Was the difference between a major and a minor and double majors?

Question

I just started college recently and I was hoping to double major in Fasion and Medicine, but according to my counselor this is impossible. I asked her why and she said that it will be too much for me to handle and to expensive. Do you agree? I thought this could be done, is not this what a double major is about? Choosing two very different careers.

Someone said why would I want to do this and the answer is that I have a plan that I think works better if I major in these two careers (Medicine:Pharmacist) and (Fashion:Designer) or what do you think? I was planning to beome a pharmacist because I was a volunteer in one once and I really like the environment and the career itself, but I also want to take classes in fashion design because another one of my goals is to own a clothing store, where I want to design some of my clothes. I want to be prepared in every aspect so that no one can fool me and so that if one doesn't work I have another career to fall on and enjoy too.

Answer 1

A minor usually supports your major. Unless you want to own a clothing store with a pharmacy counter, I'd tackle one subject at a time. Get the Rx degree, then take some fasion design classes on the side while your filling scripts.

Answer 2

The most significant difference between a major and a minor is that a major is written on your diploma; minors are not. Both do appear on your transcripts, however. Majors typically require 30 hours of study or more of specific courses, with a few electives thrown in (where you have a choice of which upper level courses in the discipline you would like to take). Minors are usually 18 hours, or 6 classes.

Typically, schools require somewhere around 130 hours to graduate with a bachelor's degree. About half of those are required general education courses that everyone has to take regardless of major. If you were to select two majors that only had a minimal amount of requirements (30 hours) you could somewhat easily do a double major (I did that myself).

The problem is that some majors go beyond the minimal requirements, such as education, music or the sciences. If you wanted to be pre-med, you would probably do a bio or chem major, both of which are difficult and hard to work other courses around (all those lab hours cut into your time). Since you are looking at two very different fields, it would probably take you a lot of additional time - and money - to go for the double major. It could be a year or more, which can be very expensive.

I am wondering what a medical school admissions board would think of your application if you were a fashion major as well - they may not see you as a serious applicant since you obviously chose a backup career. If you are serious about any sort of medicine, stick to it.

As I see it, you have a couple of options. You can do one major and then later on do a second bachelor's degree if you find you indeed want a different path. Or you could rely on a master's degree later to get your foot in the door to the fashion industry. Part of a master's will be an internship, most probably, so that would allow you experience as well. Graduate assistantships are abundant for master's programs, which may make this a more attractive option than a second bachelor's degree or even a second major because it is affordable.

Good luck whichever you select.

Answer 3

Is Medicine a major at your school? That's interesting. It is not a major at most schools, nor is "pre-med". If it is indeed a major, perhaps you should talk to another advisor, and not one who will merely tell you it is "too much to handle" and "too expensive". Sit down with someone who can help plan out your schedule and see if you actually have enough time to take the required coursework to major in both. If you really want to do it, try harder to find support; I hope you can make it happen.

In some cases, two majors require too many classes and it is not possible to complete all the requirements in 4 years. In this case, it may be beneficial to do a major and minor. Minors require fewer units than a major does.

I do not think that choosing to double major is about choosing two very different careers. After all, in life, you will probably end up only with one (and medicine will surely take up a lot of time). It is about exploring what interests you, and if you're interested in two subjects that are quite different, go for it - learn as much as you like in as much time as you have. Your eventual career may be very different from what you majored in. I have a friend who majored in political science but now works in real estate. She loves her job, and she loves the time she spent studying poli sci; while her degree is not obviously applicable to her job, she feels that the thinking and writing and communication skills she acquired are important.

Answer 4

What is a major?
In many ways, a major is like a contract between you the student, and the school you attend. By declaring a major, you the student agree to perform certain work, (i.e. classes) in exchange for a college degree. In looser terms, a major is simply an organized collection of classes, either revolving around a subject (e.g. mathematics), theme (e.g. peace studies), or professional field (e.g. Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Engineering, etc.)

What is a minor?
The primary difference between a major and a minor is the amount of credits/classes you take for both. If you look at the colleges that you are interested in, they will tell you how many credits are required for a major and how many for a minor (usually it is half or less for a minor compared to a major). As far as "real life" is concerned, most people don't care about what you minored in school, they're interested in your major. But, then again, your major doesn't restrict your future job possibilities.

What is a double major?
Many schools offer the chance to major in not only one but two subjects. Some even give you the chance to earn two separate degrees. Again, rules vary from school to school on how you can pull this off.
Pursuing a double major is an effective way to get more out of college and improve your chances of future success, but it can take a lot of effort and dedication. It helps to know ahead of time what type of workload you'll be expected to handle.

Answer 5

Many people are able to do double majors. However, they are usually somewhat related in regards to the classes they require. For example, people often double major in biology and chemistry. This works out easily, because many of the classes they take count for both majors.
For medicine, you will be required to take several science based classes. For fashion, you will be taking more art based classes. These classes do not overlap at all. In order for you to major in both degrees, it would probably take you at least 7 years to complete.

My best advice for you would be to really sit down and consider what you most want to do after college. If you really want to open a clothing store, maybe you could major in fashion and get a minor in business. If you are totally committed to medicine/pharmacy - then you need to choose that and maybe settle for fashion as being just a hobby.

Answer 6

A major is the main part of your studies. Usually double majors have something in common with one another and the knowledge from both ends up being used together for a career. A minor has the course work that a major has but less of it.

As for the course load I'd listen to your advisor on that one. If you wanted you theoretically could finish one degree and go back and do another course of study part time right after instead of doing it all at once (as long as you have all the general eds done). Go to your school's website for what they specifically require.

A few people asked that a while back. Here are the answers:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqW8B9XJczsmCBMNQka_yMQjzKIX?qid=1006022500714

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvYX3TgzHzJormrgQfw48MYjzKIX?qid=20061203153946AA9u3bg

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiBkzgJG_VGfhW.bSesPwPgjzKIX?qid=20060818110924AAn5HE3

Answer 7

In my experience double-majors are for people who need two different areas in their career, like business and architecture.

Some majors (like Med.) are more credits than others. That's probably why your advisor told you it was not possible. Instead, You can do a major in one and a minor in another, and then do Master's work in your minor area, which may include completing it into a major. It will be more years, but you will be more able to afford and complete a deal like that.

Double majors are similar to haveing two jobs. Whatever you spend on one, you don't spend on the other and eventually one takes the backseat and starts to suffer.

Listen to your advisor.

Answer 8

She's probably saying that because I don't think medicine is a major - doing pre-med usually involves esentially double majors in bio and chem as it is, with math and physics on the side. You could probably do it, but the question would be why - those careers don't really go together. You might just want to pick one.

Answer 9

I am not aware of any universities that offer 'fashion design' degrees. Certainly none that have colleges of Medicine. Besides Med school will gobble up ALL your time. Ask any doctor alive.

Double majors are typically complementary and are done by either the exceptionally bright or those who don't have a clue. Which are you?

Answer 10

It all boils down to how many credits you get in a particular discipline. I doubt it would be impossible, but it might take you longer than you would like. Unfortunately, the less related the fields, the less "overlap", and the more credits you have to take.

Good luck!