Should I pick up a minor?

@Lkid: May I ask, why Russian? What are your goals for employment?

Well, I don’t necessarily have a particular career in mind at the moment. I guess I like the idea because it opens a lot of doors, especially regarding the government. I do have a general idea though, I like government jobs, traveling, and I am also interested in law. Also, russian because with my poli sci degree I need to take a year of a foreign language anyways, and thats what I am taking at the moment. Plus poli sci backed up with russian just sounds hard core. I can brag I read Marxism in its original language.

Any foreign language will help. If Russian is what you are interested in, I’d say go for it. If you don’t do it now, you may never get the opportunity again.

I agree with jonsblond. Go for it while you still can!

I’d check into whether those credits can count for both your foreign language requirement and your minor first. Thirty credit hours is usually two semesters and not two quarters, so again I’d check.

The Communist Manifesto was originally written in German.

If you’re thinking of doing it just because you love the idea then I’d say go for it. If you’re doing it because you think it could help you with a government job or getting into law school, I’d ask an adviser at the law school you’d like to attend or someone who can answer your questions about the type of government job you’d like to get.

If it’s not going to derail any plans or job opportunities then forge ahead. I’m also not sure it would help with getting you into law school though.

Poli Sci backed up with Russian does sound “hard core” – good for you!

Damn, well so much for Marx lol. And yeah you can fit 15 credit hours in 1 quarter, we go on quarters here at OSU so its a little different, and the credits do count toward both, there would be about 25–30 I would have to take in addition to pick up the minor though, out of like 50. And also, I know russian has nothing to do with getting into law school, which is why this isn’t so clear cut for me. But law school is just 1 of several options for me.
Oh and thanks so far for your answers guys, keep em coming :D

A lot of law schools like you to study something other than just poli. sci. these days. So, it can have everything to do with getting into law school. That’s why I think you should talk to an adviser at the school where you’re even thinking about going. They may be able to suggest something that would interest you. Cheers!

If you are thinking government job, I might go with Arabic. They are desperate for it.

If your entire purpose is to try and wait out the bad economy, or to defer your loans a bit, twenty credit hours in Russian is not going to be enough to make any sort of difference. Nothing will, really. The economy is going to be awful for many many years now, so you might as well graduate now and try to find any job and start paying back those loans. And if you’re thinking about law school, you’re going to have massive debts anyway, so I’m not really sure what you’re trying to accomplish with this move.

Usually people think about adding minors on when they are still in the program, and have the ability to do an extra class throughout the years they are there, so it’s rarely a burden. I have never once heard of someone who purposely put on a minor so close to graduation, and I really can’t recommend it.

If, however, you truly want to learn Russian, by all means go for it. Learning languages is much easier when we are young.

Agreed, you shouldn’t try to wait out the bad economy. There’ll always be good and bad times and in the service-level trades (except Academia) there’s a consistent demand for talented and intelligent people. The other way to look at it is that you gain this time to even work part-time or contract and start knocking off your loans now, rather than losing this time.

While I hated school (I worked at the same time) I think acquiring a second language is one of those few things that you can only get with spending a lot of time in concentrated learning before working full-time and it’s very much worth it. But only if you’re interested in it and you feel it can add to your desired career possibilities in the future. French or Mandarin I’d say give stronger practical possibilities but I feel like you specifically chose Russian in which case go for it.

Have you maybe thought of even teaching/studying where your language is practised? (Russia) You can either earn money as an English teacher or study and maintain your student status. It’s superb experience for a poli-sci student and will greatly improve the language acquisition process.

With political science, a minor in any language would make you even more competitive on the job market, at least if you plan to use your poli sci degree to do something related to poli sci, haha. It also depends on what you’re interested in or what you plan to use your degree for. I’m a poli sci and women’s studies major, and I plan to work for a non profit in women’s health issues, so my minors are sexuality studies and English (writing). Just think about what you want your future/dream job to be, what they would probably look for in a job candidate, and then go for that.