Can I double major and add a minor too?

Hi friends, thinking ahead about college and I have a ton of interests. Is it possible to pursue a double major and also tack on a minor? Does anyone have experience with this sort of academic plan, and is it manageable? Any advice would be super appreciated!

Absolutely, pursuing a double major with an additional minor is an achievable academic goal, if an ambitious one. However, its manageability largely depends on the specific majors and minor you're considering, as well as the policies of the college or university you'll be attending.

Some schools have more flexible curriculum structures, making it easier to combine multiple fields of study, whereas others may have a lot of prerequisites that make mapping everything out more challenging. On this note, it's also worth highlighting that this path requires careful planning to ensure all requirements, including any general education classes, are met without overloading your schedule.

The students who successfully navigate this path typically do so by working closely with their academic advisors from the onset of their college journey, as well as proactively communicating with their professors to ensure they're not only staying on top of assignments, but also correctly understanding important concepts. Balancing the workload requires strong time management and organizational skills, but you may still find yourself needing to rely on summers or additional semesters to complete all your coursework.

Before you decide, investigate each program’s credit requirements at the schools you're interested in, and talk to current students or alumni for their firsthand perspectives. You may not find anyone who did exactly what you're hoping to do, but talking to someone who single majored in a particular department, even if that was their only major, can still help you more concretely understand what at least that piece of your workload would require.

Finally, keep in mind that while it’s great to come into college with a plan, it’s equally important to leave room for flexibility as your interests and career goals might evolve over your collegiate years. So, definitely look into this path, but there may also be others out there that allow you to combine all your interests in a slightly less stressful way!