Request for school-related advice

[Хahar 🤔]

I'm nearing the end of my sophomore year in college. Right now I'm a double major in history and economics with a minor in statistics, and thanks to the number of AP tests I passed in high school (note to you high schoolers: take AP tests, even if you haven't taken the class) I'm on track to graduate in three years if I take three extra classes over winter break or during the summer. I'm wondering whether I should change my minor in statistics into a third major, which would technically be in mathematics with a concentration in statistics.

In order to do this, I would stay all four years and take a full load of five classes every semester except the last, in which I would take four. My parents will pay for the extra year if I do decide to do math, so money's not an issue here.

The advantages are obvious. Having a major in a quantitative field would make it much easier to get a job in the Bay Area, which is where I'd like to spend the better part of my life. It would also keep my options for grad school open, since the combination of history, economics, and mathematics covers just about everything that isn't hard science. On a related note, spending the extra year as an undergraduate would allow me to defer making life decisions for another year, which might be nice because I am definitely not a responsible adult right now. Being a math major would also presumably mean that I would get a BS instead of just a BA, which would make me feel like I accomplished something worthwhile.

On the other hand, there are also disadvantages (or else I wouldn't be asking this question at all). The first issue is that I'm not particularly good at math, at least not relative to other subjects. I've consistently been an average student in my college-level calculus classes; I currently have a 79 in my multivariable calculus class. I do well in statistics (I currently have a 99 in my statistics class), but the difference between the statistics minor and the major is really just general mathematics classes and not extra statistics. In addition to my being worse at math than the other subjects I'm studying, math classes are just harder to get good grades in (at least at Maryland) than classes in the humanities and social sciences. If I were to add the third major, I'm pretty certain that my GPA wouldn't stay above 3.5. There's also the matter of what the extra year in college would be like; because of the way my courseload is structured, adding a math major would mean tacking on math classes after all but completing my other requirements. Other than one economics class, my senior year would consist entirely of mathematics, statistics, and computer science courses. I don't know that that would be much fun at all.

In any case, looking over the degree requirements, I shouldn't have to make a final decision until class registration for the Fall 2015 semester, so I'm not in any hurry. I'd just like to see if anyone here has any thoughts on the matter. I'm not including a poll here because I'm not interested in the opinions of people who'll just vote and not provide any reasoning.

tl;dr: should I graduate in college in four years with a math major or three years without one

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

4 years, with.  Get some extra tutuoring if need be.  I have zero doubt you'll do fine.

[Хahar 🤔]

Also, this isn't really related but I want to show off my awesome schedule for next semester. No classes before 11!

[windjammer]

Also, this isn't really related but I want to show off my awesome schedule for next semester. No classes before 11!

I'm curious, how long does a university course take on average in the USA?

[Cincinnatus]

I'm curious, how long does a university course take on average in the USA?

As far as the length in time of a class?  Generally fifty minutes if it's a MWF class, or around an hour and twenty if it's a TR.  Of course, there are classes that can be three hours long in a given schedule, which I don't advise anyone to take, it's awful.

[Senator Spiral]

A mathematics degree can look very appealing to employers. Those skills are always in demand, and increasingly so in the information age. Since money doesn't appear to be an issue for you I encourage you to slave through the extra work; it should be worth it in the end.

I'm curious, what sort of career do you wish to get into in the short term?

[bedstuy]

A few points:

How much does another year of school cost?  Will a college major truly benefit you in finding a job that you like? 

If we're just talking about career, an extra year out of school could also be helpful.  Maybe you can intern at a company you think you would like to work for during that year.  Once you have your first job, I can't imagine a college major is all that important unless you need classes for a specific grad school in the future.

Maybe stay 4 years at college and just cut back on classes and have more fun because you'll never have another chance to be in college. 

Maybe talk to your college career office or a recruiting person at a place you would like to work at because they have more relevant knowledge on the subject.

[Boris]

So the disadvantage is that you'll have to work harder to improve your post-graduation job prospects? Naw bro, sounds like a terrible trade off.

Add a math major only if the upper level courses are useful and relevant to your interests. If they are not, replace them with equally challenging coursework that is. Stay in college for four years either way, unless you realize what you want to do early enough to apply for it next fall.

Eh, in all honesty, he'll probably forget most of the classes within a few months of graduation. Which is fine - the only thing that really matters is the 'math/economics major' and GPA (although the latter will cease to matter after the first job or upon acceptance to grad school) on the resume, particularly if you want to spend your 20s in San Fran and not in some sh**tty part of the country. Previous internship/job experience is also super important, so use your parents' connects, Xahar!

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

At Xahar's age 1 extra year in school is nothing, and I mean nothing.  It could yield big rewards for the extra time.  You have your whole life to work.....do this and make more money later, or at least have a job you prefer later on.

[ilikeverin]

I definitely suggest applying for the PULSAR program.  That will solve everything!

In all seriousness, adding stats wouldn't be a bad idea, although having a minor may be sufficient for employability.  (My boyfriend has his job at the Department of Energy thanks to his undergrad minor in business.)