Thinking About Double Majoring?

Are you struggling on deciding what to major in? Or are you maybe interested in a few different majors? If so, you are not alone…. That is exactly how I was feeling my senior year of high school. I had lots of interests. The idea of focusing only on one area of study seemed opposite to what I wanted. College excited me because it meant I would be exposed to courses and experiences beyond my high school curricula. Today, I want to share my major journey with you and explain how I came to double major in Communications and Educational Studies. 

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When I arrived at Furman, I was completely undecided on what area of study I wanted to pursue. The cornerstone of a liberal arts education is broad exposure to a breadth of courses; I embraced this philosophy and was excited by all the options. At Furman, every student must complete a certain amount of general education requirements, or GERs, spread across a variety of departments. I found GERs to be extremely helpful as they forced me to dip my toes into different departments on campus that I might not necessarily gravitate towards based on personal interests. Over the course of my freshman and sophomore years, I took classes in the Sociology, Education, Health Science, Spanish, Mathematics, Chemistry, English,  Religion, Communication, and Biology Departments. Such a wide range of experiences led me to choosing Communication Studies and Educational Studies as majors. 

I actually started out as just a communication studies major and added my education studies major this past spring semester (my sophomore spring). I went back and forth wondering if I could handle a double major, not in terms of interest but in terms of space in my schedule. The reality is that Furman GER requirements are just the right amount to provide you with a strong liberal arts foundation, but not so cumbersome that they dictate your schedule.  I found that after knocking off a lot of my GERs freshman and sophomore year, I had plenty of room in my schedule to complete the requirements for both a communication studies major and an educational studies major and still graduate on time.

I am thrilled that I am able to double major because I am still finding my way in terms of what I want to do with my life and in my career. And that’s okay, because I have two more years to figure all of that out and know that I will have career counselors here at Furman to guide me.  For now, I am going to enjoy delving into two areas of studies that have become personal passions. Pulling off a double major has taken some planning but it is most certainly doable at Furman.  As I mentioned earlier, I got a lot of GERs out of the way early. This freed up my schedule for junior and seniors years. Many GERs are also 100 level classes so they serve as perfect courses for underclassmen. 

Deciding on a major can be stressful, but your academic advisor at Furman is there to help you. Spend your first few semesters taking a wide variety of classes; this approach should naturally lead you to your preferred major.  And if you are led to more than one passion? Do what I did – sit down and figure out how you can make it work!

If you have any questions or concerns about double majoring, do not hesitate to reach out — my email is emulligan@furman.edu . 

Have a good day!

Libby