I am currently a Sociology major and would like to go into Clinical Social Work after attending Grad School. How important would it be to have a minor in Health, Medicine, and Human Values? I know it looks good on paper, but does it really make a difference when Grad Schools and Interviewers are looking at it?

4/20/2008 3:47:37 PM

whats ur gpa?

4/20/2008 3:54:18 PM

I will graduate with a 3.0 or above. My major GPA is 3.6 right now.

4/20/2008 3:57:38 PM

how will your minor in health, medicine, and human values relate to your desired choice of clinical social work?

sounds like if you do good enough on that test you gotta take to get into grad school you prolly dont have to get the minor...but i mean i am a big fan of minors myself(business)

ok anyways thats all the advice i have

[Edited on April 20, 2008 at 4:22 PM. Reason : oopsy]

4/20/2008 4:00:50 PM

I have always been advised that you should develop your resume with experiences that are meaningful to you-- not what you think someone else might like to see. Some of my most meaningful experiences throughout my college career are also the most "unrelated" to my next career path (medical school) but I have developed personally and professionally by leaps and bounds because of these experiences and thus, they will be the topic of my interview discussions etc...

As I prepare to graduate, I'm looking back at all the areas I didn't get to study-- whether its a foreign language, a science, or just something that interests you thats you don't get a chance to study through your degree audit. This should be the kind of reasoning you use to choose a minor, not something that "looks good on paper". Because once you finish undergrad, your choices are limited for studying a broad range of disciplines. You might not have the chance again.

4/20/2008 4:52:24 PM

my dad always told me that minors were nothing...you don't get a plaque for having one that you can put on your office wall or anything. if you dont have that, no one cares. make it a major, that's what he told me.

4/20/2008 5:55:50 PM

^ There is more to an education than just placing a plaque on the wall. Whether someone "cares" if you have a minor or not shouldn't be the sole deciding factor for choosing to study another discipline.

4/20/2008 8:38:00 PM

^^no one sees my diploma that's hanging up on a random wall

its not like i take it with me and pull it out of my pocket to show to people at job interviews and random outings with friends and colleagues where I brag about my qualifications and skills...

[Edited on April 20, 2008 at 8:54 PM. Reason : asdfghujkl]

4/20/2008 8:54:03 PM

It will really not make a difference (I would probably get it if it's not any extra burden to do so).

What they really care about is evidence you can handle grad work. This is demonstrated through gpa, your gre scores, letters of recommendation, and writing samples/letter of purpose.

4/20/2008 9:05:03 PM

I don't have a plaque for graduating... But I do have a major diploma AND a minor diploma.
I say a minor is good, because if anything you gain a wider breadth of knowledge. I have a sociology minor and it's helped tremendously with the social aspects of work, as well as in my current studies of communications.
Plus, a minor shows you're not a one-track student, you've got a wider field of knowledge, but you're able to stick with a topic through many classes, not just "oh, I'll take animal science for shits and giggles, then maybe jazz band."

4/20/2008 9:42:27 PM

Minors mean approximately dick for employment purposes. However, they can mean a lot for personal enrichment. If your minors are "freebies," you can show that you are well rounded.

4/20/2008 9:44:31 PM

^depends on the minor and the field you're wanting to work in

4/20/2008 10:11:26 PM

why not contact a recruiter or a company within the industry and find out? there may be specific skills/knowledge within the minor that is useful or will distinguish you from others. best to go straight to the source and see what they say.

it really kind of depends on the minor and career (like others have said) but at the very least it will show some ambition, and you never know when you might need a slight edge over some other qualified candidates.

4/20/2008 11:38:28 PM

Quote :

"my dad always told me that minors were nothing...you don't get a plaque for having one that you can put on your office wall or anything. if you dont have that, no one cares. make it a major, that's what he told me."

a lot of people will tell you that double majoring is equally wasteful. They says it's better to take those extra classes and finish 1 degree early and then go to grad school or to do an accelerated masters program.

4/20/2008 11:53:08 PM

how will your minor in health, medicine, and human values relate to your desired choice of clinical social work?



I want to do clinical social work in a hospital setting, basically I could graduate early without the minor, or finish on time with it.

4/21/2008 1:05:35 AM

^ I would just go straight to graduate school then especially if you're footing the bill for college.

4/21/2008 1:13:22 AM

I've known some employers that--ceteris paribus--view the absence of a minor as a sign of laziness. Again, this is some employers. And I'm not saying it's the correct thing for them to be doing. I'm just saying I know for a fact that it sometimes happens.

You may benefit from pursuing a minor that may seem unrelated, such as philosophy, for example. This type of study can help you with the way you think. Or you may want a minor that more directly supports your chosen discipline.

You could also consider some type of business management minor. I mean, who knows? You might be called upon to run a clinic someday. Even if you're not, business courses can't hurt:

Quote :

"Students who fulfill the requirements for the undergraduate Minor in Business Management will gain an understanding of the language and basic concepts of business. Students will have an understanding of the fundamentals of economics, financial accounting, and three or more business disciplines (finance, human resource management, information systems management, marketing, operations management) chosen by the student."

http://www.ncsu.edu/advising_central/minors_desc/bus_mgmt.html

In any event, the minor you listed seems like a good choice to me in support of the sociology major:

Quote :

"The minor in Health, Medicine, and Human Values offers students an opportunity to critically assess a range of issues that are fundamental to the health of individuals as well as of society. From such an understanding, students as citizens will be more adequately prepared to meet these challenges in both private and public arenas."

http://www.ncsu.edu/advising_central/minors_desc/health_med_human.html

With the facts I have, I would recommend that you go for it. But do check with your advisor to make sure that you won't have any issues with your electives.

Good luck.

[Edited on April 21, 2008 at 4:01 AM. Reason : .]

4/21/2008 3:59:23 AM

I got a minor in Environmental Science, I only needed two additional classes b/c all the rest overlapped with my major. I just did it to say I have a minor...I mean, you gotta do something to distinguish yourself to an employer, and it wasn't really anymore work.

4/21/2008 7:42:49 AM

I was two courses short of a math minor. I just took a bunch of math classes for all my electives since I was a CSC major and thought they would be beneficial and next thing I knew, I almost had a minor. I would have had to gone an extra semester to get the minor. I was ready to go out and get some real world experience so I didn't bother taking the extra classes especially since one was some worthless 200 level into course that would have provided nothing of benefit to me.

4/21/2008 10:22:17 AM