Advisors question double majors
By LAUREN BECK
News Writer
As more students choose to double major within the College of Arts and Letters, advisers have begun to question students' motives in an attempt to curb the trend and to ensure students receive a well-rounded liberal arts education.
Recent statistics showed that approximately 40 percent of students in the College of Arts and Letters double majored. Advisers said anecdotal evidence suggested this number was constantly increasing, estimating that half of all Arts and Letters students pursued more than one major.
Dottie Pratt, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, attributes the inclination toward double majors to the large number of students who come to Notre Dame with Advanced Placement credit and therefore have room in their schedules to fulfill the requirements for two majors. She said she has noticed an increase not only in the number of students who double major, but also in the number of students who choose to add one or more minors to their double major or even to triple major.
"Students with 30 or 40 Advanced Placement credits can do two or three majors, but I still make them think through what they really want," said Pratt.
Other students believed a double major would afford them more opportunities in the career world. Anita Rees, assistant director at the Career Center, said she did not think a double major made a student more or less attractive to potential employers, but she warned against choosing a double major for the wrong reasons.
"Sometimes students cannot decide on one major, and they end up spreading themselves so thin they don't get a good grasp on either major. Employers want to see breadth and depth," she said.
Arts and Letters Dean Mark Roche cited three different types of students interested in a double major. The first type of wanted to pursue a passion in the College of Arts and Letters, but assumed he or she also needs to study another more practical discipline.
"We welcome majors who choose Arts and Letters from that perspective, but I think they are insufficiently aware of how marketable they are as liberal arts students alone," said Roche.
The second group of students chose a foreign language or literature as a second major. While Roche did not discourage these students either, he said, "It is a mistaken perception on their part that language is simply a tool rather than a discipline itself."
Roche said he was not a strong advocate of the third category of double majors – students who developed an interest in several disciplines and intended to use a double major as a second credential – but said he would not legislate against it.
Junior Lauren Willoughby said she decided on a political science and theology double major because she was interested in both areas. She said the political science department initially discouraged her, saying that if she focused on two subject areas she would not receive as well a rounded an education. Willoughby remained adamant in her decision and said both departments then supported her. She said declaring a double major has worked to her advantage.
"I have two sets of classes I can take. Both departments save spaces for me, so it's easier to get into classes," she said.
Pratt, however, said a double major could put students at a disadvantage because students filled their schedule with courses in their major and neglected to explore several disciplines.
"Students get so locked into their progress toward graduation that they don't explore different subject areas. I'm concerned there will be many students who look back and wish they had taken other courses," she said.
Pratt did cite some positive aspects of a double major. "Some courses work together well," she said. "They build on each other and create a vast system of knowledge, or a diverse group, such as economics and Chinese, makes sense at the end"
But overall, she feared that students became too frustrated when courses did not count toward a major, rather than assuming they could benefit from general knowledge and exploration.
Josh Kaplan, associate director of undergraduate studies in Political Science, also worried students would deprive themselves of a well-rounded education. He said he advised students to evaluate their reasons for choosing a second major.
"Many students think that two majors are better than one, that it will impress people, or that they need to have officially declared a government major to take our courses," said Kaplan.
He refuted those assumptions, saying a second major was not necessary to secure a job and that students could take several government classes without declaring it a second major.
Sophomore political science major Katie Browning followed such advice when she contemplated a double major. She rejected the idea after meeting with a dean who advised her only one major was necessary. Browning said she was pleased with her decision.
"I now have the liberty to take courses that are interesting to me, to take more courses in political science and to take classes in other departments without taking all the introductory courses required for majors," she said. "I can also spread out classes in my major so I can concentrate on them more."
Recently, more advisers have encouraged students to take an approach similar to Browning's.
"I don't tell students not to double major, but I do make sure they have the correct information and it is in their best interest … that they understand the trade-offs involved, they are comfortable with the decision, and that there are not other courses they want to take," said Kaplan. "Double majoring might mean that there are other courses that students are not able to take that might serve them well to get a well-rounded education."
Roche prompted students to consider one of the University's interdisciplinary minors instead of a second major.
"We have a large number of minors, and they are a good fit for a Catholic university interested in the integration of knowledge across disciplines. They develop a track of organized studies more coherently than a second major would," he said.
Students and faculty members alike did not anticipate the number of double majors would decrease soon. "In an environment like this, there is a temptation to double major," said Browning. "When everyone has a lot on their plates, it seems like the thing to do."
Advisers said they would continue to operate according to an unofficial policy of encouraging students to seriously consider both the advantages and disadvantages of a double major.
Roche speculated this might lead to a gradual decrease in double majors. Although he did not foresee Notre Dame adopting a policy similar to that of a university like Princeton, which forbids double majors entirely, he said he could imagine some future changes.
"I could see a situation like this: Students must declare a first major, and they must give coherent rationale for choosing a second," said Roche.
All News Stories for Wednesday, April 17, 2002
