By Hannah Danczyk
Hey, current and future Pointers! Did you come to college, or are going to college with many interests that you wanted to pursue? Having a double major or double degree may be right for you! What’s the difference? Double majors consist of one bachelor’s degree with two majors within the same college or in two different colleges, and a double degree consists of two different bachelor’s degree (e.g. BS and BA degrees) within the same college or in two different colleges. Today, I wanted to talk to you about my double degree and how I’ve paired them together.
I’m getting degrees in communication with a public relations emphasis and family and consumer sciences education. Double majors/degrees can be a great thing. It might mean extra year(s), but you can take knowledge from each area of study and apply it to other classes and to your future career.
I love having a double degree because it helps me connect my two learning loves. One thing I learned about myself growing up, was my passion for children and communication. In my high school years, I only really thought about choosing a major and minor. After I came to college, I was confused. I knew I wanted to major in communications, but a part of me kept going back to teaching, therefore I decided to do both! I don’t regret my choice to pursue double degrees—ultimately it will be a benefit.
Communication plays a major role in my family and consumer sciences education degree (and vice versa) as you need to have good communication in order to work with people. For example, in my family and consumer sciences classes, we’ve discussed children, teens and their social media use. Having a communication degree helps me understand it better. In my professional development class, we’re reading about ethics right now, which carries over to many of my communication classes. I also work for youth servicing organizations and I have to communicate effectively in order to teach them new concepts. Before my youth service job, I didn’t have a lot of experience with youth but I did have good communication skills, so I was able to adapt!
As I wrap up this blog, I want to leave you all with a few tips in picking double majors. First, don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals about doing job shadows. This was how I knew I wanted to be a teacher or work in public relations. Secondly, don’t be afraid to talk to your adviser. I spent a lot of time chatting with my adviser who really helped me in making my decision.
As you search for colleges, or if you’re already in college, keep your options open. You will be surprised with how many areas of study you like and how they work together.
