What should I choose for my second major?

[Apocalypse]

What is the statistics program like there anyway? Is it just theoretical stuff with vague application or is it a lot of hands on work with programs like SPSS?

[Az]

The truth has been spoken. Don't take a second major at all. Being a bookworm isn't enjoying college, and will most likely have zero impact on your future success.

Since he already has 3 semesters of credit, taking a 2nd major won't make him a bookworm - but a regular student. Now all he has to do is spend his free time from education on stuff which is non-nerdy, and he'll be fine.

[Kidlicious]

Re: What should I choose for my second major?

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
I'm attending Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science this fall, and I'm trying to decide what to double major in. Let Apolyton decide

(I refuse to do Electrical Engineering or similar. The further away from the hardware, IMO, the better.)

Economics at Carnegie Mellon University

You'll surely be even more confused than LoA.

Why not get a business degree for a second degree? Accounting is the best, and you can audit computers with the computer skill.

[Az]

Accounting is the best

This sentence is wrong. It's simply wrong.

[Kidlicious]

Accounting is very popular and in high demand.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Re: Re: What should I choose for my second major?

Originally posted by Kidicious
Accounting is the best, and you can audit computers with the computer skill.

Only thing worse than advocating nerdery is advocating boring nerdery.

[Az]

I've always said I have nothing but respect for people who are willing to do mindbogglingly boreing jobs for a living for their entire lives for a solid paycheck. Their importance is second only to the radical innovators, imho.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Kontiki
If you can get a second major with the minimum number of credits, I suppose you're right. Personally, I spread out my electives over a number of different areas I found interesting. I haven't spent a moment wishing I had a second major, or that I took more classes in undergrad than what I took (which, IIRC, was the bare minimum).

I had a double major (Political Science and Economics) and a minor (History).

I knew I wanted to do Poly Sci and Econ and had it pretty well planned out (I knew roughly how many classes in each subject I wanted to take per semester). As for History, I realized I almost all the classes for a minor in it sometime in my Sophomore year (I really like History ), so I took one of the required classes I had to and a couple more and had the History minor as well.

Though I do wish I took some other classes (such as some non-intro Philosophy classes.. but I figured they were a bit too difficult if I wanted to get as much drinking as possible done ).

[Kidlicious]

Re: Re: Re: What should I choose for my second major?

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe


Only thing worse than advocating nerdery is advocating boring nerdery.

Kuci is going to be a nerd anyway. Anyone who would post as a teenager has no chance to be cool. He might as well make as much money as he can.

[Imran Siddiqui]

He already has 20 bathrooms, he doesn't need anymore!

[Kidlicious]

Maybe he's in there a lot.

[Agathon]

Oddly enough, Kuci would probably like the philosophers at Carnegie-Mellon. They are extremely heavy on logic, mathematics, phil of science and AI there IIRC.

Far too modern and trendy for the likes of me, but interesting nevertheless.

[Agathon]

I had a look at their courses. There is too much applied ethics crapola, and a lot of other stuff which I think is silly ("Philosophy of the Matrix" – what a load of ****). It's obviously there to attract numbers, which is a shame.

But they've saved a lot of the good stuff for 300 and 400 level. There are lots of cool courses on logic and computation, mathematics, AI and Game Theory. I imagine that a lot of that would be nicely complementary to Kuci's major. If C-M's reputation is anything to go by, the instruction will be pretty rigorous.

If I was an undergrad there, I would take this course though:

80-222 Measurement and Methodology Spring: 9 units

This course is intended as an introduction to the theory of measurement. How are scientific units chosen? Under what conditions do qualitative relationships determine quantitative ones? Why, for example, is the zero-point a conventional choice for measuring temperature, but not so for ther measurement of length with rulers? We shall investigate theories of extensive measurement, with and without error. Applications will be taken from the natural and social sciences, including the development of some "psychometric" scales, such as measuring the intensity of personal preferences.

That sounds like a cool course.

[MRT144]

do not, i repeat do not do math or physics. youre already in one of the smelliest/nerdiest majors already, adding the other 2 front runners will just cause their stink to hang around you 18 hours a day.

I say do something with lots of females.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Re: Re: Re: Re: What should I choose for my second major?

Originally posted by Kidicious


Kuci is going to be a nerd anyway. Anyone who would post as a teenager has no chance to be cool. He might as well make as much money as he can.

What about this post strikes me as odd..... Hmmm... maybe that it was written by a self confessed communist perhaps??