In high school, I was always pressured to know "what I wanted to do" in life. I felt as though I needed to choose only one thing, despite the fact that I loved both the subjects of Musical Theatre and Biology. After completing a semester in college, I found that deciding to double major in both a science and an art was one of the best decisions I could have made. Here's why!
1. You use both your right and left brain.
My Musical Theatre classes rely heavily on right-brained thinking. In my acting, vocal, and dance classes I'm always doing creative assignments that could be completed in a multitude of ways. Conversely, my Biology class leans heavily on left-brained, logical thinking, and I was able to use reason and facts to complete my assignments. These two different ways of thinking prevented me from getting overwhelmed or bored of either of my majors, and allowed me to be proficient in both.
2. You become a versatile thinker.
With the use of both my right and left brain on a daily basis, I found that I could perceive and handle controversies in different ways. I could approach issues or opinions either analytically or imaginatively, which helped me to become a more well-rounded problem solver both in school and in my everyday life.
3. You open up a range of different job opportunities.
With any dual major, you increase your chances of employment upon leaving school. Majoring in both a science and an art can give you loads of job opportunities in either one major or both. Plus, if you find that one major really doesn't work for you once you get out into the real world, you have the other to fall back on!
4. Both subjects may have more in common than you think.
Even though a science and an art may seem as though they're on opposite ends of the spectrum, there are plenty of occasions in which you can marry the two subjects either in assignments or an outside project. For example, I found that an ethical dilemma regarding women's health and rights (that I learned about in Biology) could be better exposed in the form of a play. I now am able to use my knowledge from both subjects to create something distinct.
