I have been in a somewhat similar position to you. I just finished a Joint-Honours (rough British equivalent of double-mayor, I presume) degree in Anthropology and Religious Studies, and was rather (read: utterly) unsure of what to do next. I knew I wanted to go on to further study, but found so much of both Religious Studies and Anthropology interesting to the point of wanting to focus on it.

So, I ended up choosing what to do next somewhat arbitratily. I thought of all of the things I particularly enjoyed, and for which I was more motivated to actually write great essays (that is not procrastinate quite so deeply), and essentially just chose one. I know that anything from that list I’d get on great with, so I’m not sweating it. I’m glad now to be focusing on one field in particular, to the point that I can devote far more time to really mastering it.

Of course you’ll have to do the difficult job of working out how such a philosophy would apply to your situation.

Also, as Cal has written about before, once you make the step to focus on one path, you get the time to find interesting events / people related to it, and from there comes motivation, new ideas, and opportunities. In particular, I suggest you try not to worry about jobs you’ll get from various study combinations. Focus on one field, and the excellence and contacts you’ll make there will set you up much better than having a ‘perfect’ qualification to present to an organisation who don’t know you as you’ve been too hard studying to work / talk with before.

Also, regarding your interest in TEFL, that does sound like a good way to get to do some of the things you want to. However if doing it at your university is prohibiting your other studies you might consider dropping it for now, and perhaps taking an intensive course afterwards or in the holidays. That option may be a little more expensive (I don’t know how your university has things set up), but might be better for you. Do a bit of research first though; some TEFL certificates are more useful than others, and at the end of the day you need to feel able to teach by the end of it.

I hope this is helpful; feel free to email me at nyrd06rep@njw.me.uk if you want to discuss any of this further.

And after several years, I have finally figured out why this is the case: I am a perfectionist.

This is a really useful addition. Thank you for sharing. Indeed, I recently visited Harvard’s student advising offices, and they told me that perfectionism was actually one of the big problems that tackled.

I was a hard-core procrastinator in high school, NOT because I had an aversion to school work or was sidetracked by email or the TV. In my case, and in the case of several other people I know, my results when I worked on projects in advance were actually less satisfactory than when I worked “under the gun” so to speak, usually the night before the project was due. Since I only ever benefited from postponing assignments, a sleepless next day was only a small price to pay.

Now I should make it clear that the only projects I did well on when I waited to the very last second were ESSAYS. And after several years, I have finally figured out why this is the case: I am a perfectionist. Usually perfectionism and procrastination do not go hand in hand, but in my case, they always have. The caliber of the assignments and especially written assignments which I hand in is invariably extremely high.

However, my perfectionism causes me to agonize over ever word choice and turn of phrase until my essays and reflections are cumbersome and unwieldy both in size and scope. Only when I am rushing at the last minute, (and usually a fair bit tired at this time) can I turn off this aspect of my mind. When I do, my brain goes on autopilot, but past writing experience ensures that the result is satisfactory to me.

Like I said, this phenomenon only occurs with “creative” processes such as writing or designing. Although I wish I knew how to force my brain to go to the autopilot mode automatically, by experience I know that it is the pressure, sense of urgency and the mental tiredness that brings it on.

So… I guess my main question, besides a general plea for advice on my situation, is if you are a junior who is double majoring but considering dropping one BA…how do you choose?

There’s a lot going on in there! Two points, one, if you are feeling pretty overwhelmed or down about your situation, go talk to someone on campus. They’ll know your school, and it’s particular demands, well, and you’d be surprised by the relevance of their advice.

Second, in terms of your major choice, here’s my thought: it doesn’t matter which one you choose. No job is going to require either. Select the one whose remaining courses seem most interesting to you, minor in the other, and stop sweating it.