Linfield provides a plethora of chances for students to experience in-class learning, other than those belonging to their designated majors. The Linfield Curriculum forcefully gives students the chance to find new areas of interest.

This could lead to a debate over what major one should complete.

Making a decision is difficult for some students especially when one decides to double major.

There are good and bad reasons to double major along with alternatives to double majoring. Before a student decides to double major, they should debate their options. They must decide how much of a workload they are comfortable with and how their two majors could overlap.

Overlapping majors of two scholarly fields that interest you makes it easier to double major. Common double majors are Math and Economics or International Relations and a language.

These majors have connections that make it easier to major in them at the same time. A bad reason would be not being able to pick just one major.

If a student tries to double major in two completely different fields just because they aren’t able to stick to one, they will soon find themselves swamped and unable to complete it all. Some students may be comfortable with an extreme workload, but others might think they would be able to handle when they really can’t.

In the end, a major usually doesn’t affect the jobs that are available to you as a graduate.  If employers are pleased, they could easily major in one field then enter graduate school with the idea of studying a completely different discipline.

Students who do this bring a different perspective than those students who major in one discipline then attend graduate school with the same discipline in mind.

This broadens the horizons of anyone involved.

Another alternative to double majoring is double minoring.

Double minoring is less of a workload than double majoring, but a student still receives an education in the disciplines they wish.

A student could major in the field they enjoy the most and minor in the field they were considering double majoring in along with another minor.

Students who double major either have overlaps that will cut the work they do to half or have decided that they can handle the extreme workload double majoring provides.

Students may feel as if it has a beneficial impact on their work life after college or that they need it in graduate school, but no matter the major more degrees can be useful in the hands of the right person.

Gilberto Galvez / Features editor

Gilberto Galvez can be reached at [email protected].