Approximately 31 percent of the class of 2003 double majored, a number which has remained fairly constant over the past 10 years. The most popular majors were economics, English, psychology, political science and law, jurisprudence and social thought.
Departmental impacts
The economics department had the greatest number of double majors in the class of 2003, with 33. Associate Professor of Economics Steve Rivkin, chair of the economics department, believes an economics degree can be helpful when looking for a job after graduation. Rivkin has noticed that the increase in majors has affected the department. "Class size has increased, and ... a few courses have closed," said Rivkin. He also indicated the department has too few professors for the number of majors, 58, in the class of 2003. "We have only 4.5 full time faculty and 2 visitors here this semester," he said. The department is currently conducting a search for two new professors.
The English department had 31 double majors in the class of 2003, the second greatest quantity of double majors. Professor of English Michele Barale believes that English is an extremely popular double major because of the appeal of learning about several languages. "If you are interested in language, you are interested in its use in non-English-French, Spanish, computer languages-and in non-literary ways as well," she said.
The great number of English majors in his department leads to a lot of work for professors in the department. "We work very hard and have no personal lives," said Barale. However, Barale does not feel as though double majoring has had a negative effect on students in the department. "My classes are small and perfect," she said. "I have no problem with the practice of double majoring-though I think that triple majoring is just nuts."
Mark Lentz '05, an LJST and political science double major, noted that the faculty in some over-crowded departments like LJST and political science make efforts to benefit their students. "LJST is able to bring fascinating lecturers to campus frequently, as is political science," he said. "The number of student groups focused on political issues helps to add to the total campus resources as well. Teachers in both departments are always available and helpful during their office hours."
Harming departments
The psychology department is incredibly popular, both with majors and non-majors. It had 28 double majors in the class of 2003, the third greatest quantity of any department. There was a total of 57 psychology majors in that graduating class. Assistant Professor of Psychology Catherine Sanderson partly attributes the department's high number of majors to the relatively low number of courses required for the major. "But, most importantly, psychology is a subject that many students find interesting, and regardless of whether or not they want to major in it, many students take multiple psychology classes," she added. "And once you've had 4 or 5 classes, it may seem to make sense to just go ahead and finish the requirements and have the second major."
Sanderson believes the increase in majors has been difficult for students. "Some of our classes are larger than they should be, which means that we either have to drop many interested students or teach classes that are more lecture-based and less discussion-based," she said. "The psychology department is aware of the tremendous demand, and we do hope to add another position in the near future."
The psychology department had a lot of trouble with enrollment in senior seminars this year. Many senior psychology majors were unable to get into the seminar they wanted to take, or found all of the seminars closed. In response to this problem, the psychology department has implemented a program which requires rising senior majors to register for a seminar online.
"It became clear during add/drop this semester that we had a problem with senior majors who needed to take a seminar to graduate, but who did not formally pre-register," said Professor of Psychology Rose Olver. "We have designed a procedure to avoid this problem in the future and to ensure that seniors who need a seminar to graduate get priority in our seminars."
Lentz noted that courses in LJST and political science often are too full to foster discussion. "In LJST, I have only been in two classes of seven taken which were not lectures. I guess that is what happens when one of the most popular majors has only five professors," he said. "On the other hand, I have not been dropped from a course which I [have interest] in, so that is great. I really don't know how to solve this problem, except for recognizing LJST's popularity and increasing the size of the department. For political science, a lot of the courses have over 20 students and don't lend themselves well to discussion."
Impacts on advising
Due to the limited number of classes in the psychology department it is often difficult for majors to get into the classes they need or want to take. "Advising students is mostly difficult because pre-registering for psychology classes becomes largely about strategy-for example, I tell my sophomores not to even bother preregistering for certain classes they are very interested in, simply because I know the professor will cut younger students immediately to keep class size small," said Sanderson.
The LJST department also has a high number of double majors. Martha Umphrey, associate professor of LJST, believes that the low ratio of faculty to majors in the department limits the amount of time the professors can spend with each student. "I and my colleagues willingly spend a good deal of our time with our advisees, but I'm not often able to hang out and talk as much as I'd like," she said. However, Umphrey does not think that the limited number of professors negatively effects thesis advising and evaluating.
Pros of a small department
Nick Brentley '06, a double major in music and theater and dance, has had no problems fulfilling his requirements and getting into the classes he wants to take. As a dance major, Nick takes advantage of the five college exchange. "Some of the classes can be a little large, but I don't feel that it detracts from the learning process. In fact, I think that makes it better," he said. "In a setting where you're surrounded by others who are doing the same as you, finding people to help you out couldn't be easier, especially as a guy [in a primarily female environment]."
As a biology and Spanish double major, Alison Rodriguez '05 has not had problems with overcrowded classes. However, she does wish that departments offered a greater variety of courses. "I don't feel that either department is overcrowded," she said. "However, it seems that there are limited options for upper-level classes in both departments. After having taken courses in both disciplines for five semesters, I feel that I have few choices left out of the courses being offered."
Rachel Dunham '05, a double major in geology and music, has not encountered the problems usually associated with the larger departments. "I have been lucky that I've chosen two majors with very small, close departments," she said. "I know most of the professors and the other majors very well, and have no trouble getting any help I might need."
To double or not to double
"I feel that a lot of people feel pressure to double-major because they think it's prestigious," said Eunice Koo '04, a religion and Spanish double major. "I think you should double major only if you're passionate about two subjects."
Megan Sullivan '05, a history major, voiced a similar opinion. She did not double major because she only had one serious interest. "I decided not to double major because there wasn't any other subject that I felt passionate about," she said. "I would have minored in something else, if I had had the option to."
Mihailis Diamantis '04, a mathematics, philosophy and English triple major has similar beliefs. "I want to take my three primary academic interests as far as I can at this point in my life," he said. "The classes I am primarily interested fall into the above three categories, so there was no huge decision to make. Declaring the major becomes a mere formality."