Freshman Morgante Pell recently stirred up the NYUAD Room of Requirement Facebook page — the online student forum for frequently asked questions — when he asked whether there were any students doing a triple major at NYU Abu Dhabi. The seemingly inoffensive question asked by a young freshman quickly developed into a debate on the pros, cons and feasibility of Pell’s request.

“It’s not that I want to triple major,” explained Pell, “It’s that I want to major in computer science, major in political science and major in economics.”

Juniors and sophomores alike debated the importance of double majors for their career paths, academic interests and study abroad and, for the most part, discouraged the idea. An NYUAD junior commented with a very long analysis of the possibility of a triple major and finished by saying to follow your preferences and your heart, but to follow your common sense as well.

For Pell, it is common sense to triple major since the classes he chooses already fall into those majors every year. He plans to study abroad in London and Shanghai and believes he can find a way to finish all three majors.

As a liberal arts institution that values a well-rounded education, it comes as a surprise to students that the university does not encourage double or triple majors across disciplines.

“You would expect the university to help you in trying to create a combination of those basic majors to get you to a better position in terms of education,” said freshman Rasha Shraim. “We’re at the world’s honors college for a reason.”

Charles Grim, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, explained the reasons why the university does not promote double majors.

“The real beauty of a liberal arts institution is to be broadly exposed to subjects, and as students try to do two majors, or three majors, then their ability to tailor their curriculum to their own interests and their future plans is very limited,” said Grim.

Although some students are generally interested in every required and elective course per major, they may also miss out on taking courses in a wider array of subjects in order to complete a requirement.

“If you are interested in economics and history, by all means study economics and history. But don’t worry if you cross every t and dot every i to get both majors,” explained Dean Grim.

Of the class of 2014, 25.5 percent of the future seniors have chosen to do a double major spanning a wide array of subjects. Junior Erin Meekhof was pursuing a major in Biology with a concentration in Brain and Cognitive Science when her fifth choice for January term, “Designing Abu Dhabi,” opened her eyes to graphic design and her passion for the visual arts. By combining the two majors, she hopes to help communicate science through design.

Although many of the double majors were planned, a few students expressed that they counted their credits in their junior year and found that they could add another major. Junior Jade Borgeson was surprised to learn she is now one course away from double-majoring in both Political Science and Social Research and Public Policy.

“I was curious as to what the various classes would add up to in the end when I started to realize that almost all the extra classes I had taken lined up with Political Science,” she said.

Although she could finish the second major easily, Borgeson is not convinced she will take the extra course. After finding an SRPP elective in global health, Borgeson decided to take the class that may give her better insight into a prospective career path.

Many students believe double-majoring may help them find a job easier, but Hazel Raja, Director of the Career Development Center, explains that “there is not much data out there that states that those who double or triple major will be more competitive in the job market.”

“Ultimately,” Borgeson said, “do what you want to do, do what interests you and do what you think will develop you most, because that is most likely what your employer will think will develop you most as well.”