Programs Minoring in physics, conflictions with other majors and minors

[ambrosia]

So here is my story. I'm an undergraduate chemistry major as of present. Ideally, I would like to get into grad school and get my PhD in chemical physics and then get into the nanotechnology field. Keep in mind that I'm already done with all my general education courses so I only need to focus on my majors and minors.

Nanotechnology, as you know, has a lot to do with not only chemistry, but physics as well. However, I don't want to double major in chemistry AND physics because I feel that the workload would be too heavy and leave no room for my other interests. Consequently, I would like to minor in physics so I can at least have some understanding of what's going on and be more prepared for my field.

However, my top priority in college is to LEARN, not just to get a degree. I'm very interested in philosophy and music composition/piano. I want to double major in chemistry and music composition, while minoring in philosophy and physics. However, I guess my real question is do I really need to minor in physics? Will it be vital to grad school and beyond? Or will I be able to learn all of that later? I just don't want to be completely overwhelmed with work if I don't have to be. What are your suggestions on this?

 

[MissSilvy]

My first instinct is to reply that people who get into grad school for science USUALLY have one major, maybe sometimes two but I'm questioning how you think you're going to find time for undergraduate research and really getting involved in your chosen field if you're so determined to be a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. I don't know what year you're in, but you will be competing for slots in grad school against people who have made chemistry and physics their lives, not just one major out of several. Just my two cents.
If you're determined to do this whole renaissance man approach to undergrad, you don't really NEED a minor in physics to learn about it. If your major field of interest is chemistry and that's what you want to go into graduate school for, just take courses in physics that would be relevant to your interests. The problem with minors is that sometimes they have a bunch of classes that are required for a minor that may not be relevant. So you'd be wasting a class or two taking a requirement instead of a more pertinent class. And if you're worried about the minor in relation to grad school applications, don't be. Trust me, they doesn't give two hoots if you have one degree or four, they're still looking for proficiency and excellence in their own area. Period.

 

[ambrosia]

thanks for putting things in perspective. I think I'll just major in chemistry and minor in philosophy then with a few physics classes thrown in.