Best schools for a history major?

[Anonymous]

Vanderbilt, UNC, Wisc, UCLA, Berkeley, Texas, Virginia

[Anonymous]

The best school he can get into and afford.

[Anonymous]

My lord it’s a history major. There are a million programs. Just have the kid go to the highest ranked non-STEM focused school he can get into, and the history department will be better than fine. Just don’t borrow money to send him there.

You are way overthinking this. Way.

[Anonymous]

He will have to compete with all the students masquerading as History majors who will immediately switch to CS or engineering the moment they get accepted. Our school has quite a few of them. You can immediately spot them because they apply for their "true" major to the state schools where you cannot switch easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My lord it’s a history major. There are a million programs. Just have the kid go to the highest ranked non-STEM focused school he can get into, and the history department will be better than fine. Just don’t borrow money to send him there.

You are way overthinking this. Way.

OP here. It took me one minute to type out the question and 2 minutes to read the replies. I think I had the time and effort to spare.

[Anonymous]

I think any large university is probably going to have a good history department. Is there any particular historical era/geographic region he’s interested in studying? If so, you could probably come up with some targets that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He will have to compete with all the students masquerading as History majors who will immediately switch to CS or engineering the moment they get accepted. Our school has quite a few of them. You can immediately spot them because they apply for their "true" major to the state schools where you cannot switch easily.

Hmm. OP here. Kid attends a private and has taken (or will take) all history electives including an honors history research/seminar class as as senior. His classes and extracurriculars do not support a stealth switch to a STEM major.

[Anonymous]

Small highly ranked universities

[Anonymous]

OP: The study of history can be done at almost any school. The smaller the school, the fewer history professors and fewer courses & specialties offered.

I was a history major at an LAC of over 2,000 students, but under 2,500 students. The faculty was small and the courses offered were basic and not very exciting to me. I wish that I had attended a large university as I was interested in much more than just US history and I wanted courses taught by different professors who could offer different perspectives. The study of history is easy--just requires reading and analytical thinking. In order to experience a better education than my small school offered, I often bought and read additional text books on my own.

Truthfully, the study of history can be self-taught using standard textbooks and additional books of interest to the student.

My best advice: Go to the university with the largest history dept. that you find. Small schools are too limiting. Also, consider double majoring. History and economics/business or history & a foreign language. Surround yourself with the brightest, most intelligent peers and professors that you can. Find an environment that works for you. If you prefer a small school setting, then examine the courses offered in your intended major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He will have to compete with all the students masquerading as History majors who will immediately switch to CS or engineering the moment they get accepted. Our school has quite a few of them. You can immediately spot them because they apply for their "true" major to the state schools where you cannot switch easily.

The above is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Michigan honors. Amazing contact with professors and huge selection of classes.

[Anonymous]

UC Berkeley has an amazing History department. It’s very small (50-75 kids in undergrad) so lots of small seminars and the chance to get to know your thesis advisor and top-notch grad students very well. It’s a nice major for such a huge school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My lord it’s a history major. There are a million programs. Just have the kid go to the highest ranked non-STEM focused school he can get into, and the history department will be better than fine. Just don’t borrow money to send him there.

You are way overthinking this. Way.

OP here. It took me one minute to type out the question and 2 minutes to read the replies. I think I had the time and effort to spare.

You spent one minute too much.

[Anonymous]

Davidson, Haverford, Tufts and Swarthmore

[Anonymous]

As an off the beaten path option, maybe he would be interested in St. John's College?

https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate