Increasingly, University of Wisconsin students have opted to take the time to complete double majors with the mindset that doing so will increase their chances of success upon graduation.

It is assumed that in today’s competitive job market, the college graduate who successfully accomplishes a double major has a better-than-average chance of securing employment.

While a double major can have some benefits for some students, it is not necessarily true that double majors will have a better chance of getting into the graduate school or securing the occupational position of their choice.

Some students are being advised against taking a second major by the university, due to the fact that this may cause unwarranted stress without the expected return of a more secure resume.

Senior academic advisor Rebecca Ryan stressed personal development over number of degrees.

“It’s not the major that gets the job, it’s [a student’s] ability to talk about who they are, why they made the choices they did and why they selected the student organizations and volunteer experiences they did,” she said.

Ryan sees it as frivolous to double major in many circumstances, especially within the School of Letters and Science. Rather, she advises students to select one major that relates to their interest area and utilize their electives to create a very individual degree program that prepares them for their potential career.

However, double majors are not waning in popularity, especially among UW undergraduates.

“I am double majoring because I found that [my majors] compliment each other, thus making me more prepared for the workforce,” said freshman Whitney Sogol, who is working toward both a political science major and an English major.

Sogol’s mentality stems from the idea that a double major is an indicator of intellectual flexibility, thus proving her potential for success to prospective graduate school admission committees.

In addition, she hopes her double major will show potential employers that she is determined and capable of completing a variety of work.

Ryan said this mentality is not necessary, but feels intellectual growth should be the focus of every student’s UW experience.

“It really shouldn’t be about the accumulation of named things, such as majors and certificates,” Ryan said. “It should be about creating a meaningful academic experience for each student.”

Advisors following Ryan’s view believe that concentrating on a single major can allow the student to delve more deeply into their studies. They said a student might sacrifice the quality of their work by spreading themselves too thin by taking on additional majors.

Assistant Dean of Letters and Science Barbara Wiley said graduate schools and employers rarely take the second major into consideration when evaluating transcripts since, the student is usually applying to a career that directly relates to only one of their majors.

Ryan said some are associating the rising trend of double majors as a growth in students’ desire to receive another credential, while possibly putting aside their true passion of study by restricting electives.

“Many students confuse quantity with quality,” Ryan said.

Wiley said double majors should be neither encouraged nor discouraged. On one hand, she agrees that different fields will open up options for students. However, she believes students will find themselves constricted to only those two areas, without leaving much leeway to explore other options.

Senior Stefanie Resnick, who works at the Career Exploration Center, said she is aware that graduate schools and employers are not concerned with the number of completed majors. However, she is double majoring in sociology and English because it was convenient and many of her credits met requirements for both majors. Otherwise, she favors having one major and using the extra credits to take something interesting.

Katharyn May, school of nursing dean, said that within some fields, like nursing, double majors can be helpful.

“Graduate schools in nursing do look favorably on double majors because leadership positions in nursing and health care make great use of preparation in other disciplines,” she said.

Martin Cadwallader, graduate school dean, also favors double majors.

“I think that the increasing popularity of double majors is a good sign,” he said. “It means that students have a greater breadth of experience and perspective, and it also gives them more options when applying to graduate school.”

Mixed signals about whether double majors are in place to help or hinder a student’s academic record have left UW students with an unclear understanding of how one should best prepare for life after undergraduate school.