How I Got a Triple Major at Duke University

This is how I got a triple major at Duke University. I also answer common questions about majors: What's it like to triple major? How do you plan your college majors? How useful is a triple major? Should you get a double major or triple major? Is it even worth it to triple major?
This is a great resource for those of you who are in college and high school and are curious about any of these questions.
I'm Dennis Ling, a current healthcare software engineer and Duke University alumni. Subscribe for weekly content: / @dennisling
Duke resources: duke.edu/
Music: www.bensound.com and Patrick Patrikios

[@HeyitsFong]

Triple major and minor here! I take 25 units a quarter since winter quarter of freshman year. I work 20 hours a week and part of a few clubs. I honestly have a great time in college. Before COVID I partied Friday and Saturday nights and went to day parties on Sunday but I did study about 20 hours every weekend. Im planning to finish two of the majors by the end of this year and finish my other two by senior year. Honestly it’s possible to triple and have a fun social life.

[@dennisling]

Thanks for sharing your experience :)

[@dubizingler1548]

I see it as school just harder, but nothing that we weren't used to

[@karatechap555]

You are an asian parent's dream

[@thrillseeker5825]

How many years did it take for you to complete a triple major

[@HeyitsFong]

@@thrillseeker5825 plot twist. I opened up a cafe during my third year of college so I finished in 3 years (and 6 weeks) with a BA in communication, a BS in psych and brain sciences, a minor in Chinese, and a certification in business communication and law.

[@caroliner.9388]

Finally, someone who doesn’t just say “it’s hard so don’t do it” like??????? That kind of attitude rots my braincells, I swear. Thanks for the video! Very helpful :)

[@dennisling]

Thanks Caroline! :)

[@karatechap555]

Bro, I hate it when smart people do that. Like, might as well just stfu instead of discouraging people.

[@jameshizon4861]

Triple major with 3 computers...1 for each major lol

[@BenTacoCatBen]

Bro thats two monitors and one laptop lmfao

[@Duar1503]

@@BenTacoCatBen facts

[@PhoenixBlaze153]

Awesome dude Triple major here Doing Physics, Math, and Econ. It gives you the most structure really. The more structure you have the more organized you can be with your free time. Pretty good if you’re a planner

[@ranar6319]

oh my god, I was going to comment if it was possible to study engineering, physics, and economics. so how many years did you take to graduate? and how many credits per semester have you taken ?

[@kitn2507]

@@ranar6319 did you get any answers from somewhere else, because i am quite interested in doing something similar

[@ranar6319]

@@kitn2507 After a lot of self searching on Google I have found that it is possible if the school itself allows like Purdue and Tulane university. So if you want to triple major you will need 170 credits approximately to graduate. Amd if you want to graduate in 4 years then you will probably take 21+ credits per semester which is equivalent to 7 courses and that's a bit challenging as the normal taken courses per semester is 4 or 5.

[@Victoria-cl5of]

Wow! I had no clue it was possible to TRIPLE major. I was originaly double majoring (Criminology and Spanish) but didn't want to exceed my limit when having a Spanish minor was just the same as a major.

[@erenparla3869]

thanks for this video man, this video inspired me to organize my plans for college more thoroughly

[@foodie_oboist]

Just wanted to add that this is not possible at every school. My small college did not allow classes to double count unless it was explicitly required for both majors. If major A required class C or D, and major B required class C or D, you could not take class C or D to fulfill the requirement for both majors. You would have to take class C *and* D. Also, since my school was small (a pro in other ways), classes did not always run every semester or even year, which makes planning more difficult. Throw in professor sabbaticals and small departments into the mix, and it's much harder to plan to ensure you can take everything in time. If your proposed schedule is so packed with little flexibility, having 2 classes meet at the same time and conflict could be the end of the plan. Flexibility is incredibly important in college, and in life. Many people change their majors at least once, and that's ok. Life never goes according to plan, but sometimes it works out for the best. Sure, you can plan to double or triple major, but don't stress about it too much if it ends up not being possible. A lot of learning that happens in college takes place outside of the classroom, so embrace the overall experience of learning and growing as a person. One last thing I want to mention is the opportunity to study abroad or do a co-op. Depending on your school, study abroad can vary from rare to common. It can shape a lot of people's lives. Make sure to choose a reputable program if you do want to study abroad, because a lot of support is needed to live and learn in another country. Domestic exchange programs are also a possibility. Don't be so laser focused on double or triple majoring that you exclude other valuable opportunities. Like Dennis mentioned, work experience is very important for finding a job post-graduation. Doing a co-op for credit during the school year is a great way to get work experience. Some people get job offers from their co-ops as well. There's also opportunities to study abroad and get work experience (internships) during the summer.

[@dennisling]

Thank you for adding all that extra detail - definitely all great advice!

[@joshpetit8298]

Great video man! I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties during your senior year, but being able to push through that and accomplish what you have is awesome! Looking forward to more!

[@dennisling]

Thanks Josh!

[@trudyzou9576]

Some really good tips, thanks for the video!

[@dennisling]

Thanks for watching, no problemo

[@gruweldaad]

If I had planned better, I could have triple majored in Political Science, Spanish, and French. At the beginning of college, my dream job was to be a press secretary for a United States Senator. Lo and behold, I graduate with only the degrees in Political Science and Spanish and decide to work in the private sector. I had spent a semester studying in Paris, so I was good at French, but now in my job, I so wish I had completed that triple major because my French would be much stronger. My other degree is mostly irrelevant to to my day to day work now, but I still work with companies that operate mostly in French or Spanish. There is much more "direct" work available for graduates with a Political Science background, but don't ever let someone tell you that a foreign language degree is useless. If you actually learn to speak the language well, it might just serve you better in your career than the program you think you will follow when you're 18.

[@sparrowsthoughts8351]

Truly a gifted one and super smart! 👍❤❤❤

[@ZergfireOTL]

Great quality video! :) Looking forward to more videos!

[@dennisling]

Thanks Jerry!

[@Jane-kh7rd]

Great video looking forward to more!

[@dennisling]

Thank you :)

[@christuohy9074]

Wow congrats man. Don't think it's actually as easy as you make it out to be but dang

[@dennisling]

Thank you man

[@Brickswol]

9:10 More depth of knowledge in my particular field is why I’m deciding to single major in aerospace engineering. Hopefully get into my schools accelerated master’s program and possibly a PhD after that. I was considering minoring in robotic systems but the amount of prereqs required, I might as well double with mechanical engineering. Since I know that I specifically want to work in space propulsion systems, it just wouldn’t make sense to do that. Maybe I could justify doubling with Engineering Physics, but Idk. I just want to be an expert in my field for the sake of science. I don’t care so much about having the degree. The degree is like a right of passage into the industry. Great video, I enjoyed your perspective.

[@dennisling]

Thanks! I think it definitely makes sense to concentrate on your particular area if you know that's what you want to do.

[@usmleck7000]

Great video , please keep it up 👍

[@dennisling]

Thanks 👍

[@hannahmarie3275]

I am waiting for my third major to be approved. And that is one thing my advisor told me. I would not be able to stray from my area of study’s so I could use my electives for other required courses that do not overlap which I am actually okay with!

[@hannahmarie3275]

My majors overlap! I am majoring in criminology centered in criminal justice and political science and international and global studies with a minor in legal thought. One of my political science classes for the fall knock out a history requirement, a political science requires and even a criminal justice requirement! :)

[@dennisling]

I hope your major is/was approved! Best of luck!

[@KMMOS1]

Good job maintaining an honors GPA while completing a degree-packing triple major in STEM subjects. In the next years, while you work, I suggest you broaden your horizons, course-by-course, with PATH subjects (philosophy, arts, theater, history) to extend the depth of your economics interests. I graduated in economics, philosophy, and political science from one college, and accounting and information systems from another, and I am almost done with a BA in English creative writing. Quality of life is enhanced with wider major exposures, and helps keep life priorities in order. Hours working at offices need balance with enjoyments. I hope you find some for yourself, whatever their subjects. I'm considering music theory and composition for keyboards and guitars as completely new, brain-altering alternatives to academic challenges. Good luck.

[@dennisling]

Cool to hear your story and thanks for the advice!

[@soulsofwar8985]

I want to do machine learning/AI. Currently double majoring in math and cs, but thinking about adding a third major for statistics. Just emailed my advisor about the possibily. Luck has my side though and my CS advisor is also the stat advisor at our school and also used to be the math advisor. Literally the best advisor for my situation lol

[@dennisling]

Hope you heard good news from your CS advisor! That's a difficult set of majors - wish you the best of luck :)

[@soulsofwar8985]

@@dennisling Did heard from my CS advisor! She finds it really fun to be able to help me figure out a unique and different path from most other people lol. I am doing really good in school so she isn't particularly scared of my GPA or anything dropping too much!

[@zzzzzzzjsjyue2175]

That’s what I’m considering doing for a triple major right now I’m already doing math cs

[@Jessiemats]

Thank you!

[@dennisling]

Thank you!

[@pastaq4186]

Great story Dennis. Why did you choose healthcare when you could have easily entered investment banking (i.e. algorithms)?

[@dennisling]

I have a personal stake in healthcare having spent about a year of my life in-and-out of the hospital. It's particularly meaningful for me to work in the healthcare space!

[@alassansaine]

I am currently double majoring Bsc.Mechanical Engineering and Bsc. Computer science. It takes a lot of time management and discipline.

[@ThinkingBoutMusic]

Did you have to write 3 Bachelor-Theses? I'm from Germany and unfamiliar with your system, but here I did two full Bachelor degrees (in Maths and Computer Science) which did have a lot of overlap as you said, but I did have to write two complete theses and having to write 3 sounds like a lot of work :D

[@ivanahmed6588]

Kann man überhaupt in Deutschland ein Doppelstudium absolvieren, weil ich mir momentan überlege, ob ich das nach dem Abitur machen sollte? Respekt dafür, dass du zwei stabile Studiengänge abgedeckt hast. 💪

[@ranar6319]

he only got one degree.

[@gruweldaad]

Most American universities don't require any thesis to get a bachelor's degree. People who do them tend to plan on going to graduate school.

[@jinae2323]

This is great. Thank you….

[@dennisling]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@lucariosklaw0567]

Hello Dennis, where can I view the necessary classes for my planned majors and where can I check how many credits each class gets me

[@dennisling]

It should be on your college website somewhere

[@Thatmattdoe]

Got my Architectural Degree, currently working on my Science and Engineering Degree, and praying to get a Construction Management degree in 2 years. AEC Industry baby.

[@rewinaaddis1982]

Thanks men, and what major do u recommend me? I wanna to be investment banker or anything at wall street am thinking to take business, economics and computer science. So Could u tell me what u recommend? And does it make any difference at the tuition when u triple major?and congrats man!!!

[@Doritos-ik5eu]

2/3 of your majors are garbage. The only parts in any biz/econ degree that are useful are Heavy Math and Accounting and MIS. Unless you know you want to be a CPA which is a waste for CS / Quant Finance because accounting is being automated and acts as a feather in a cap for Quant Finance. I would say if you want a double / triple major do the following: 1) Check the unit cap on aid and see if you can afford to take on private student loans or if the school will force to graduate you. Do not take too many units or else you will be cut off. 2) See if the three fields have any overlap or fit with your career goals. 3) Check if your major is actually useful or is worth the price. Business and CS is a good combo but completely unnecessary even if you plan to work on accounting / business software since CS would be good enough on its own. CS and Econ is a little bit better since economics uses R modeling and coding to make economic models, but you are not going to work as an economist unless you plan on getting a Masters / Phd or else you are just wasting time that can be spent on learning Data Science, Big Data, Computer Science, and High level math. 4) There is no reason to fill your schedule with worthless business / liberal arts courses as it would hurt you with worthless courses that are devoid of any technical skill unless your biz / econ department is one of the few schools where the connections are good. In that case use the biz department for the network, but not for the classwork. The degrees are too general. 5) Triple majoring will likely tank your gpa. Even worse if you are taking a subject you have no interest in because then you might have to spend more than 4 years in college and will likely not finish due to needing a loan. 6) Both of these majors imo are bad as a standalone and taking it with CS ruins your chances to develop projects on the side. Removing CS for two non STEM lowers your chances of getting past the HR filter and you will need to work twice as hard to get into the filed. The problem with Business degrees is that they will give you a generalized idea of business, but is very shallow as a whole. Economics on the other hand is interesting but has zero practicality outside of graduate school. If from a good college economics can be a very good degree. 7) Pair CS with Math, Physics, or anything STEM instead it is far more useful than undergrad business because they will provide a foundation for a Quant Finance, Operations Research, Actuary, or Data Science jobs along with anything else in business that is high paying.

[@sluggaming4577]

I’m interested in Medical Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Mathematics, with a minor in Health Services Administration. Generally speaking, I don’t like to say triple majoring is hard, but I feel as though I’m probably looking for too much?

[@SalimatouDiallo-ri6zy]

You not! I just switched to Chemistry, computer science and physics with a math and French minor. I know it’s gonna be hard but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to. I felt the same as you till I talked to my advisor yesterday and she told me “if you think you can do it, do it. Stop worrying about looking for too much”

[@graphsakpirunnumtuk]

I wish I could do like this in my home country. Thai education ministry allow college students to get only one major and one minor. There are no double or triple major in Thai universities.

[@kiky.mp4]

Indonesian universities don't even provide undergraduate minors... SEAMEO needs to work on these issues ASAP.

[@nycto16]

@@kiky.mp4 Same in Pakistan but we have arranged double and triple majors means... you can't choose your second or third major by your own choice... universities has already made set of double or triple majors. And we don't have any minor system.

[@404TRUCKERTV]

Good job!

[@dennisling]

Thank you!

[@kingarth0r]

I could probably triple/quadruple major but like I'm just gonna do graduate courses.

[@rewinaaddis1982]

Do u start triple major straight out of highschool???

[@dennisling]

Yup!

[@enihil7713]

How many credit hours did you take per semester?

[@dennisling]

I took the regular amount, which was four classes per semester.

[@zander4658]

I'm thinking of Triple Major for college, that is 1 Master and 2 Bachelor degrees, limited minors. Worth it? Pros & Cons? 1 of the Bachelor above could actually be 1.5 Bachelor degree... idk yet!

[@dennisling]

It definitely depends on your situation and what you want to do after you graduate. Does your intended career track require you have the Master & Bachelor degrees? How much benefit would they give you, and what would you have to sacrifice to get them?

[@zander4658]

Well I'm looking into work from home more likely especially with larger salary along the computer route, perhaps supercomputing, AI, hardware wise too. Though I'd like to see the financial side of this general business too. I can definitely multi task different areas. For the 3rd major, possibly related above depending what subjects are in philosophy (bach to phd) depends, but this is a more personal major and my favorite subject. And I don't feel like taking it after the 2 majors. Definitely not for legal, or religion purposes, maybe psychology but it be more in education... And its not about having a PhD in philosophy or doctor title at all!!

[@zander4658]

Thanks for your reply!!

[@josem3474]

I am thinking about majoring in biology, public health, and anatomy because I want to have a good resume so I can become a anesthesiologist

[@levibeam100]

Just be careful with this. Med school is VERY tough to get into. If you can’t maintain a 3.5+ GPA, it doesn’t matter how many majors you do. If you’re not completely confident you can keep that up, I would suggest going down to two majors or possibly even one. If med school is your only goal, and you have no other career interests; it might be worth it to only do one major and make sure you get a 4.0. Obviously you’re an above average intelligent person, because you’re even thinking about doing 3 majors in the first place. But just remember that Med school doesn’t care if you double major in electrical and chemical engineering(my point was to pick two difficult majors), if you have a below average GPA usually it doesn’t matter. Now there are a lot more variables than GPA. Like MCAT score, volunteer work, extra curricular activities, etc. So it’s not something as cookie cutter as I’m saying, but just keep that in mind. I mean, it’s possible to not get into med school with a 4.0 GPA. It just depends on a lot of factors, but GPA and MCAT score will be the first thing they look at. And without scores high enough, they’ll just throw your application away. This is not to discourage you by any means, but just my advice. Good luck with everything :)

[@deloresbrown4753]

Try quadruple majoring

[@donniemoder1466]

I don't know how useful an economics degree is. I think business or accounting or marketing is a related degree that is more practical in having a prosperous career.

[@dennisling]

Thank you!

[@paulm1143]

Merci

[@_quixote]

Yeah... I'm just gonna stick with double majoring.

[@veebhushah9667]

Same bro 😎

[@baby8834]

What about time?how can i life

[@Leuonia]

U never talk about the process of how getting a triple major is possible with the staff and stuff

[@nocommentary4796]

Is it possible to become a Magna Cum Laude for a Triple Major?

[@redvelvetcakeYUM]

Never heard of this in all my life. Wow. Are you a Guinness book record holder?

[@shishirvasanth8509]

Can you have a life with triple major?

[@dennisling]

yes sir

[@maystify5174]

Was your GPA harmed because you triple majored?

[@dennisling]

Yeah, I definitely could've taken easier classes rather than my major requirements if I didn't triple major

[@anarchy5369]

@@dennisling What was your worst grade and in what course(s)? How many of those grades did you receive?

[@lethabobambo9433]

As soon as he said he gets 8hours of sleep 😂, I was like fvck it I’m doing this shvt 😑

[@dennisling]

Lol! Good luck!!

[@bibi9984]

How old are you

[@dennisling]

I'm 24

[@bibi9984]

@@dennisling how did you completef all majors at young age. Can you give me a tips So, i can you completed second major and third major with in one or two year

[@dennisling]

@@bibi9984 I completed all three majors in four years of college. I planned out and took all the required courses as I mention in the video. :)

[@musakgoete6071]

quadruple majors.....lol... some people are given more time than others.

[@devinotero1798]

Not possible with the stems😅

[@viktoriyaanissimova5871]

I'm a triple major in physics, biology, and chemistry + minor in mathematics and genetics (at least) as those align well with the majors. I would not say it is impossible, just may require more time. But there is a lot of overlap between various fields that enhances your knowledge greatly. I am extremely passionate about quantum chemistry and molecular organization and the three majors help explain a lot of "Why?" and "How exactly does this work?" questions. If you just do one, then a lot of times things are skipped over or just taken for granted, which is not the best in terms of developing good problem-solving skills. (Ex: quantum phys. describes wavefunctions, the derivations, and the actual physics (why) of quantum mechanics, and then quantum chem. provides you with an application of these principles to orbital theories and etc.). I would assume majors like compsci, engineering, economics, and others have the same principles. For example, majoring in economics, advanced mathematics, and compsci would be so useful in the current world of technology and financial market overlap; fintech etc.

[@sluggaming4577]

@@viktoriyaanissimova5871 I’m assuming you are shooting for research level status…? At least I hope, because those studies are dangerously broad.

[@gunfyjndr3204]

​@viktoriyaanissimova5871 this is so impressive!! I would've loved to know more about it!

[@deloresbrown4753]

Im gonna quadruple major. I don't care about a social life. I don't need a life, just as many majors as I can

[@Nemarh]

How did it go? What'd you do it in? People always tell me that people who do a lot of majors show off and degrees mean nothing. 😐

[@justinkim7199]

Duke makes it so difficult to triple major!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@dennisling]

ok justin

[@e2hawk21]

NO ONE CARE SRSLY LOL WE DO CARE OR AT LEAST OUR PARENTS CARE