These days, I like to introduce myself as a bioinformatician, but the truth is that being a bioinformatician is a relatively new thing for me, not to mention that I still didn’t get my master’s degree. I did, however, get two bachelor’s degrees, one in biology and the other in biotechnology. I didn’t enroll in a formal dual degree program but in two separate ones. Right off the bat, you might ask yourself – why on earth would you study two subjects that sound almost the same, Anna?!? Well, they are not the same, but that is a topic for another post. This post is about the advantages of such an educational path.
1. Dual Degree, Dual Knowledge
The main thing that I appreciate about the crazy double-degree journey is the fact that I feel like it broadened my horizons and gave me a bigger picture of biology. For instance, I see it when it comes to discussing gene editing of any sort, let it be plants or humans. Individuals with backgrounds in biochemistry, biotechnology, or molecular biology often emphasize the technique’s potential benefits. In contrast, biologists will support the idea too but be less enthusiastic and emphasize the environmental aspects. This diversity probably stems from the varied curricula associated with each field. While studying biotechnology, you will be taught more about the fine details of metabolic pathways, but will most likely miss out on the bigger, ecosystemic picture.
2. You Learn to Work Efficiently
A dual degree causes you to have a lot extra, if not double, the work that you’d have while pursuing just one degree, forces you to learn how to work efficiently. You either meet all the deadlines, or you’ll never graduate, it’s that simple (and terrifying at times!).
3. You Start Forgiving Yourself
Surprisingly, this academic journey taught me one of life’s invaluable lessons—forgiving oneself. Now hear me out: “You’re not a robot and can’t do every single thing perfectly”. You won’t always have the best grades, you won’t always pass exams on the first attempt, and you won’t always know all the answers. Yes, it would be great if it was like that, but unless you’re a prodigy, I have bad news for you. The beautiful thing is that this experience allows you to develop a sense of understanding for yourself. You realize that you’re capable of a lot, but you also learn your limitations, and that’s a powerful thing.
4. You Become Self-Reliant
In a perfect American movie depicting you as the main character, you’d be a cute slightly messy girl who always has perfect hair, grades, and a group of friends willing to help her. I kind of like those movies, but they cannot be further from the truth. You will likely often miss classes and good luck finding that “always willing to help” group of friends. Most of the time it will be you and your mirror image that looks more tired than you expected. This situation really forces you to become very independent. It is also a great problem-solving exercise as you usually have so many assignments due, that you need to learn to complete them fairly quickly.
5. You Save Time in the Long Run
There’s not that much philosophy here, if you do two degrees one after another and each takes three years to complete, you’ll end up studying for six years. If you do them at the same time, it takes three years. Painful and sleepless three years, but just three of them. 😉
These were my five pros of pursuing dual degrees. I’ve discussed the cons in a separate article. These are not some wishy-washy articles written by someone who never lived it, but real observations coming from my own experience. If you’re contemplating dual degrees or have questions and doubts, please feel free to share them in the comment section. I’m here to provide answers and guidance. 😊
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Until next time,
A.
