The names have been changed, but the questions are real...

Q: Should I choose a minor that's very similar to my major, or one that's completely different?

A: Excellent question, Marjorie. Your college may have some guidelines about minors, so take a look at your handy catalog before you go any further. For example, if you major in Biology you may be locked into a Chemistry minor, and majoring in Romance Languages may automatically sign you up for a minor in Linguistics... or maybe you're majoring in Psychology, and your college requires you to minor outside the social sciences. So Step One: Learn the rules. Step Two: See how far they'll stretch to accommodate your interests.

At its worst, a minor is like a bunch of socks: You end up with a collection of items that are all similar to one another, but won't really take you anywhere. With a little creativity, though, a minor can be like a perfectly tailored outfit...complete with accessories.

Here's an example. I know a student who loves theater, but is pretty sure she's not going to end up making a living as an actress. To complement her English major, she designed a minor in Theater Administration: an acting course, a costume design course, plus courses in marketing, accounting, and basic web design.

She was able to show the administration that these courses fit together as preparation for the kind of career she dreamed of - and she got her plan approved.

So best of luck putting together your minor ensemble. As Tim Gunn says on Project Runway, all you have to do is "Make it work!"

TAKE COURSES JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO. Open your mind to things that may not relate to anything in the future. Don't fall for the tyranny of "career thinking" and take courses just because they may further a career. I took a painting course while majoring in economics. It used my brain in a different way and added a really fun and interesting dimension to my studies. I also met great people whom I would have never met otherwise.

BARNARD COLLEGE

BEFORE I WENT TO COLLEGE one of my high school teachers and mentors told me, "Don't let your classes get in the way of your education." I understood what he meant at the time, but didn't truly appreciate it until much later. One of my advisors always said, "Leave things better than you found them." I still hold this with me to this day and try to apply it to all that I do.

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

TAKE A VARIETY OF COURSES. Something inside tells you where to go and you need to follow that feeling. If you don't follow that feeling, you're going to run into some real trouble.

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, STEVENS POINT

Does all this "minor" stuff have you truly stressed out? Remember this: You don't really need one!