Does an unrelated minor look bad to employers/grad schools?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the implications of pursuing a minor unrelated to physics for students currently studying physics. Participants explore whether such a choice would negatively impact future employment opportunities or graduate school admissions, considering both theoretical and practical perspectives.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that a minor unrelated to physics may not harm job prospects or graduate school applications, as employers primarily focus on the major.
  • Others argue that while employers and grad schools may not directly penalize students for unrelated minors, time spent on unrelated subjects could detract from physics/math studies, potentially impacting applications.
  • One participant notes that having a minor in a complementary field, such as art for optics research, could be advantageous if framed well in personal statements.
  • Another emphasizes that education should primarily serve the student's interests rather than solely aiming to please future employers or academic committees.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no clear consensus on whether an unrelated minor is beneficial or detrimental. Some agree that it may not hurt prospects, while others caution about the potential trade-offs in time and focus.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention personal experiences and varying perspectives on how unrelated minors might influence future opportunities, highlighting the subjective nature of the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering a minor in a field unrelated to their major, particularly those studying physics or related STEM disciplines, may find this discussion relevant.

Shukie
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I'm currently getting my bachelors degree in physics. I have the option of doing a minor at either my own faculty or any of the other faculties of the university. I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I think doing something completely unrelated might be fun. Will it look bad to future employers/grad schools if I don't fill it in with physics/math courses though or do they not look at it?
 
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Shukie said:
I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I think doing something completely unrelated might be fun. Will it look bad to future employers/grad schools if I don't fill it in with physics/math courses though or do they not look at it?
Your minor can never hurt, so long as you don't get miserable grades because of it. Some interviewers may love your minor being something in the liberal arts 'cause it may show good communications skills and personality, but the guys in HR vetting the resume are basically just looking at your major. Grad schools are much the same; generally you don't get penalized for not taking stuff above and beyond your course requirements, but get bonus points for taking stuff that'll enhance your major/research 'cause it shows you're really serious and passionate about it. There's also the whole complementary opposing major to think about; if you're doing a lot of optics research, an art major with a photography focus may be cool-just sell it on the personal statement/cover letter.
 
Shukie said:
Will it look bad to future employers/grad schools if I don't fill it in with physics/math courses though or do they not look at it?

Employers don't care. Grad schools don't care directly about it, but it can mildly hurt you if being really interested in something other than physics/math takes away time from physics/math. However, you might want to do it anyway. The fact that my undergraduate program had large amounts of CS and social science in it *did* mildly hurt me when I applied to grad school, but it was *incredibly* useful once I got out.

Remember that your education is for you, and not for your future employers and future grad school committees. Trying to set things up so to please employers and grad school committees so that this is the most important thing in your education is a seriously, seriously bad idea.
 
Thanks for your replies, I've decided that I'll just pick whatever seems most interesting :)
 

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