What should I double major in? [Archive] - Two Plus Two Older Archives

calmasahinducow

08-24-2005, 02:32 PM

School: Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; I'm a sophomore
Current Major: Criminal Justice
Post-Grad Plans: Good Law School

Why do I need a double major?
Quite simply, options.

What's most +EV?
Business or Finance and it isn't even close. This also happens to be my two least favorite things in the world.

What's easiest?
Probably History (useless) or Communications (not so useless)

What's hardest?
Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, etc.

What's useless?
English, Modern Language (I'm bilingual, Russian being my birth language), aforementioned History, Engineering

So there you have it. What did you major in? Was it easy? Is it useful? Do you recommend me even trying for a double major? Other random thoughts?

Here's a picture of Josie Maran for your troubles:
http://www.superiorpics.com/josie_maran/images/main1.jpg

Patrick del Poker Grande

08-24-2005, 02:32 PM

Aerospace Engineering. Thanks for the Josie pic.

Shajen

08-24-2005, 02:33 PM

Less blah blah blah, more pictures please.

/images/graemlins/wink.gif

lucas9000

08-24-2005, 02:34 PM

if you want to go to law school, i recommend english. learning to read and write well will get you very, very far.

also you get props for posting a picture of a hot chick. oot seems to have been devoid of hot chick threads lately /images/graemlins/frown.gif

xadrez

08-24-2005, 02:35 PM

I majored in language (romance language) to be specific.

Im 27, and posting in OOT.

Draw your own conclusions.

miajag81

08-24-2005, 02:37 PM

English is not useless if you want to go to law school and do well.

phlup

08-24-2005, 02:39 PM

Political Science

MrWookie47

08-24-2005, 02:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
What's most +EV?
Business or Finance and it isn't even close. This also happens to be my two least favorite things in the world.

What's hardest?
Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, picking up a second major in bio, chem, biochem, physics, math, engineering, computter science, or just about anything technical is probably about as +EV as business or finance, if not moreso. Patent lawyers are a hot commodity right now, and they make some pretty sweet bank. If you have a demonstrated scientific background, letting you better understand what's being patented, you'll be in great shape.

Chobohoya

08-24-2005, 02:45 PM

I'm a 1L at Tulane, and drawing on my vast experience, I think you're right that Business or Finance are the best options. A modern language would be great, as that will give you opportunities to work in huge firms offices abroad. I would go with German or Chinese. An english major isn't bad, as long as you realize that literary writing has nothing to do with legal writing. I took history as a major, and it's not bad, as I did tons of reading, analytical thinking, and writing. Anything that's not polsci is probably a good choice. Philosophy would be good. Good luck.

goofball

08-24-2005, 02:46 PM

Physics and Business.

J.A.Sucker

08-24-2005, 02:51 PM

For law school, the best thing you can major in is science. Physics, biology, chemistry, any kind of engineering; it doesn't matter. Math is also fine, but is pretty useless if you don't get into law school. You are truly misguided if you think engineering is useless for this endeavor. Forget the double major and just do one that shows you can reason analytically. If you want to take psych classes, fine. Do it because there's hot chicks, not because it'll serve you better for the LSAT.

canis582

08-24-2005, 03:16 PM

English and its not even close. Nor is it useless. If you want to be a good writer, it will help you so much. Plus all the lit will expand your worldview.

miajag81

08-24-2005, 03:19 PM

What's your rationale for saying science is better than poli sci or english? If he wants to do IP law, fine, science will help a lot, but you learn stuff in poli sci/english that will help you no matter what type of law you want to pursue.

MrTrik

08-24-2005, 03:25 PM

I personally think something in Engineering, any disclipine would be the best in the long run. But I wonder if you even have a chance of getting into the program at this point. In the program I went through the first two years were packed with prereqs like Calc, programming, systems, more and more math and science. And all that was stacked in such a way that if you didn't pretty much nail it first time it could cost you a whole year toward the program entrance. There were exceptions, but basically if you screwed up calc II for instance you had to wait for it again and that meant you missed the window for calc III. Just an example.

I guess my point is that it might not be possible to catch up at this point unless you already took that first year stuff.

CCass

08-24-2005, 03:26 PM

Accounting if you want to be a tax attorney, and Political Science or History.

mslif

08-24-2005, 03:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
School: Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; I'm a sophomore
Current Major: Criminal Justice
Post-Grad Plans: Good Law School

Why do I need a double major?
Quite simply, options.

What's most +EV?
Business or Finance and it isn't even close. This also happens to be my two least favorite things in the world.

What's easiest?
Probably History (useless) or Communications (not so useless)

What's hardest?
Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, etc.

What's useless?
English, Modern Language (I'm bilingual, Russian being my birth language), aforementioned History, Engineering

So there you have it. What did you major in? Was it easy? Is it useful? Do you recommend me even trying for a double major? Other random thoughts?

Here's a picture of Josie Maran for your troubles:
http://www.superiorpics.com/josie_maran/images/main1.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

I was a double major in microbiology and virology and I do not think these classes (as biology or chemistry) will help you if you are trying to get into law school.

Patrick del Poker Grande

08-24-2005, 03:33 PM

Many people can count on an engineering degree taking 5 years. It seems like just as many, if not more, take 5 years as do 4. That said, I did it in 3.5 without much difficulty or summer school and I think you can probably do it in about the same time if you can double-count some of the classes you've already taken. Engineering students do actually have to take some BS english/writing, language, history, etc. classes that you've probably got to take anyway. Of course, these timelines are only if you're focusing only on the engineering degree and you'll have a whole 'nother degree program that won't overlap much with your engineering curriculum. Also, it's definitely not for those who aren't at least somewhat mathematically and scientifically inclined.

Paluka

08-24-2005, 03:35 PM

Why do you think engineering is "useless" and bioligy is "hardest"?

DemonDeac

08-24-2005, 03:35 PM

im a junior at wake forest and am an political science and psychology double major and im just like you in that i KNOW im going to a good law school, using poker to pay my way through.

yea i know poli sci is so generic when going to law school,but i actually like it and stuff. and psychology has a lot of chick in the classes

jesusarenque

08-24-2005, 03:36 PM

Spanish, Arabic, or French

jedi

08-24-2005, 03:50 PM

The only warning is to not make one of your majors Women's Studies in hopes of meeting babes. Not gonna happen, and you may lose your man card for it.

[ QUOTE ]

Here's a picture of Josie Maran for your troubles:
http://www.superiorpics.com/josie_maran/images/main1.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

This isn't a double major, they're major doubles.

swede123

08-24-2005, 04:00 PM

I hate to be that guy who turns this into a babe thread...no, wait. I like being that guy /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

http://linuxreviews.org/software/x11-terms/aterm/elisha-cuthbert-1.jpg

http://ouest.eden.free.fr/photos/Bcele%20word/helena/helena9.jpg

http://bellissime.mediasan.it/images/celebrita/donne/monica-bellucci/images/monica-bellucci-11.JPG

Swede

MelchyBeau

08-24-2005, 04:05 PM

Here is something to consider. Law Schools like to have people with majors other than English/Poly Sci/History.

It would give you a step up on other people. Also if you have something like an engineering degree, and your plans for lawschool somehow get screwed up. Guess what. You can get a good job with an engineering degree. With a poly sci degree? probably not

Melch

peachy

08-24-2005, 04:16 PM

Actually the English, etc major isnt a bad way to go, one law school i looked into going into said they took people with other majors besides law stuff over legal majors because it gave diversity (with similar test scores of course)

I double majored in Psycholog and Biology with a minor in Legal studies...and yes the sciences are very very very very hard but that was for "me" - it takes me alot to learn that stuff - i decided on it as a 2nd major to help me get into a PhD program as well as help me if i wanted to go into forensics - here my legal minor will help as well (its left over from almost going to Law School).

Either way pick a 2nd one that interest u b/c if it doesnt ur grades will show it (my bio grades r a bit lower) and like I said, the ones u categorized as not useful to Law Schools are, if u r worried about it make an appt with an adivisor at the schools ur interested in and ask thier opinion

It wasnt TOO hard doing 2 majors and a minor and it took alot of work (sometimes 20+ hrs a semester) but i was never the brightest person so this was my way of kinda making it up to mahself

I loveeee psychology, i decided to take biology as a 2nd because i had an awesome professor for ONE class and it made me "think" i liked science all the sudden when i hate hated it and failed at it my whole life...i toughed it out though, and it was a good background incase i decided to go for my MD instead of my PhD

J.A.Sucker

08-24-2005, 04:24 PM

Science teaches you how to critically think, read and learn about difficult topics, organize your thoughts, and to make a logical arguement. This is what it takes to be a good lawyer. In law school, you learn how to do these things better, along with how to read and write better. You also learn specifics in law school that you need. What do you learn in poly sci? I took those classes and they are a joke. I think you should take broad classes outside of your major so you get the opportunity to write lots of papers and such. However, for your major, stick to one thing and a technical field is best.

IP law is nice, but to be a good IP attorney, you should work in a technical field for awhile so you gain some practical knowledge. I'm talking about how to do well at law school, regardless of what you intend to practice. If you want to take poly sci, english, or whatever, fine. However, they don't make a bit of difference. Some sort of hard science is ALWAYS the best. You are generally competing and surrounding yourself with the smartest people, and the law schools know this. The LSAT is a joke for any competent science, math, or engineering student.

J.A.Sucker

08-24-2005, 04:25 PM

'Cause those things are hard... /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

fimbulwinter

08-24-2005, 04:27 PM

let me be the first to not reccomend biochemistry or immunology.

fim

kitaristi0

08-24-2005, 04:32 PM

How about philosophy? I'd think that would be useful in just about any field of work.

Next year when i go to university i'm going to double major in experimental psychology and philosophy, should be a hoot.

phage

08-24-2005, 04:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
let me be the first to not reccomend biochemistry or immunology.

fim

[/ QUOTE ]
Why?? They are both great subjects...Then again I majored in Microbiology and Immunology.
During grad school it seemed as though the popular fall back position, for those who didn't want to pursue an academic career, was law school. Everyone thought that they would become a patent lawyer and start rolling in cash...

MrMon

08-24-2005, 04:52 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Current Major: Criminal Justice
Post-Grad Plans: Good Law School

[/ QUOTE ]

Note the requirement here: Good Law School. That mean excellent grades. Going to get an engineering degree is a sure way of guaranteeing that isn't going to happen, especially if your math skills aren't there. If you didn't take calculus in high school, you can just about forget it.

Take a look at what area of law you want to go into, then decide what would make a good background for that. You're in criminal justice, so I assume criminal law is a goal? But if not, consider switching. Most lawyers DON'T deal with criminal law, so take a look around and make sure your end goal matches with your plans.

One other thing to consider, different areas of law pay differently. Criminal probably pays the least (unless you are really good and willing to put in years of work representing the scum of the earth), corporate the most, lots of room in between. But it's all grade dependent, now and in law school. GPA is EVERYTHING.

08-24-2005, 04:54 PM

It doesn't matter what you major in. Best thing is to double in philosphy and math. Even then it's only marginally helpful.

SammyKid11

08-24-2005, 05:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
It doesn't matter what you major in. Best thing is to double in philosphy and math. Even then it's only marginally helpful.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is bizarre...I was about to suggest philosophy...and the screen name similarity is obvious.

Philosophy is useful because it forces you to learn critical, argumentative-styled thinking and WRITING. It's also easy enough that you shouldn't have trouble getting good grades. So if you're looking for a double-major that will help you get grades you need to get into law school while also bolstering some of the skills you will need to make it through law school...philosophy is key.

If you're looking for something that will be useful for you in the workplace...there are very few things that will matter. However, an engineering degree could be helpful if you want to be an attorney in a technical field. Arabic and Chinese are both languages that are going to be in high demand (though they could both land you in places you may not want to live).

Good thread.

MrTrik

08-24-2005, 05:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Many people can count on an engineering degree taking 5 years. It seems like just as many, if not more, take 5 years as do 4. That said, I did it in 3.5 without much difficulty or summer school and I think you can probably do it in about the same time if you can double-count some of the classes you've already taken. Engineering students do actually have to take some BS english/writing, language, history, etc. classes that you've probably got to take anyway. Of course, these timelines are only if you're focusing only on the engineering degree and you'll have a whole 'nother degree program that won't overlap much with your engineering curriculum. Also, it's definitely not for those who aren't at least somewhat mathematically and scientifically inclined.

[/ QUOTE ]

Took me a full four years but I also 2nd majored in Business. Of course most of the non-major stuff I took satisfied both degrees but almost nothing in the 3rd and 4th years overlapped. It was hard work, but I have never regretted going through it.

peachy

08-24-2005, 05:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Many people can count on an engineering degree taking 5 years. It seems like just as many, if not more, take 5 years as do 4. That said, I did it in 3.5 without much difficulty or summer school and I think you can probably do it in about the same time if you can double-count some of the classes you've already taken. Engineering students do actually have to take some BS english/writing, language, history, etc. classes that you've probably got to take anyway. Of course, these timelines are only if you're focusing only on the engineering degree and you'll have a whole 'nother degree program that won't overlap much with your engineering curriculum. Also, it's definitely not for those who aren't at least somewhat mathematically and scientifically inclined.

[/ QUOTE ]

Took me a full four years but I also 2nd majored in Business. Of course most of the non-major stuff I took satisfied both degrees but almost nothing in the 3rd and 4th years overlapped. It was hard work, but I have never regretted going through it.

[/ QUOTE ]

wish they had let some of my stuff overlap...but nothing outside of the few "general requirements" were EVER allowed to overlap...i subsitited a few things b/c i was running out of stuff to take...but no overlapping /images/graemlins/frown.gif

OtisTheMarsupial

08-25-2005, 02:38 AM

Marketing!!!

Law school - yes, English would help you learn how to write. Political sciene will help keep you in the know. But Marketing will teach you how to sell your self/ideas/clients to anyone, and when is that ever going to be a bad skill?

OK, and if you don't like that, do Philosophy, Computer Science, or Math to get those logic skills sharpened.

Just don't do what I did and major in two barely marketable liberal arts. It was great for law school, but I seriously wish I had taken marketing.

I love arguing and I wish I had studied how to persuade and convince rather than how to make a logical argument or how to recognize injustice or how to write a college paper or how to get a B without reading the textbook or going to class or...

OtisTheMarsupial

08-25-2005, 02:45 AM

[ QUOTE ]
How about philosophy? I'd think that would be useful in just about any field of work.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, the skills are useful.

However, no one knows what philosophy is. And they will call it psychology and ask you what they should do about their alcoholic father or codependant mother...

Well, that won't be a problem for you...

But really, I loved majoring in philosophy, but I can't recommend it. edit: [censored], I just did recommend it. Do over!