My Double Major Experience

Choosing a primary major is one of the most important aspects of your university education. It reflects both your deep interests and your career goals. Yet simultaneously, it’s also rather clear cut. If you’re unsure about your primary major, you're usually able to find your calling by the time declaration day rolls around.

A double major, on the other hand, is a completely different ballgame. It’s not so much of a given. Students aren’t always actively searching for one; but rather, the major is sometimes attempting to find them. I’ll explain...

For some context, my primary major is in International Relations and Political Science(opens in new window). I knew the instant I entered CMU what I wanted to major in. That’s certainly not everybody’s tale, but as soon as declarations opened, I was ready. Of course, I knew that I wanted to make the most of my college experience, but I had no clue what that looked like! Sure, it could be a double major, but it also could have been anything under the sun like clubs and extracurriculars.

Ultimately, I have my home college (Dietrich) to thank for helping me find my double major. I was walking through Baker Hall and saw a postered event going on where all the departments were advertising their signature programs. I decided to walk through and was interested in so many things. I spent the whole time asking questions and taking notes. When I got to the Social and Decision Sciences table, I knew something had clicked, and that’s where I found my double major in Decision Science.

Decision Science(opens in new window) is a multifaceted major in the behavioral sciences, rooted in psychology, business and economics. What helped me understand and really grasp all of that was a cute coffee graphic (imagine looking up a diagram of what goes into a latte: the foam, the coffee, the milk, etc). This awesome graphic showed the distribution of the disciplines within the major, and I thought it was perfect. It was all these subjects I was deeply interested in (and what will be relevant to my future career in law) rolled into one program. It couldn’t have been more perfect! Once I did my due diligence, I declared my double major. It’s been a super easy process with tons of support. I love the classes, as well as all the professors and staff I’ve met. I feel like it’s a perfect combination of interests and a cohort of new people to learn from and with. I can’t praise it enough.

I’m now almost through my sophomore fall semester, with a planned class schedule for next spring that is fully immersed in both of my majors. I can’t tell you how fulfilling it’s been and what awesome a time I’ve had. I discovered my double major kind of on a whim, and truly, I think that’s the best way to go about it. You will find your passion entering Carnegie Mellon, but don’t be afraid to let a new passion find you once you’re here. If anything, this all speaks to the interdisciplinary nature of CMU, and how easy it is to find those experiences!