Anonymous
03/01/2025 12:58
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
The list seems incomplete, it should include business, a vocational type major
Most business majors go to state flagships not Ivy or Ivy +. The benefit of an Ivy degree is you can major in ANYTHING and still get a job at Goldman Sachs, Blackstone or KKR if you want it.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 11:33
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
The list seems incomplete, it should include business, a vocational type major
Very hard to get into Wharton or Dyson early ("Ivy and Ivy+ early admits") from our private. How about yours?
Business is way too hard these days. Humanities is where the private schools are pushing kids.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 11:24
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
The list seems incomplete, it should include business, a vocational type major
Anonymous
03/01/2025 10:05
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
Great list. But keep in mind that English and history, despite a decline the past few decades, are doing OK; their major counts are much higher than the other majors listed. Philosophy is also not as undersubscribed as many people think. History and, especially, philosophy, are also majority male.
All things being equal, with ample evidence for major, does an Archeology major at Brown or a Medieval studies major at Stanford have a better shot than Applied math or economics?
Not aware of if Stanford has decent medieval studies, though I know they have great humanities. But the answer to the spirit of your question is an unequivocal yes.
Stanford does indeed have that department.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 09:48
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:How about a male (he/him) applying for women’s/gender studies, would that provide an advantage in admissions? DS desperately wants to get into T20 and looking for any boost…
Yes, if they don’t think he is a faker — which in this case he would be. A suspected faker will have a lower admissions chance than that same applicant applying for CS.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 09:46
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
Great list. But keep in mind that English and history, despite a decline the past few decades, are doing OK; their major counts are much higher than the other majors listed. Philosophy is also not as undersubscribed as many people think. History and, especially, philosophy, are also majority male.
All things being equal, with ample evidence for major, does an Archeology major at Brown or a Medieval studies major at Stanford have a better shot than Applied math or economics?
Not aware of if Stanford has decent medieval studies, though I know they have great humanities. But the answer to the spirit of your question is an unequivocal yes.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 09:42
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
Great list. But keep in mind that English and history, despite a decline the past few decades, are doing OK; their major counts are much higher than the other majors listed. Philosophy is also not as undersubscribed as many people think. History and, especially, philosophy, are also majority male.
All things being equal, with ample evidence for major, does an Archeology major at Brown or a Medieval studies major at Stanford have a better shot than Applied math or economics?
Look at the CDS data.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 09:41
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
How about a male (he/him) applying for women’s/gender studies, would that provide an advantage in admissions? DS desperately wants to get into T20 and looking for any boost…
Anonymous
03/01/2025 09:12
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
Great list. But keep in mind that English and history, despite a decline the past few decades, are doing OK; their major counts are much higher than the other majors listed. Philosophy is also not as undersubscribed as many people think. History and, especially, philosophy, are also majority male.
All things being equal, with ample evidence for major, does an Archeology major at Brown or a Medieval studies major at Stanford have a better shot than Applied math or economics?
Anonymous
03/01/2025 08:40
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
that's maybe what they put on the IG and social media. I know DC won't put what DC applied as and will likely put "undecided" bc these ethnic/field studies can be looked down upon....
At our private, the successful Ivy and Ivy+ early admits were below - not our CCO highly recommends these niche majors too with good to great outcomes (assuming ample evidence for major):
Anthro
Archeology
Art History
Chicana/Latino Studies
Classics
Comparative Lit
English
History
Iranian Studies
Jewish Studies
Medieval Studies
Phil
Sociology
Women's/Gender Studies
Great list. But keep in mind that English and history, despite a decline the past few decades, are doing OK; their major counts are much higher than the other majors listed. Philosophy is also not as undersubscribed as many people think. History and, especially, philosophy, are also majority male.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 08:37
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Most people I know who got into Ivies went in as “undecided”.
interesting. all my kids' friends they have at their ivies had clear interests and majors from the very beginning. Some changed (out of bio or chem because no longer premed, from MechE to EE, due to interest change, from History to polysci because of interest shift but still prelaw...) but all had very specific academic interests when they started as freshmen.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 08:32
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
This. The kids interested in classics are doing A LOT of classics work in high school. It is essentially their sport and their research.
A lot of kids try to get in with classics, not as unique a move as you think.
My friend's son got into Brown as a Classics major (plus was a legacy). He'd also taken Latin all through school, studied Greek independently, participated in competitions/conventions all 4 years, and did, in fact, graduate as a Classics major (and went on to work in IB). I don't think you get much benefit applying as a Classics major if you don't have the transcript and activities to back it up.
Just a Classics major, or a double major in Classics and, say, Econ? This is a crucial distinction. If the first, he should have gotten in and all the power to him (and the legacy or like connections that got him into IB anyhow). If the latter, the school made a mistake: a double major in Econ and Classics, from a school resource standpoint, is the same as yet another Econ major.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 08:31
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
This. The kids interested in classics are doing A LOT of classics work in high school. It is essentially their sport and their research.
A lot of kids try to get in with classics, not as unique a move as you think.
My friend's son got into Brown as a Classics major (plus was a legacy). He'd also taken Latin all through school, studied Greek independently, participated in competitions/conventions all 4 years, and did, in fact, graduate as a Classics major (and went on to work in IB). I don't think you get much benefit applying as a Classics major if you don't have the transcript and activities to back it up.
+++ the family friend we know, different ivy, had a similar background, never changed the interest, and is headed to grad school in classics at an ivy. AO's can usually tell real interest.
Anonymous
03/01/2025 08:27
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
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/major-selection-is-a-major-deal-how-to-strategize-for-college-applications
Our students chose their own major and didn't attempt to game the admissions process by choosing an alternative.
Same with ours. DC24 and DC27 at two different ivy/T10 unhooked, Engineering and English, each applied with true interests, and the english kid had the slightly higher counselor-stated non-published rank and SAT(both above 1520, both max rigor in all core subjects). Sure they were at schools where they could change majors easily but who wants to game a system? Be your true self and the places you fit will accept you. With ivies many top kids do not get in but there are so many ivy-like schools in the T25 that are easier to get in and nice backups. No true top kid who applied to a good balanced list and isn't a jerk has ever gotten shut out of T25 or T10 LAC from our school. Lots go for the premed or stem majors that they love. The key is to understand where your student is relative to the high school, accept that, and have a balanced list of at least 10 schools.
Anonymous
02/28/2025 12:37
Subject: Major choice and strategic positioning
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
This. The kids interested in classics are doing A LOT of classics work in high school. It is essentially their sport and their research.
A lot of kids try to get in with classics, not as unique a move as you think.
My friend's son got into Brown as a Classics major (plus was a legacy). He'd also taken Latin all through school, studied Greek independently, participated in competitions/conventions all 4 years, and did, in fact, graduate as a Classics major (and went on to work in IB). I don't think you get much benefit applying as a Classics major if you don't have the transcript and activities to back it up.