More homework, longer study hours and two graduation ceremonies were in the fold for Britney Kennedy when she started as a freshman at LSU.
“Two degrees always looks better on a resume than one,” Kennedy said.
That was the plan for Kennedy – to become a double major – graduating in computer and electrical engineering.
“I was interested in both majors, and they were closely related in courses,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy is among the 535 other LSU undergraduate students with double majors, according to the Office of Budget and Planning.
But Kennedy, a senior now, has since decided to drop the double-major status in favor of a lighter, more math-oriented workload.
“I found out that I was more interested in the math side of it than the actual engineering side,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said along with the math interest, the time a double major consumed led to the change.
“Engineering is a very time-consuming major,” Kennedy said. “You have to spend lots of time in the computer lab. If my second major didn’t have a lot of the same classes, I don’t see how I could have had enough time for every class.”
As a single major, Kennedy finds herself with a lot more free time on her hands.
“Maybe it’s because not so much time is required outside of class, or maybe because I like my new major, it seems like I have so much more time to live,” Kennedy said.
For Ari Fisher, a kinesiology instructor, the road to graduating with a double major was a little different.
Fisher entered LSU as a freshman in 1988, but the thought of graduating with two majors never crossed his mind.
By his senior year his education adviser noticed that a counseling error his freshman year had put him close to fulfilling a major in another field.
“I had no intention of [becoming a double major],” Fisher said. “So the double major thing was really an accident.”
Fisher took the extra nine hours needed to receive his additional diploma in arts and sciences and graduated with an education major in May 1992 and an arts and sciences major in August.
Fisher said because he did not concentrate on becoming a double major until his senior year, the workload was bearable.
“I did not find it that difficult,” Fisher said. “It was just a matter of taking extra classes, but I enjoyed the things that I got my degrees in.”
As a kinesiology instructor, Fisher said he is unable to find a career move that would allow him to use his arts and sciences degree.
“It just sort of looks good,” Fisher sad. “People go ‘wow you have three degrees,’ but for the profession I am in, it really has not helped me or hurt me.”
Carolyn Collins, University College dean, said students interested in becoming double majors usually do it for two reasons.
Either students have two possible majors and do not want to choose one over the other, or students see a link between two majors that will make them more attractive to employers upon graduation.
Double majors is not limited to similar subjects, Collins said. She said students can graduate in two completely different subjects if they want, but it will take more planning because of the departments’ different curricula.
Kennedy said students should think hard before expanding their workload like she and Fisher did.
“If [students] do decide to double major, make sure you love your major and that the time you spend and the life you waste is worth a few more letters on your resume,” Kennedy said.