BWW Blog: The Balancing Act

What's your major? It's the most common question I was bombarded with during the first semester of college. By the end of the second week, I was accustomed to rattling off my name, year, hometown, and major as if it was a script. Hi, my name is Grace, I am a freshman from New York, and I am an Economics and Theater double major. The last part would shock almost everyone. How do those fit? That sounds hard! Wow, interesting combination. I am confident in my decision to double major, and think it is one of the most valuable experiences you can have in your college career.

How do Theater and Economics connect? Well, I am interested in the business of the entertainment industry: how shows run on a budget and how people get paid, among other things. Studying business and performance, I am able to experience the arts while learning the theory behind how they operate.

This connection can be formed smoothly, if I focus on balancing the two interests. No matter what the two majors are it is important to participate equally. I am a member of business as well as theater clubs; I do not want to think of one major as more fun. Granted you can have a favorite, but if you do not balance the extracurriculars of both subject areas you can find yourself with one exciting easy major and one hard and boring major - then double majoring might not be for you. There are communities to be found within every area of study, and I think it is important to surround yourself with different views on a daily basis. I find that the passion I foster in my extracurriculars helps to motivate me through challenging classes in both majors, and I cherish my friends across both interests.

Balancing the majors is only the start until you find ways to intertwine the two areas of study into your future passion. I am looking forward to holding treasury and fundraising management positions within clubs as well as taking classes about theater management that combine my interests. Yes, there is a large amount of pressure surrounding how to make your two majors become one passion, and some never can, but it can all come together with time. What helps me understand my two interests is that my mentor had a similar path. While this is extremely helpful, a baseline is to have a mentor in each field if not one that can work for both.

An exciting part of double majoring is the ability to vary your workload. I am able to switch between different types of assignments to maintain my motivation through long weeks. If I become tired of reading I can put down my play and pick up my economics calculations, and vice versa.

Double majoring is an exciting part of college where you can bring two different passions together into a future profession. How you combine those two interests is a journey through four years, and it can change frequently. Once you get to college you do not have to limit yourself to one interest because there are so many different areas of study to explore and connect with. Life is about balance. Double majoring is one of the best parts of my college experience, and I am so glad I get to learn about everything that I love.

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