How Can I Specialize In Two Different -but related- Areas

Question

I am a freshman math major. I am very excited to be in university because I want to be a scientist, researcher. I have interest in different areas like sociology, economics, artifical intelligence, neuroscience etc.. I used to think that I can specialize in just one area then I have heard about a professor named Richard Bagozzi and I loved his career because he publishes papers in different areas such as economics, sociology and psychology. What should I do in my college life to be able to make research in more than one area? I am waiting for your advices, thank you.

Answer 1

It is too early for you to commit to a final field of study. It is good that you have a lot of interests and the opportunity to learn some things about many of them. Studying math at a liberal arts college, as I did, or at place that otherwise permits a broad education is a good way to build up a body of interests, any of which you might later decide to focus intently on. But you don't need extreme focus yet.

Your interests are likely to change, at least a bit, in the coming few years. Wait until you have more knowledge and experience before committing too deeply to any one area.

A note on math. A professor of English once told me that studying math gave me an almost perfect education, since the university also required those other subjects you mention, and more. Had I studied, say, sociology, instead, then my education would have missed something (logical, mathematical, computational thinking) that I wouldn't get otherwise. He was, of course, measuring against an Medieval notion of an "educated person." An educated person has a lot of opportunities. Strive for that.