<p>It my not be that history (or some humanities) has so much “lost pull.” But that more kids, from an earlier age (hs) are thinking toward STEM. And that most kids don’t get a real high school workout in econ or govt/public policy, come to college and develop that focus. And, according to my historian friends, right now there may be an ebb in what new projects a history major could undertake (ie, ground breaking research, after the basics.) As one put it, for his sub field, “Right now, all that can be freshly said, has been researched and said.” So the most ardent go interdisciplinary. In some of his own work/teaching, DH moved into some social sci perspective and some natural sciences.</p>
<p>And, it’s not enough to say, they have this % or this number in humanities- in some cases, the drive is to get male humanities kids who will stick.</p>
<p>As for the 5000 remark re: Yale. We’d have to know what that 5k means- totally unqualified, dreamers, incomplete apps, etc? Because, I don’t think, out of 30k apps, 25k make it past first cut. Not all apps from kids who seem to have the stats, have the true, more complete, holistic attributes a most-selective can demand.</p>