I added my second major during the end of the fall of my freshman year. I was already a Marketing major in my university's College of Business Administration, but I added a major in Screenwriting from the School of Film and Television. Since these two areas of study are under different schools within the university, that means that if I live until graduation, I'll get two degrees, one from each school.

I've never been an incredibly studious person. I like to learn and I have my areas of strength, but I've always had the sense that my life is not about school. With the additional academic responsibility of a second major, I've had to come to terms with the fact that a great deal of my time would have to be dedicated to my schoolwork. It really helped to realize that I was getting to learn about the specific areas in which I want to be involved long term. With that in mind, school's newer, bigger role in my life didn't seem so bad.

In many ways, being a double major has provided some relief. One area of study is a break from the other, and you have friends with lots of different interests. I like being able to be creative in one way in some of my classes and then use my creativity in others. I have an increased appreciation for each subject because I see how unique it is compared to a different one.

The only regrettable part of being a double major is that the areas of study compete with each other for time and attention. It makes me a bit sad that I usually have to compromise and give all of my assignments just a little bit less than the time or care they deserve. Of course, if I manage my time as effectively as possible, I do have time to buckle down and do work that I'm proud of, but I don't get the time to do a lot of additional exploration of either subject. There's a lot of rushing and doing assignments at the last second, no matter how well I've been budgeting my time.

Nonetheless, I'm happy to be working toward two degrees. Painful paperwork and heavy workloads are a small price to pay to get to use different ways of thinking. Some people believe that everything in life has to come down to a final decision: you must make one choice that excludes all of the other options. In certain situations, this may be true, but when it comes to what you study, there isn't always one clear answer. Your interests might not be served by one category.

If you're worried that you aren't passionate enough about something to pursue it as an area of study, you might be right, but you might also be right if you think that you are. I wasn't a star student who had all my classes on cruise control before I added my second major, but I decided to take the plunge anyway. I think of my two majors like peanut butter and jelly: I like each one, but, if given the choice, I'll take them both together.