Double Major?

[ABC MD]

Hi I'm currently an international affairs major with interests in international business as well as medicine (haven't decided yet), so im doing that degree and pre-med reqs. My question is that I only have like 6 or 7 classes to finish a double major in neuroscience, Is it worth the extra semester to finish both? My research assistantship was in the field of neuroscience so I don't know if it' worth the extra semester? Any tips? Thx.

 

[HomeSkool]

I think this bears repeating since it seems to have been a common theme recently:

Therefore the risks greatly outweigh any real or perceived benefit.

Part of protecting yourself and promoting your own welfare is learning to recognize sources of risk -- both overt and covert -- and avoiding them. Much of the advice I give on SDN is retrospective in nature -- it's based on mistakes I made myself and didn't recognize until later. Voltaire asked an excellent question: "Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?"

One additional note. Even this:

you dont get any credit for attempting something more difficult. You only only get a credit for succeeding at it.

can burn you if adcoms (or PDs or future employers or whatever) think you just displayed poor judgment and got lucky.

 

[Catalystik]

If I were to endow the "gonnif chair of premedical admissions advising" @HomeSkool would hold the professorship

Which would double his pay for his contributions to SDN.

 

[psychgirl95]

What’s your GPA like? And why are you pursuing the double major? Are you just really interested in neuroscience or is there another reason (i.e, do you think having a double major will make you stand out)? Does your school offer a neuroscience minor? If so, you may be able to switch to it and still graduate on time.

However if that’s not possible, I personally don’t think double majoring is a big deal unless your GPA, ECs, mental health, etc... are suffering (although admittedly my majors are much more closely related than yours are: psychology and neuroscience).

 

[psychgirl95]

I find that premeds often overlook the workload and tasks that come up in the their 3rd/4th year especially when starting the application process. this is when many are trying to get hard prereqs done like Ochem/biochem AND prepping for MCAT AND getting LORs/committee letters arranged AND writing PS/AMCAS, etc. MCAT prep should be considered a 6-8 credit course. So decisions on double major made early on may present large impacts your time, effort and resources when you need the most in application year

You make good points that I admit I hadn’t given much consideration to. With that being said, I guess it also varies from school to school because some are more generous than others when it comes to double majoring (e.g., I’ve got around 21 credits double counting for both majors).

 

[HomeSkool]

You make good points that I admit I hadn’t given much consideration to. With that being said, I guess it also varies from school to school because some are more generous than others when it comes to double majoring (e.g., I’ve got around 21 credits double counting for both majors).

Again, though: why increase your own risk?

Most participants in a game of Russian Roulette walk away unscathed. That doesn't mean you should spin the chamber!

 

[HomeSkool]

Russian Roulette? Spinning the Chamber? Do they even make revolvers anymore? And where are Boris and Natasha? what about moose and squirrel? I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the communist party.

and now we take you back to your regularly scheduled premed thread already in progress

They do still make revolvers, though they're harder to find these days.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

Pointless. Pick one major and excel in it

 

[HomeSkool]

I believe I was being facetious

Ah. Sadly, that was lost on me somewhere in the electrons. My mistake. (Damn interwebs.)