| Written by Manush K. |
I have met many students who would never consider taking on a double major, let alone imagine taking a triple major. Students who double major sometimes seem like superheroes. I assure you, they are not superheroes; they are forward-thinking! In reality, anyone can double major if they structure their courses properly, have guidance, and are motivated. Similarly, it’s not that difficult to triple major, either. Take it from me, all you need to do is put in some hard work and be smart about how you go about fulfilling your degree requirements.
I am currently triple majoring in Business Management, Finance, and Marketing. The key to adding majors to name throughout school is by picking your classes strategically. As freshmen, a lot of us are tempted to take all of our general education requirements and be done with them so that we can focus on our major requirements in our junior and senior years. Once you’re done with all of your general education requirements and your free elective classes, you are left with only mandatory prerequisites and core classes for your major. If you do this, you’re essentially taking all of the easier classes in your first two years and saving the hardest classes for later.
Instead of doing that, I split my “easy” classes and my more difficult classes evenly per semester. A normal number of classes for an undergraduate student is between four and five. I took five more difficult classes and took one easier class for a total of six courses per semester. By taking that easier sixth class, I was able to accumulate the credits necessary to work toward more than one major while also not allowing the pressure of that sixth class to burden me too heavily. I focused more on the more difficult classes. I’m personally not a fan of taking summer and winter classes, so bulking up on classes during the fall and spring semesters was the right move for me. However, if you are the kind of person who wouldn’t mind taking summer and winter classes to keep yourself on schedule, then, by all means, go ahead!
I started by freshman year as a single major but, because of this strategy, I was able to add a second major to my track by my sophomore year. I got used to the amount of coursework that was required for me to take six classes, so I took on seven classes in my spring 2017 semester and added a third major to my track! With just one year of undergraduate school left for me, I am on schedule to graduate in four years (and with three degrees!)
Is triple majoring hard for me? Of course! It gets to me sometimes. But, what matters more, is the fact that I am on my way to accomplish something that few students attempt! When I leave commencement with three degrees to my name, I am going to be immensely proud of myself for all of the hard work I put in. So, I advise you to choose your classes wisely, focus on your goals, and challenge yourself! You can accomplish much more than you initially had expected to.