Will my minor affect grad school admission?

[cje312]

Hello,

I am currently an undergrad aiming for a B.S in Physics and a minor in Space and Planetary Sciences. I have only had the chance to take one astronomy class towards my minor and I am wondering how much a minor is considered in grad school admissions?
My end game is to continue on through grad school with a focus in Astrophysics. Completing a minor would not add to my duration of school, but it would add quite a few extra classes to my course load while taking my 400 level Physics courses (not to mention add more to my tuition bill and it would be nice to save a little bit of money).

Thank you for your input, my apologies if this post is repetitive.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Every little bit helps. Have you talked to your academic advisor?

 

[Dr. Courtney]

There's a bigger picture than you can really share here: GPA, PGRE, research, location, recommendation letters, preferred grad schools, MS or PhD, etc.

Applying to a PhD program at a top 20 R1 Research University is a lot different from mid-tier MS programs.

 

[Choppy]

In general a minor itself is not likely to carry much weight, but the devil is in the details.

People on admissions committees will look at the courses that you've taken and how you did in them. If your minor has courses that are related to your proposed field of graduate studies - particular upper year courses - and you've done well in them, this is going to work to your advantage.