Hello!
First, I’d like to apologize if this is in the wrong thread, I don’t really know where this fits.
Some quick background info: I’m currently a rising junior in high school. If you’ve seen my past posts, you’ll have realized that I’ve been planning on majoring in science for quite a while. This is probably due to my involvement with the science olympiad community (been apart of it since 6th grade). I’m also interning at a lab in a nearby college.
I became involved in a project recently and took on the role of social media manager. After this, someone helped me realize that perhaps I liked science because I enjoyed marketing. After all, I was in charge of social media for another organization and in charge of managing the science olympiad club’s online presence as well.
Now, I’m fairly certain that marketing is something that I want to go into, but I’m already a junior and all of my major ecs deal with science. It simply wouldn’t make sense to see on my college app that I am a prospective marketing major.
What can I do to show colleges that I had a change in thinking and want to be a marketing major instead of a science major?
Is it too late to join business clubs?
Why wouldn’t you simply describe your revelation just like you’ve described here? If you explain what made you realize this and how you’re acting on this new interest, that would make sense.
A great app doesn’t have to be a linear, neat package. Colleges are interested in learning about your journey and why you make the choices you do, how you think, how you’ve grown, what you’re doing with your new knowledge, how you interacted with others. Sometimes those things happen in unusual activities or ways. That’s OK.
PS - the clubs you join are not even a factor. It’s what you do both inside and outside the clubs that counts. Join a business club or don’t, but it’s what you actually do that will matter. Most applicants don’t get this.
@milee30 Thank you so much for responding! This definitely helps calm my stress levels a bit. I haven’t yet looked at how college apps work, so do you mean describing my revelation in my common app essay?
@CheddarcheeseMN Unfortunately, I’m completely booked through the school year. I have a few other ECs, but my major points that I planned on having for college apps were my lab internship and my scioly achievements. Hence why I’m pretty worried. Thanks for your input though and please lmk if you know of any other way that I could show colleges my new interest!
No, not exactly. I mean that you’re misunderstanding what colleges are looking for on the app.
I’m assuming you’re applying to holistic selective colleges, so my answer is geared for that. If not, tell us where you’re applying. Anyway, many applicants think that to be admitted to Top College XYZ program they have to show that they’ve been a consistent prodigy in X, Y and Z and that they are admitted based on how many X, Y and Z clubs and activities they’ve done.
For most programs - and marketing is one - what I just described is not what colleges are looking for in their holistic review.
Instead each of the colleges has certain characteristics they’re looking for and they review your app looking to see if you demonstrate those things. An example is “intellectual curiosity”. They’re not necessarily looking for X, Y and Z clubs, they’re looking to see that your activities and the way you describe your work shows that you were curious and explored learning. See the difference?
So what if you don’t have many marketing activities? You can show that you’re an intellectual explorer who is curious, who seeks new information and adapts your next exploration to encompass what you’ve learned. You can show that you are growing as a person, discovering new interests and that you’re looking forward to expanding your knowledge even more at their college. You’re fired up, you’re ready to learn and primed to grow. Isn’t that a lot more compelling than just listing all your X, Y and Z activities?
I literally LOL’d when I read your post. Based on the title, I thought this would be written by a 60 year old. At 60, it’s too late. At 17, you have your ENTIRE life ahead of you.
Also, for the most part, colleges don’t care what you want to do for your career. They care about what kind of student you are and what you will contribute to their campus culture. They care more about what you want to study than what you want to be when you grow up (exception for vocationally oriented schools/majors).
Jumping in here. On the common app you list your ECs (activities) which include clubs, sports, jobs, etc. You get a brief sentence or two to describe each one. So you can emphasize your marketing / social media roles in your science clubs in those descriptions. Voila – your interest is now clear!
You can also possibly work it into a common app essay, but only if you can do so in a personal way. Don’t just say things about what you want to major in or do with your life. That’s too generic for a good college essay. Instead, the common app essay needs to provide a revealing glimpse of who you are and what makes you tick. It needs to show who you are in a way that the rest of the app can’t. For example, describe a ‘small’ moment in your life or something meaningful that happened as an entry point into a larger point about what you’ve learned about yourself and what’s important to you.
Now some colleges have supplemental essays where you are invited to elaborate on an EC or interest and that would be a very good way to showcase your interests more.
Remember that on your application you don’t just list the clubs you joined (or you shouldn’t), you talk about what you did and how you demonstrated leadership, creativity, and initiative while participating in those ECs.
So instead of writing “Member of science club for 4 years”, you would write “Social media manager for Science Olympiad. Olympiad participant for 6 years.”
I agree that talking about your revelation could be a terrific essay topic but it doesn’t have to be. Just phrasing your EC descriptions in a way that shows your interests will be enough.
Some colleges admit by major and math/CS/science programs are often very competitive and popular. If you apply to any of these colleges, make clear that you really and truly are interested in marketing and aren’t trying to back-door your way into the STEM majors. For most schools though, it’s not going to be an issue.
By the way, there are a bunch of marketing jobs in tech where your interest in science will be well rewarded.
Too late??? You are in HS. Your HS and college years are about doing just what you are doing – expanding your horizons and starting to figure out what path you want to take. If you have a sense of what you love as a HS junior that is early in the game. Your life is not defined by your HS ECs. Keep doing what you enjoy.
As others noted when listing your ECs you should mention the roles you have taken on. If you have time to join a business related club that is fine and it may benefit you to learn more about business but don’t stress about it. Your essay could be about how you switched gears and found your real interest but wait a year and see if that is the story you will want to tell. Perhaps next summer you could look to do something in your new area of interest.
Don’t worry. All Ds ECs were tennis, religious related activities and art. She majored in math. She is getting a PhD in theology. What you like will change but good advice above on how to package what you have done to a different end. Remember that things like marketing and journalism are skills that can be applied to many areas. There are successful journalists who didn’t get a journalism degree - instead majored in political science, economics or STEM and therefore were able to write about it on a deeper level. Same with marketing/social media. If you have in-depth knowledge of a STEM area, you are more valuable as a salesman or marketing person because you really understand it. If you still enjoy science, you don’t have to turn your back on it - it’s not all or nothing.
I agree with the other posters that you have the makings of a pretty compelling college essay topic.
No, it’s not too late to join a business club. Or stick with what you’ve got if you like it. Keep up with both interests and present yourself as a future publicist for the STEM fields.
Colleges are going to see how far you’ve got with science (Olympiad, lab experience - excellent resume, BTW!) and they’re going to infer that you will be equally successful with anything else you put your mind to. In this case, marketing. Best of luck to you!
Marketing and science are closely related. Technology is revolutionizing the space. Why not look at it from both sides and have the best of everything. Being in marketing doesn’t mean a retail job although that’s perfectly good too. Facebook google Apple and amazon are marketing machines wrapped around tech. Understanding why people want or will purchase things is brain science. So much to explore.
