With the assistance of my first year advisor, I created a spreadsheet which mapped out each semester and academic year with the courses I will be taking. I also added spaces in my schedule, such as internship, study abroad, or how I can incorporate a minor.
Even though I acquired a few college credits when I arrived at SUNY Oswego, I wanted to be an undecided major to see if my majors were right for me and aligned with my career interests. My advisor enrolled me in courses that would count towards general education requirements and prerequisites for majors or electives I could be interested in. Keep in mind, some of my credits counted towards electives, and class towards communications majors. I also took my general education math class over the summer going into my sophomore year. I also took 5-6 classes during my freshman year. For example, during my first semester in college I took intro to psychology (Counted towards my interest in a psychology degree/GE Social Science), foundations of communication (Communications major), and geology (Natural science). Each class of my first and second semester during my freshman year accounted for prerequisite courses that would allow me to explore the subjects further if I decided to pursue them.
Do math for your double major
Depending on the major or minor you decide, analyze the number of credits to determine whether double minor or majoring would fit with your primary major and graduation requirements. It is imperative that you consider whether you will be overloading your schedule each semester. Additionally, think about whether this would be overwhelming and whether you could successfully manage it. It is imperative to ask your advisor the average number of classes you would take per semester, have open spaces for electives, or reduced course load. Moreover, consider whether you would have to take summer classes to graduate on time.
Use this math as an example:
SUNY Oswego requires students to have 120 credits to graduate. 30 credits general education requirements, 39 BA Communication credits, and 48 BA Human Development credits. In total, I have 117 credits, which leaves 3 or more credits I can use for electives.
Even though double majoring is a lot of strategic planning and a heavy workload, deciding to double major in college is one of the best academic choices I have made because I have learned so much.