One random day when i was just doing my task i went to Dongguk University’s portal and found some articles about double majoring. At that time my mind goes, doing a double major (복수전공) honestly sounded kinda… cool. I mean like, two degrees? at the same time? double skills? sounds like future 🔥boss material🔥 to me, I'm in. I don’t really thinking much at that time, i was just waiting for the signing up period and finally did it on my second year of school, and on the next semester i can start to apply for classes in my secondary major. Nothing much at first. Despite I am taking Computer Science as my first major, i applied for English Literature for my double major. Coding algorithms during the day, then analyzing Shakespeare at night. Sounds like a weird collaboration? It could be, to some people. At that time, taking almost 100% classes in Korean overwhelmed me so i thought to my self that if i get to do classes in English, it will at least get rid one of my problem. 

But here’s what i dont really think of at that time.

Have you ever had a friend that is so madly in love that they turned blind and cant see anything beside them? It was me at that time. Turned out I was being so deeply into my second major that i (almost) threw away my main one. I thought I was doing well at that time, but managing two majors while working outside, is not just about being smart. It is about surviving uncountable deadlines, clashing class schedules, and living with the fact that half of your friends are chilling while you’re attending your first class at 9AM because it’s the only class that doesn’t clash with your other schedule. 

What is double Major?

A double major (복수전공 in Korean) means that you officially study two different majors at the same time in university. Later when you graduate, both of them will appear on your diploma. It’s different from just taking another classes that you like even though it is outside your degree. Double major means you have to meet ALL the graduation requirements for both majors. That includes mandatory classes, credits, projects, and sometimes even thesis or internships, basically just like double the work, double the responsibility.

Why do people choose to do it?

Through my opening story, it may seems like i am exhausted because of it. Frankly speaking, doing a double major is not exactly the easiest or most chill life choice. So… why? Why did I do it?

For me, it started with curiosity. Some of my friends that i know did a double major because:

1. They wanted to upgrade their career chances
2. They couldn’t pick between their two passions
3. Their dream job needed knowledge from both fields
4. Or simply because they didn’t want to regret not trying

Everyone has their own reason, and i could say that and none of them are wrong.