Major choice and strategic positioning

[Anonymous]

A kid who will potentially end up double-majoring in, per your example, biology and Asian studies is still taking up lots of resources in an oversubscribed major. The difference from someone who is a straight bio major is a couple more filled seats in an Asian history class. The situation for a computer science and humanities double major is even worse.

A cursory examination of most kids’ applications will make clear if this undersubscribed major kid (sincere interest or not) will easily switch to or double major in an oversubscribed field.

The issue then is — or should be — not so much showing a real interest in an unpopular major, but in likewise demonstrating a complete lack of interest in an oversubscribed major(s). College admissions can be a slow turning boat, but admissions officers will catch onto this nuance pretty soon, if they haven’t already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From another post, how many senior parents (or their paid college counselors) evaluated the benefits of applying to different majors strategically for T25 selective schools? Or other junior parents: how are you thinking about the below?

For example, your kid was interested in a major in arts & sciences like psychology or maybe biology. But because bio is oversubscribed and psychology is a more common (soon to be oversubscribed) major, and the kid also showed a real academic, personal, and EC interest in Asian American history (LOR from history teacher, school's history club, special project or paper, national history day stuff, personal family tie, etc.), then did you have your kid apply for what would have originally been a 2nd or 3rd choice (Asian American Studies) as the first choice/stated major (knowing that in arts & sciences, you are generally free to move around)?

I understand you can't "fake" this. But I'm talking about a non-STEM kid interested in 2 or 3 majors in arts & sciences. If your kid considered this, did you research how many majors graduate each year from these majors for each of your reach schools? Assuming competitive stats and rigor obviously which is always the first bar.
1. And what was the outcome in REA/ED and RD?
2. What worked and didn't work for your kid?
3. Did you look at all of the Tableau or college raptor data for each college's graduating majors to figure out which majors are "undersubscribed"?
4. Any resources you might suggest?

https://www.berkeley2academy.com/single-post/...college-applications

You are gross. That’s all. Feel sorry for your kids’ contrived lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A kid who will potentially end up double-majoring in, per your example, biology and Asian studies is still taking up lots of resources in an oversubscribed major. The difference from someone who is a straight bio major is a couple more filled seats in an Asian history class. The situation for a computer science and humanities double major is even worse.

A cursory examination of most kids’ applications will make clear if this undersubscribed major kid (sincere interest or not) will easily switch to or double major in an oversubscribed field.

The issue then is — or should be — not so much showing a real interest in an unpopular major, but in likewise demonstrating a complete lack of interest in an oversubscribed major(s). College admissions can be a slow turning boat, but admissions officers will catch onto this nuance pretty soon, if they haven’t already.

OP here:

All good food for thought. But I want to challenge your assumption.

If you just don’t list any of the other “oversubscribed” ECs/interests? I mean, that’s why it has to be authentic. You really have to have a demonstrated interest in the undersubscribed major evidenced by activities, LOR, essays.

My kid is a senior and got some advice from a kid a few years older from the same high school now at Stanford. She is a computer science major now, but got into Stanford with “history” listed as 1st choice major. She didn’t list one computer science EC on her activities list because she was so super involved and well rounded that she had plenty of humanities extracurricular and in-school leadership. But she knew getting into college as an Asian computer science girl at Stanford was impossible. Had national accolades in history as well.

That girl is now majoring in computer science and minoring in history. She might also be doing something with digital humanities I think.

Anyway, is that wrong? These schools are asking you to contort yourself and create a compelling “narrative” for them anyway. If all of this is true, you’re just hiding parts of yourself, how is this wrong?

Mind you my kid isn’t interested in any of these 3 majors that I originally mentioned. I’m using this as a hypothetical because I don’t want to out their true interest, but it is 100% not related to stem CS or engineering. All arts & sciences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From another post, how many senior parents (or their paid college counselors) evaluated the benefits of applying to different majors strategically for T25 selective schools? Or other junior parents: how are you thinking about the below?

For example, your kid was interested in a major in arts & sciences like psychology or maybe biology. But because bio is oversubscribed and psychology is a more common (soon to be oversubscribed) major, and the kid also showed a real academic, personal, and EC interest in Asian American history (LOR from history teacher, school's history club, special project or paper, national history day stuff, personal family tie, etc.), then did you have your kid apply for what would have originally been a 2nd or 3rd choice (Asian American Studies) as the first choice/stated major (knowing that in arts & sciences, you are generally free to move around)?

I understand you can't "fake" this. But I'm talking about a non-STEM kid interested in 2 or 3 majors in arts & sciences. If your kid considered this, did you research how many majors graduate each year from these majors for each of your reach schools? Assuming competitive stats and rigor obviously which is always the first bar.
1. And what was the outcome in REA/ED and RD?
2. What worked and didn't work for your kid?
3. Did you look at all of the Tableau or college raptor data for each college's graduating majors to figure out which majors are "undersubscribed"?
4. Any resources you might suggest?

https://www.berkeley2academy.com/single-post/...college-applications

You are gross. That’s all. Feel sorry for your kids’ contrived lives.

I’m sorry you feel that way.

I have a senior who is waiting for RD results. I also have a junior and thinking through the things we could have done differently. I’m not sure if this year is an outlier or not, but I am learning a lot in the process And realizing everything is not as it seems.

Did not use a college counselor for the current child in this cycle, but will definitely have one for the next one. You learn not to be so naïve after you’ve gone through the process.

[Anonymous]

Encouraging my son to major in Latin at a top school. He’s a 4.0 UW gpa at a rigorous school, but a white male with very meh ECs. Hes going to do a dig in the Middle East over the summer, and is volunteering at a museum to try to boost this faux niche interest. He’s going to end up in graduate school, likely for law, anyway so his undergrad major (if it was not going to be science regardless) does not matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Encouraging my son to major in Latin at a top school. He’s a 4.0 UW gpa at a rigorous school, but a white male with very meh ECs. Hes going to do a dig in the Middle East over the summer, and is volunteering at a museum to try to boost this faux niche interest. He’s going to end up in graduate school, likely for law, anyway so his undergrad major (if it was not going to be science regardless) does not matter.

Where in the middle east? Is it safe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many highly-selective private universities do not admit by major within the Arts & Sciences school. The choice is the school, such as A&S, engineering, business, nursing, and sometimes other random schools like education or communications/journalism.

But don’t they consider it? They can’t have a whole class of Bio or Econ majors?

At least that’s how it was explained to us by a private college counseling firm as it relates to private T25.

Sure you’re not admitted to a major and nobody will hold you to it. But they are looking for evidence of whatever you list. And you’re typically compared to others who also list that same major. So you better have all the “stuff” - awards, ECs, classes and more showing evidence for major.

Yes, they absolutely still consider it in building a class. They don’t want a class with 80% psychology or economics majors, for example. If the kid is truly equally (or close to equally) interested in both areas and has activities and LOR to back up both, then you may want to make the decision independently for each school. It’s not a magic bullet but it could help at a particular school if they have a skewed applicant pool in terms of interests. This isn’t gaming if the kid actually wants to study both. It’s just playing to strengths.

[Anonymous]

I know many people who did this successfully.
Classes, obscure languages/cultural "studies," even English departments are dying on the vine nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Is this why on the Instagram posts the private school kids have majors like English or anthropology or migration studies and all the public school students have math or science majors, computer science or engineering?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this why on the Instagram posts the private school kids have majors like English or anthropology or migration studies and all the public school students have math or science majors, computer science or engineering?

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A kid who will potentially end up double-majoring in, per your example, biology and Asian studies is still taking up lots of resources in an oversubscribed major. The difference from someone who is a straight bio major is a couple more filled seats in an Asian history class. The situation for a computer science and humanities double major is even worse.

A cursory examination of most kids’ applications will make clear if this undersubscribed major kid (sincere interest or not) will easily switch to or double major in an oversubscribed field.

The issue then is — or should be — not so much showing a real interest in an unpopular major, but in likewise demonstrating a complete lack of interest in an oversubscribed major(s). College admissions can be a slow turning boat, but admissions officers will catch onto this nuance pretty soon, if they haven’t already.

OP here:

All good food for thought. But I want to challenge your assumption.

If you just don’t list any of the other “oversubscribed” ECs/interests? I mean, that’s why it has to be authentic. You really have to have a demonstrated interest in the undersubscribed major evidenced by activities, LOR, essays.

My kid is a senior and got some advice from a kid a few years older from the same high school now at Stanford. She is a computer science major now, but got into Stanford with “history” listed as 1st choice major. She didn’t list one computer science EC on her activities list because she was so super involved and well rounded that she had plenty of humanities extracurricular and in-school leadership. But she knew getting into college as an Asian computer science girl at Stanford was impossible. Had national accolades in history as well.

That girl is now majoring in computer science and minoring in history. She might also be doing something with digital humanities I think.

Anyway, is that wrong? These schools are asking you to contort yourself and create a compelling “narrative” for them anyway. If all of this is true, you’re just hiding parts of yourself, how is this wrong?

Mind you my kid isn’t interested in any of these 3 majors that I originally mentioned. I’m using this as a hypothetical because I don’t want to out their true interest, but it is 100% not related to stem CS or engineering. All arts & sciences.

I read what you wrote because you said you wanted to challenge my assumptions. But I don’t see any assumptions that have been challenged, so maybe you should reread my post. I will say that I am sure a cursory examination of the now Stanford student’s transcript would probably have identified her as a possible or likely candidate for “switching.” That is not something Stanford was likely looking at then; maybe they are looking at that now. In any event, it is only a matter of time before elite schools wisen up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many people who did this successfully.
Classes, obscure languages/cultural "studies," even English departments are dying on the vine nowadays.

+1

[Anonymous]

I know a family whose kid similarly applied to Stanford for an undersubscribed major -- with a sincere interest in that subject, but no intention of majoring in it. Kid graduated from Stanford with a CS degree and is now at a big tech firm.

FWIW, my child did not do this. They felt like it would be fake at best and lying at worst. They are a senior now and have several good schools to choose between (not Stanford or equivalent, though), with more to hear from in RD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A kid who will potentially end up double-majoring in, per your example, biology and Asian studies is still taking up lots of resources in an oversubscribed major. The difference from someone who is a straight bio major is a couple more filled seats in an Asian history class. The situation for a computer science and humanities double major is even worse.

A cursory examination of most kids’ applications will make clear if this undersubscribed major kid (sincere interest or not) will easily switch to or double major in an oversubscribed field.

The issue then is — or should be — not so much showing a real interest in an unpopular major, but in likewise demonstrating a complete lack of interest in an oversubscribed major(s). College admissions can be a slow turning boat, but admissions officers will catch onto this nuance pretty soon, if they haven’t already.

OP here:

All good food for thought. But I want to challenge your assumption.

If you just don’t list any of the other “oversubscribed” ECs/interests? I mean, that’s why it has to be authentic. You really have to have a demonstrated interest in the undersubscribed major evidenced by activities, LOR, essays.

My kid is a senior and got some advice from a kid a few years older from the same high school now at Stanford. She is a computer science major now, but got into Stanford with “history” listed as 1st choice major. She didn’t list one computer science EC on her activities list because she was so super involved and well rounded that she had plenty of humanities extracurricular and in-school leadership. But she knew getting into college as an Asian computer science girl at Stanford was impossible. Had national accolades in history as well.

That girl is now majoring in computer science and minoring in history. She might also be doing something with digital humanities I think.

Anyway, is that wrong? These schools are asking you to contort yourself and create a compelling “narrative” for them anyway. If all of this is true, you’re just hiding parts of yourself, how is this wrong?

Mind you my kid isn’t interested in any of these 3 majors that I originally mentioned. I’m using this as a hypothetical because I don’t want to out their true interest, but it is 100% not related to stem CS or engineering. All arts & sciences.

Not impossible. My Asian male prospective CS major was admitted to Stanford this cycle stating exactly who he is and what he plans to study.

[Anonymous]

Had national accolades in history as well.

Really now? What would that be, as a high school student.

Do not say "published research."