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Since my last post about which major I should choose, I have made up my mind. At this moment, I consider either a double major in Computer Science and Music, or, in case it will be impossible to manage it, a major in Computer Science and a minor in Music. Additionally, I hope to continue studying foreign languages (French), but not for a degree. At least now.
So, now as I have a clearer image about what I want to do next, I have to explore the academic programs of the colleges I've applied to. Even though I've read a lot about these programs, I still don't know too much about all the opportunities they offer.
Here are the colleges and universities I've applied to:
-Wheaton College MA
-St. Lawrence University NY
-Earlham College IN
-Colgate University NY
-Connecticut College CT
-Skidmore College NY
-Beloit College WI
-Colby College MN
Even though I don't have an admission decision yet, it will be helpful to know in advance some more information about the academic opportunities at these institutions. Therefore, it will be easier to choose the right college for a double major in CS and Music. Maybe some of you, who have attended or just read more about these colleges and universities, could share their opinions and knowledge with me.
I will be glad to read it! Thanks.
Since my last post about which major I should choose, I have made up my mind. At this moment, I consider either a double major in Computer Science and Music, or, in case it will be impossible to manage it, a major in Computer Science and a minor in Music. Additionally, I hope to continue studying foreign languages (French), but not for a degree. At least now.
So, now as I have a clearer image about what I want to do next, I have to explore the academic programs of the colleges I've applied to. Even though I've read a lot about these programs, I still don't know too much about all the opportunities they offer.
Here are the colleges and universities I've applied to:
-Wheaton College MA
-St. Lawrence University NY
-Earlham College IN
-Colgate University NY
-Connecticut College CT
-Skidmore College NY
-Beloit College WI
-Colby College MN
Even though I don't have an admission decision yet, it will be helpful to know in advance some more information about the academic opportunities at these institutions. Therefore, it will be easier to choose the right college for a double major in CS and Music. Maybe some of you, who have attended or just read more about these colleges and universities, could share their opinions and knowledge with me.
I will be glad to read it! Thanks.
Sincerely,
Corina
Just to let you know, a double major in music and computer science will have almost no overlap.
In other words, when most people double major, they do things that 'make sense'. Such as a computer science/business double major. Those two have some overlap in the courses and someone could finish in 4/5 years.
For you, I'm guessing you really want to be a musician, but are using computer science as a fallback. Not a bad idea by any means, but that should have a lot of influence on what college you choose.
In other words, how are the requirements, and the rigor and schedule. Look at the course catalog and figure out at which school it will be most doable.
Just to let you know, a double major in music and computer science will have almost no overlap.
In other words, when most people double major, they do things that 'make sense'. Such as a computer science/business double major. Those two have some overlap in the courses and someone could finish in 4/5 years.
For you, I'm guessing you really want to be a musician, but are using computer science as a fallback. Not a bad idea by any means, but that should have a lot of influence on what college you choose.
In other words, how are the requirements, and the rigor and schedule. Look at the course catalog and figure out at which school it will be most doable.
Since she mentioned a minor in music, it sounds as though she wants to fill her life with music while she still can but then land in a decent-paying career with the comp sci degree. That's not a terrible plan, really.
The main thing I would advise would be not to get hung up on whether or not the music part of the degree gets finished. With the computer science half, finishing is more important, since having half of a comp sci degree doesn't get you anywhere (and it might even make you look bad). Half of a music degree, provided it's sitting next to a finished degree, makes you look cultured.
And the amount you learn in the music part of the degree can stay with you the rest of your life. Take advantage of the opportunity to study music while you have it.
I quit music after high school, knowing full well that I'd never get to pick it up again. I don't exactly regret my decision, because I wasn't good enough to keep going. However, there were other cultural things that I did have the opportunity to study in college. While they didn't contribute directly to my career (later, though, they helped indirectly), they enriched my life considerably.
Still, worry more about grades in the computer science courses than in any other courses. No one will ever, ever care if you get a C in a music class, but a C in your algorithms class might possibly maybe perhaps someday come up during a job interview (probably not, but still), and it will definitely come up if you go for graduate school.
I mention this because it's really easy for music majors to end up giving almost all of their time to their music, and that might eat into study time. To do two challenging majors, you'll have to be good at prioritizing. That might mean sacrificing some of the "college experience" (read: skipping a few parties), but you'll still get the majority of the fun of being at college.
This sounds like a pretty neat path you've chosen for your education, so good luck with it!
OP, you can study their course catalogs online, or request that they mail you their catalogs, to see which school has more interesting programs in your field. You can probably also look up the program ratings to compare with the other schools, and with others nation-wide. If the computer science programs are pretty much similar, then look at who has a better music program. If you know anyone who has a job in computer science, ask about what schools their employer prefers to recruit from.
But as someone else said, the main thing is to do well, and get good grades.
Also: internships. Look at programs that offer internships, call the computer science programs to ask the academic adviser what internship opportunities there are locally. That will make the biggest difference in your ultimate employability.
I'd wait until you get your financial aid package and see which school is going to be the most affordable. Beloit is known to be one of the most generous schools out there typically.
Here are the colleges and universities I've applied to:
-Wheaton College MA
-St. Lawrence University NY
-Earlham College IN
-Colgate University NY
-Connecticut College CT
-Skidmore College NY
-Beloit College WI
-Colby College MN
I can't imagine going to a college that sounds like a toothpaste.
So, I would strike out Colgate from your list first.
Just to let you know, a double major in music and computer science will have almost no overlap.
In other words, when most people double major, they do things that 'make sense'. Such as a computer science/business double major. Those two have some overlap in the courses and someone could finish in 4/5 years.
For you, I'm guessing you really want to be a musician, but are using computer science as a fallback. Not a bad idea by any means, but that should have a lot of influence on what college you choose.
In other words, how are the requirements, and the rigor and schedule. Look at the course catalog and figure out at which school it will be most doable.
Yes. My daughter went to a college that had/has a lot of music majors (St. Olaf). I believe they said in their catalog it's difficult to combine music with any other major, considering the time required for a music major, e.g. performances, practice time, etc.
Yes. My daughter went to a college that had/has a lot of music majors (St. Olaf). I believe they said in their catalog it's difficult to combine music with any other major, considering the time required for a music major, e.g. performances, practice time, etc.
There's no more practice time required than homework time for non-music classes. Less, in some cases. Not all music classes require anything like regular performances. St. Olaf's program may be unique in its strong emphasis on that. If the OP is choosing a music minor, it shouldn't be a problem.
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