Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
allnurses

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Discussion

Double major?

Hi

I looked over my classes today and am considering a major in biology as well as nursing. Here's why:

1. These are the classes I have left to take for nursing besides the core classes: healthcare chem and stats

2. These are the gen ed requirements I have left to take: history, literature, philosophy, theology

3. I have 3 years for nursing to go, but I need to keep my full time student status for my scholarships and financial aid amount.

4. Here's the classes I need left for a degree in biology: Gen chem 1&2, organic chem 1&2 (I'm way behind in chem- the chemistry I had at a community college wasn't counted, school said it was too introductory), conceptual (no math!) physics 1&2, biological literature (1 credit), genetics, and biological seminar (1 credit)

I realize nursing will be intense though...but it's really tempting to try for a double major.

If I went for a minor in bio, I'll be done with just 2 more classes (unfortunately 1 chemistry is only needed for the minor..so I have to make a decision soon)

I put in a lot of study time and have a 3.9 gpa..but I don't know. Do you think I'm being realistic or setting myself up for failure by trying for this? THANK YOU FOR ALL THE THOUGHTS!

ADD: Another thought: what about psychology for a 2nd major? I have taken gen psych and lifespan development psych already...would it help at all though in finding a nursing job? (Bio appeals to me more in case..just in case..I ever wanted to attempt a PA....but that's really not in any of my plans as of now. But in terms of course load, chem will be hard for me)

  • Quote

    • Featured Replies

    • Experts

    I maintained a minor while in nursing school but my course load was more in line with a double major (as I recall my school did not allow for double majors). I had no problem with it, but that does not mean that everyone can cope with the extra time and work involved. Best to complete as many of the non-nursing courses as possible outside of semesters with nursing courses. A better question might be why do you want the double major? Do you plan to do something with it? If you have concrete plans, there might be more incentive to succeed in this endeavor.

  • Quote
    • Author

    Thank you for your reply. The main reason why I want the double major is because I won't have enough credits to maintain full time status with just the classes I need for nursing and gen ed. I can't afford my school without the scholarships and financial aid which I need to be a full time student for.

    But I also was hoping it would help me in the job market to have 2 degrees. And just in case I wanted a career change, I'd have the bio or psych. I don't think that would happen though, wanting another career I mean.

    The nursing core classes are under 10 credits per semester (some semesters 5-6, some 8) and I need 12 credits are full time status.

    I just don't really know if I'm up for it and end up not doing well in either. I guess I could start out and try it and see what happens.

  • Quote

    If you're doing it to maintain full time status and can handle it, I say go for it :) it'll help especially if you have the grades and decide to apply to medical school.

  • Quote
    • Experts

    Believe it or not, I did not find taking extra courses that difficult with the exception of the time required for biostatistics and epidemiology. If you need to get 12 units to maintain your financial aid, I would go ahead and do it.

  • Quote

    A caveat: Just because academics have been comparatively doable for you up until now has not prepared you for nursing courses. It's a totally different kind of learning; we see people here all the time who got A's all through the prereqs and bombed when they hit the nursing classes, and just couldn't wrap their heads around why this disaster was happening to them.

    Of course, the same folks coming along later never believe this caveat will apply to them, and I wouldn't be surprised if you thought that too. But just in case...consider putting off some of those extra courses until perhaps a fifth year, or at least after two semesters of nursing core classes, so you can see if you will be able to take on the extra load. Most can't. Word to the wise.

  • Quote
    • Author

    Thanks for the replies! I have to decide by tomorrow morning. Well technically I don't have to, but a physics class opened up and I'm next in line on the wait list but my time to decide will expire by noon tmw.

    I am leaning toward giving it a go. I don't think of myself as a genius by the stretch of the word haha. I have a CNA and PCT but I know that won't prepare me for how demanding a BSN program will be. I've been warned a lot that it's intense.

    But my school is really encouraging and I see students accomplish high achieving feats because the faculty and school create such an inspiring and nourishing environment, really. I'm hoping, that the worst that would happen is that I drop the bio classes if I need to, because I will put nursing first...

    GrnTea, I only have 3 years for a BSN, so putting off the bio classes even for a year wouldn't put me on schedule to graduate with both majors though.

  • Quote
    • Experts

    Here is a another word to the wise: keep your extracurricular activities in biology or anything else to yourself. Many instructors in nursing programs have a tendency to punish students who do anything other than nursing and then have any kind of a problem, whether or not it is connected to their life outside of nursing school proper.

  • Quote
    • Author

    Really?! That makes sense though, I've heard similar things about other subjects and the professors favoring majors for what they're teaching. But it was actually the nursing department chairperson who planted this biology degree in my head! She asked if I was going for a major in bio. At the time I said no. But then the idea slowly crept over me. I will heed the warning:)

  • Quote

    Just be prepared as GrnTea mentioned. I had a 3.987 GPA going into the nursing program. It's now a 3.725. I got 2 Bs this semester and 3 As. I know people who were more driven than me in the prereqs just absolutely bomb Med/Surg. It's a whole other ball of wax. It's not memorization. You don't just learn a lot of facts and regurgitate them. It's seeing the big picture, it's looking at 4 right answers and trying to pick the most right one. Which you may not always feel is the most right one. I understand what you are saying about needing to stay full time, but you are going to find it's going to be difficult. I just watched some extremely smart people fail med/surg.

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Add a Comment
    Go to topic listing

    Currently Reading 0

    • No registered users viewing this page.

    Account

    Navigation

    Search

    Search

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.