You got a killer final mark so naturally, you decided to do a double degree. At the time, you thought it was the ultimate ‘two-for-one’ deal; a combined Arts/Law degree would be a pretty impressive thing to brag about to family and friends after all.

But sometimes, the Ol Del Paso ad can be wrong: there are some very good reasons why ‘porque no los dos’ shouldn’t result in celebration. Having both things is just far too stressful.

Well, that’s how I felt anyway. I began my uni life completing a double major in Law and Communications. After I quickly learned that Law wasn’t the right fit, I filled in the paperwork, dropped that bad boy off my transcript and never looked back.

If you’re thinking about dropping the extra degree, don’t stress. There’s a lot of positives that come along with the move.

Here’s what you can expect.

#1 Your Parents Will Be Very Confused

It wasn’t long ago that your darling parents were fawning over your pending double qualification with glee. They probably told everyone from your grandma, to your Aunty Liza, to the nice man at the local bakery.

Sweet, yes. But super cringey now that you’ve realised the #doubledegreelyf just isn’t your jam. Stay strong while they ask tonnes of questions, give you a lecture about ’employability’ and look at you with disappointed eyes. You know you’re doing the right thing for you, and soon enough they will too.

Yep, you may need to draft an open letter of apology to your mum’s entire social network, but it’ll be worth it.

#2 You Might Lose Some Friends

We make most of our uni friends in class so once you drop one of your degrees, it’s kind of like saying goodbye a whole bunch of friends.

Of course, you’ll still see them around campus and be able to catch up with them whenever you like. But things will be different. You can no longer relate to the same inside jokes and you’ll miss out on some crucial bonding time.

Try and set up regular coffee or lunch dates, as well as keeping up with their goings-on through your socials. Friendship is easy to maintain in 2017. Or, you can invest more time and energy into some new friends from your current degree. They’ll be just as rad, and probably more aligned with your interests. Bonus!

#3 You Could Endure A Lecture From The Dean

The worst part about dropping my Law degree to focus on Communications was sitting down with the Dean and telling him I just didn’t think his profession was for me. Sorry, dude.

It was excruciatingly awkward, especially because it was the first and last time I ever spoke to him. He gave me a very stern talking to that went along the lines of, ‘Why though?’ to ‘But law is an excellent profession to follow’ to ‘There’s no turning back. Once you drop it, that’s it’.

The thing is, even though this conversation made me extremely uncomfortable, it didn’t sway me from my decision. Sometimes, it’s good to have the harsh realities laid out so you fully appreciate what you’re doing.

I ended up giving the Dean a solid handshake, thanked him for his time and made an enthusiastic beeline for the door. B-y-e!

#4 You’ll Save A Lot Of Money

Think about it. A double degree means double the cost of everything: Textbooks, resources and — you betcha — HECS debt.

If you know the extra qualification isn’t right for you, don’t wait it out for too much longer. Not only are you wasting your time, but you’re wasting a helluva lot of money. Especially if one half of that double is a top tier course like Law or Engineering that costs you a huge amount in fees.

#5 You’ll Feel So, So Relieved

You did it! You don’t have to stress and worry and feel down in the dumps because you’re not doing something you enjoy.

Instead of feeling like a failure for dropping one of your degrees, you should celebrate. You made a really smart decision for yourself by focusing on one thing you enjoy. Cheers!

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Josephine is the Editor of Uni Junkee. She always forgets to tweet at @josieannparsons.