Why I Recommend Doing a Minor Degree (as well as Major, obviously)?

Hi sweeties,
I hope your summer is going well, and I hope you are looking forward for whatever next step you have in your academic journey. My 1st step, as you know, is my freshman year, and today I wanted to discuss why am I planning to pursue a Minor. So, firstly, I am 95% sure, that my minor is going to be Health, Aging, and Society, and this blog post will include the benefits of having a minor, and as I'll list them, you will see my own thought process about my minor:

Before I begin, here is a definition of a Minor Degree: a degree received in university by taking 8 or more courses in a specific area

1. Unique
Surprisingly, not a lot of people pursue a minor in their post-secondary career, and if you pursue one, it will make you unique. On your job/graduate/professional school interview or any applications, you will have an additional little story to tell to the committee, and you will increase your chances of getting accepted. Having a minor will show them that you are committed to that specific area, and it will bring up your well-roundedness.

2. Minor Might be a Specialisation...or it Might Not
Lots of schools offer tens of different minor degrees, and it is your choice to choose whether it will or will not relate to your general major. For instance, for somebody who is going to pursue the Bachelor of Philosophy, The Medieval Philosophy might be considered as a specialisation, or a concentration, rather. In my situation, Health, Aging, and Society belongs to the Social Sciences faculty (whereas my major is Honours Life Sciences) and I picked it for the following reasons:
- I enjoy learning about society, health systems, health demographics, and medical ethics
- I will be a more well-rounded person and a MedSchool Applicant
- I will do better on the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI's) for MedSchool, which also test ethical applications
- I will be a better physician, since I will understand more about people's backgrounds
- I will improve my critical thinking skills
- I will be better at making healthcare decisions
If you are planning to pursue a minor within a different faculty than that of your major, make sure you choose your electives wisely in order to be able to enrol in certain courses to pursue the desired minor. Start planning your courses before 1st year!!

3. Plan B
So, in case your major is not going to be exactly what you want to do in life, you can of course switch it....or you can keep it, as well as keep the other doors open. For example, if someone is unsure whether he/she wants to pursue Law or Medicine in the future, that person might major in Law, but minor in sciences. That way the Med Schools' prerequisites will be covered, and of course the ones for Law School. The person might even double major (but that is a little harder, as you won't have a lot of room for electives).  

Good Luck!