The Q: I was wondering if minors are worth it. I have been told that they mean very little, and it might be better to double major. What do you think?

The A: The key to choosing whether to major in a subject or minor in it is your own interest. If you've taken a few courses in the department and enjoyed them, and if you look through the course descriptions for the major and realize you want to take many or most of those courses, then taking the subject as a major might be a good choice. If you're mildly interested in the subject matter and a few scattered courses, a minor may be your best track.

Minors are there to help you focus your interests a little more. If you're interested in a subject but can't commit the time and energy that a major would require, you can go for the minor. That way you'll still learn about something you like, and you'll get the structure of taking a set number of classes that will hopefully give you a basic level of expertise in that field.

In terms of the job market, you heard right -- a minor is basically meaningless. It will carry much greater weight for the experiences it brings you and the knowledge you gain than for any neglible benefit it'll bring to your resume. Put it this way: it's much cooler for you personally, and much more meaningful, to say "I'm fluent in Spanish" rather than "I minored in Spanish in college." In much the same way, your major is essentially meaningless too -- what's far more important is what you learn about yourself and about the subject you're majoring in. That's why so many folks go on to professions that have absolutely nothing to do with their majors.

So here are my two recommendations:

• Follow your interests, not your concern about job prospects. If most or all of the courses required for the major look cool, then go ahead and take them. Don't major just for the sake of majoring.
  
  
• Know yourself. If you feel can handle a double major and the extra courses it requires -- and you can fit all your requirements in before you graduate -- then go for it. If it looks like it's going to be too tight of a squeeze, or if you're afraid you'll burn out or sacrifice too many non-major classes, then don't bother.

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor

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