A recent Wesleying poll revealed that 85 percent of 255 students at the University want minoring to be an option. Administrators have been hesitant to respond to student inquiries as to why the University does not offer this option, which is available at many of our peer institutions.
Although we’re not sure minors are the best fit for the University, we think students deserve a better explanation for not having the opportunity to minor. According to students on the Educational Policy Committee (EPC), offering minors would disrupt the University’s advising system. The advising system, however, is already inadequate and difficult to access. Minoring would give students a chance to pursue majors that lead to increased post-undergraduate financial security, while also allowing them to minor in disciplines that fulfill their academic and intellectual passions. Students can achieve similar results by double majoring, but this can put unnecessary stress on students. Indeed, a recent increase in the number of students double and even triple majoring has been a cause of concern for some University administrators.
But at a school whose intellectually rigorous culture often pressures students to overachieve, we’re not sure that minoring would solve student stress. If students are currently feeling pressure to double or triple major, who’s to say that if minoring is introduced to the University, students wouldn’t be attempting to double minor?
We have other concerns with the idea of minors at the University. Class registration and the drop/add period are already chaotic, and minors could further complicate the process. Currently, majors and upperclassmen get preference when trying to enroll in courses. With minors, professors would have to choose between junior majors and senior minors for the one open seat in their popular courses.
Adding minors to the University could also cause certain departments to be flooded with additional students. Professors in these departments, however, are not necessarily prepared to expand course offerings and course sizes.
While minors appear to—and do—offer many academic benefits, they will not solve major academic problems, and may cause several of their own.
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