What should I choose for my second major?

[Az]

I say forget MRT. get a combo of something that you like and will bring in the cash later on. you can hook up with girls in the afterhours.

[MRT144]

the smell will keep them away. seriously. go business. they like to drink

[TCO]

My ranking:
stats
math
econ
EE
MechE
other Es to include BME

Basic choice variable is likelihood that the combination will have some use. The first two (or three) combine well with doing algorithms. EE combines if you get into hardware. i know you left it off, but still. Other E's would come lower (since they are specialized). But if you do any non-EE, E, it should be mechE. The others are just specialties of MechE. mechE in an airplane. MechE in a ship. MechE in a chemical plant. Etc.

probably your two choice variables should be
1. Similarity of the subjects (not just for course load...really more for getting connections and seeing synergies...and job options later) and
2. "What you like". Put together a matrix and rank the things.

[Shi Huangdi]

My advise would be that if there isn't a major that you know you will love, to take a sampling of courses and see what you like. Go the introductory level courses and see what interests you. Then, once you know more about what you will like, as well as where your interests in CS lie, you will be in a better position to pick a second major to complement CS.

I'd also strongly reccomend not shortshrifting the social side of college. My best memories of college aren't anything I learned in class, they would be all the great people I met there and all of the good times I had. Don't pay attention only to your academic development, but also to your social development as well.

You're already majoring in CS, and if you do good in that you will already be in a good position job-wise when you graduate. Don't do a second major if it's going to prevent you from enjoying college. You have your whole life to work, you are only a student for a short time.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
My best memories of college aren't anything I learned in class, they would be all the great people I met there and all of the good times I had.

Yeah, that (above quoted part) would go for just about anyone who has been in college. That's why you are going away to college in the first place .

[Wiglaf]

I see you did not get into Harvard or MIT with your near- perfect PSAT , did they reject you or what. Anyway I think you mi ght be better off At MIT if that is still a choice, otherwise double major in engineering and biochemistry please

[Wiglaf]

originally posted by Imran Siddiqui: I had a double major (Political Science and Economics) and a minor (History).

Where did you go to college and law school?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Rutgers University
Emory School of Law

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
I see you did not get into Harvard or MIT with your near- perfect PSAT , did they reject you or what. Anyway I think you mi ght be better off At MIT if that is still a choice, otherwise double major in engineering and biochemistry please

I applied to Carnegie Mellon early decision, because it was my first choice (over MIT). CMU's CS is as good as MIT's, and I didn't like MIT when I visited - I loved CMU. I had my choice either way, because the admissions people at MIT know my physics teacher really well and he wrote one of my recs.

[Kuciwalker]

Plus my best friend and I decided to room together at CMU, since it was his first choice too.

(Though he probably could have gotten into MIT too, since he's got some really cool work experience - the DARPA challenge and stuff - and he's a double legacy.)

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Az
I'd take the MBA only after some actual experience, but that might be just me.

Any credible MBA should require working experience as a prerequisite.

[Mr. Harley]

Shi has it right Kuci - since you aren't sure, bounce around various courses to see what you like.

Otherwise, your second major should be focused around what you want to do. Mathematics is a good general purpose major for CS people, and you can use that for creating good models. Weather prediction, protein modeling (how they fold), economic modeling, etc.

If you want to work on Wall Street, an undergrad major in Economics will look good on paper, though I must agree with the overall assessment of that degree. The math major is what people in the cutting edge of economic modeling will want. That or a REALLY good statistics background. To be honest, I don't know if undergrad stats will go deep enough into that. If it doesn't, Math will give you the background for the Masters and Doctoral level statistics courses.

Statistics and CS will almost guarantee you a job in the Insurance industry. Boring job unless you LOVE mathematical modeling, it is very well reimbursed. Physics is only going to be useful if you want to stay in the acedemic envirionment.

Engineering is a good major if you want to "DO" things, as in designing engines, buildings, etc. You can also get into helping create some of the future "smart" weapons. Engineers specializing in that area can do very well.

The biological sciences (my bias) can be highly lucrative, especially if you also get some electronics experience. Some cutting edge work is being done in melding microprocessors and prothesis. As I mentioned before, if you love math and dual major in that, pharma desperately needs people to work on the problem of how proteins fold. If you come up with a practical supercomputer application that does that, we can all say "We knew him" when you get your Nobel.

Do what YOU want, as you can tell reference Asher you are going to have enough money anyway if you play your cards right - use your second major to get a job in the CS-related field you really want to get into.

[Jon Miller]

I know people who are doing research how protiens fold, and they are physicists...

Physics is a lot more applicable than many people think.

Jon Miller

[Mr. Harley]

I am SOOOO out of date in biology.

[Jon Miller]

I am not saying that you are...

I am just saying that physicists are involved.. (one of my freinds is doing protein folding)

Jon Miller