true it would probably be a lower chance with that in mind
i am applying to it at some state schools where you admit by major if its their strongest major. im assuming id find more success at a place like gatech as a cs major than as a philosophy major, whereas i wouldnt say that for the private liberal arts schools
im not applying cs at any of the t10 schools im reaching for
There is nothing like orfe being competitive. You are not admitted by major. If you are applying for philosophy of science, you need to sound credible in that area in some meaningful way. Some of your reccs should mention this explicitly that you are very interested in this area, and I don’t believe there is a philosophy of science major.
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For CS, U Wash might be the hardest admit. It might have gotten easier as the popularity of CS has waned but they are still showing 2% on their website.
Apply everywhere for the major you want. You don’t need to game.
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do you think my profile would fit better with orfe primary major and philosophy as secondary minor instead of phil and then stat/ml?
im still debating this
It depends on what your interests are and what people will write in your behalf, and what accomplishments you have that support your claim of interest. I know kids who change their major a half a dozen times. You can even say list all these things and claim you haven’t decided, and that these are the possible choices you are considering
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i do think i fit with the statistics and optimization facets of ORFE but i dont have any inerest expressed in financial engineering
Orfe is just applied math. It is not in the math department, as they don’t touch anything applied.
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i might put that as one major option then. i think the formatting on common app is list
first choice major
minor for that major
second choice major
minor for that major
You don’t have to list any minors.
i just checked it does require you to fill out two second choice minors or certificate programs so im going to use those to kind of show the stem + humanities i think
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Be careful though. Philosophy is a B.A. option & Operations Research/Financial Engineering is a B.S.E. option. You need to clearly articulate exactly what degree(s) you are seeking at Princeton for them to assess if this is the best curriculum match for you.
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thats a good point i do remember there being a specific prompt after i selected B.A
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I don’t think that Princeton admits by major. Undergraduate students are admitted to the university as a whole, and then pick whatever major they want at some point (I think this is by the end of their sophomore year for Princeton). As such, what major you write down does not impact your chances of admissions, but it might help if whatever you select seems credible for you. The same is true for at least some other selective and highly ranked universities.
Of course for graduate programs this is very different. Graduate students are admitted for a specific major.
Operations Research, at least to me, it a very interesting field, and one where there are good jobs. I might say the same thing about applied math in general, and I do understand that not everyone is going to agree.
If you are not interested in financial engineering, then I do wonder about whether you should be looking for universities which separate operations research from finances. While OR can be used in financial applications, it can also be used in other ways. An applied math degree is another option.
Different universities will also differ with respect to the extent that they focus on applied math versus pure mathematics. Personally I found applied math very interesting, but I could not say the same about pure mathematics. I basically wanted to solve interesting and hard problems. You get to decide how you feel about the same options.
There is a very good and very important point in this sentence. The universities are looking for students who will be a good fit for them. If one school is more focused on pure math, and you are more focused on applied math, and if they pick up on this, this will impact your chances for admissions. Also, this should impact your chances of admissions since it is in the best interests of both the school and the student to find a good fit.
In general, I tell people - major over school. If you want to study CS, at schools that you need to declare, put in CS. You don’t want to put in Philosophy and have no path to CS.
In my opinion, you’re playing that wrong. Most schools are not looking for ECs to match. Athletes, kids who walk dogs at the shelter or who work at McDonalds - what major do they fit? They’ll be studying pretty much every major everywhere. There are some minor exceptions - but you don’t want to “game” - especially at schools that admit by major.
If they say no, so be it - then it wasn’t a fit. So to apply at UIUC, as an example, or U Wash, to something that doesn’t interest you is silly.
Your chance me was not done on CS. Is that the preferred major?
You need to be honest - with the schools, with yourself.
This is your life - not a game.
PS - at P, your major isn’t considered in admission, per the school.
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I don’t think you need to clearly articulate an interest. You can articulate many interests, with perhaps one interest more than others.
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What do you want to study?
If you want to study Spanish, apply for Spanish.
You are better at Towson studying what you want than UIUC studying what you don’t.
You are trying to shape for perceived rank. A school’s rank has zero to do with outcomes.
You know who has a lot of underemployment? A school you just mentioned, must higher unemployment than what you would deem run of the mill schools report.
For CS, they show a quarter of kids who want jobs don’t find them. They don’t show the timeframe - was it ad graduation or six months after? Look at some of the engineering disciplines.
Look deeper than US News or what you hear about your friends.
Find the school you want to be where you can study what you want to study.
Georgia Tech Career Survey Report: AY 2024-2025 | Office of Academic Effectiveness
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it depends on the school for me i would be equally happy doing cs versus phil and data science but i recognize that the cs program at some schools is much better htan the philosophy program so at those schools i would rather do cs bc its the better major at that school and i have little preference otherwise
It generally helps to be as authentic as possible when telling a school. They can tell. And if you think philosophy is an easier admit than orfe, that would be an incorrect assumption. You would be competing with other kids that have a strong philosophy background for a long time.
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CS leads to a direct job. Philosophy - can go a million ways but there may not be a defined path.
If you want to study both, then study both. I have no issue. But I’m calling out - at UMD or Ga Tech I’d want to study CS but at Princeton or Michigan, I want to study philosophy.
You have a preference for one or both. If both, CS is the better major because no one will stop you from doing Philosophy too - but if you enter in Philosophy, you can be stopped from CS.
But it shouldn’t be about the school. It should be about your desire.
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