Since my sophomore year when I decided to pursue a dual degree, I have been asking both myself and others, “Does a dual degree really even matter?” and I’m going to tell you right now, before you read this whole thing, that the question is not “Does it really matter?” but “Does it matter to you?”
You see, before my freshman year of college, my mom and I discussed that I would try to graduate early, so that when my brother went into his freshman year of college, my parents would be able to afford it. Since I am the oldest of four children, where and how long I decided to go to college not only depended on my own desires, but those of my siblings. However, my sophomore year I discovered that since I took so many credits each semester, it was perfectly possible for me to graduate in four years with two bachelor’s degrees if I kept up the heavy workload. I immediately sold my parents on the idea and began my dual degrees in Linguistics and Spanish. And you know what? It’s been a lot of work. My semesters are hard and they always have been, but I felt like I was working towards something great. That was, until I listened to what other people had to say. Eventually, my mom seemed to decide that a dual degree didn’t matter all that much and she told me I should have just graduated early when I had the chance. At the end of my junior year, she asked me “Are you sure it’s not too late to just graduate?” My partner’s mom, some friends, family, and professors, all told me at one point or another that my dual degree didn’t really matter that much. I didn’t understand why no one else seemed to understand how much work I had put into these degrees. And so I have spent many months filled with guilt that I decided to work towards something that “didn’t matter.” That is, until recently, when I finally realized why people have been telling me that my dual degree doesn’t matter.
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