What are under-subscribed majors?

[Anonymous]

Lots of posts refer to over- vs under-subscribed majors. Is that meaningfully different per school? If so, how does one find out what is common vs rare?

My kid has a couple of interests that are pretty different. A couple of colleges have really interesting trans discipline majors that could be wonderful for her, but they are schools with low acceptance rates. So just trying to figure out what she should emphasize as a major if that really helps (with the other schools).

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately in today's economy, undersubscribed majors are being eliminated.

[Anonymous]

Liberal arts like English, History, or languages. many non- stem or non career oriented majors. Not nursing, business or engineering.

[Anonymous]

You can use IPEDS to research particular colleges. Here are two examples:

College Navigator - Amherst College https://share.google/T94x42coAcy6WwYah

College Navigator - Hamilton College https://share.google/cRCzNFQUMRCJ0jTND

Classics, for instance, tends to be lightly subscribed.

[Anonymous]

Look at home many graduates there are for a major at the colleges she is interested in.

Colleges know kids game this - so you need to start this a year out. When you child is 1st putting their interest down for a tour for possible majors. What school they are exploring online etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can use IPEDS to research particular colleges. Here are two examples:

College Navigator - Amherst College https://share.google/T94x42coAcy6WwYah

College Navigator - Hamilton College https://share.google/cRCzNFQUMRCJ0jTND

Classics, for instance, tends to be lightly subscribed.

+1 but just putting down Classics with nothing to back it up as an interest is not likely to work for you. I know one kid who got into an Ivy as a Classics major. He'd taken Latin all through HS and participated in conferences/competitions in Classics. Also benefitted from legacy and ED.

[Anonymous]

Anything that isn't STEM or business.

[Anonymous]

If she's interested in a school because it has unique programming, that's what she should emphasize. Most elite schools (other than the UCs) don't admit by major. Showing genuine interest is better than trying to game the system.

[Anonymous]

Oversubscribed = stem (including enviro sciences and math); business; engineering; CS

[Anonymous]

Telling the unique story of how she will leverage the trans discipline - with specifics on her experiences and her future plans is more powerful than applying to an under subscribed major

[Anonymous]

depending on the school, but..

Google tells me that the most popular majors are:

Business, Health Professions (like Nursing), and Social Sciences & Psychology, dominating bachelor's degree conferrals, followed by strong interest in Engineering, Computer Science, and Education. Business is often the top choice due to its versatility, while nursing remains highly popular due to societal needs. Psychology has seen a significant rise, potentially influenced by recent events, and tech/STEM fields like Computer Science and Engineering are always in demand.

[Anonymous]

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37

second graph is for a bachelors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of posts refer to over- vs under-subscribed majors. Is that meaningfully different per school? If so, how does one find out what is common vs rare?

My kid has a couple of interests that are pretty different. A couple of colleges have really interesting trans discipline majors that could be wonderful for her, but they are schools with low acceptance rates. So just trying to figure out what she should emphasize as a major if that really helps (with the other schools).

Activities, transcript and LOR should support major selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oversubscribed = stem (including enviro sciences and math); business; engineering; CS

Disagree on the environmental science. This is definitely an under-subscribed major.

Looking through pages of instagrams posted here, private schools or public schools, I have not seen many kids declaring environmental science. Math, yes, there are quite a number of kids going for that major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oversubscribed = stem (including enviro sciences and math); business; engineering; CS

100+, expect for environment sciences.