Just curious, is history considered an uncommon major for college applicants?
How does the answer affect you?
It’s not uncommon.
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I am just curious. Why I am curious? Because we constantly hear about liberal arts subjects like French, History, English, however very rarely do I see students on this forum actually intending to major in these fields. So, I suppose there is no actual correlation with the commonly intended majors on here and in the real world? @T26E4
History degrees are about 2% of all Bachelor’s degrees awarded. Compare that to Education degrees at about 6% and Business Degrees at about 20%.
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??? Surely there is some self-selection going on…this isn’t really a place where future welders / plumbers / beauticians / chefs congregate. But “no actual correlation”? Perhaps “very small sample size” would be more accurate.
@bodangles Well those professions usually don’t go to a 4 year university, so I don’t expect to make any conclusion about those profession, but for academics I’m pretty sure its essential to go to college for credibility, especially in history.
@JustOneDad So would you say History is an uncommon major on par of French, Asian Studies, etc?
Twice as many History degrees as all foreign languages, literatures and linguistics degrees combined.
Six times more History degrees than Physics degrees.
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@JustOneDad So it’s not uncommon? I want to major in Physics myself, but how come no one ever says “oh that’s an uncommon major/it will boost your admissions chances”?
These may be of interest:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/05/09/310114739/whats-your-major-four-decades-of-college-degrees-in-1-graph
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_313.asp
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Physics wouldn’t necessarily boost your chances because of the high level (level being academic ability or something similar) of physics applicants as well as its difficulty. Besides, from the graphic given in post 8, it seems like every major, save for business, is “uncommon.”
History on some campuses ranks as one of the most popular humanities majors. Other popular humanities subjects include psychology, political science, English, and communications. There are probably plenty of graduates roaming the earth with history degrees. It is not an uncommon major for law school applicants, for example.
I wouldn’t personally recommend indicating a major for college applications based on perceived scarcity, unless you truly have an interest or passion for the subject. Admissions committees at competitive schools sift through tons of candidates. If they sense an application is overly calculated or insincere regarding major or other pursuits, it may not play well.
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Physics (or anything else) doesn’t really boost your chances as much as some very popular majors reduce your chances. If a particular major is more competitive because everyone wants it, it’s going to be harder to get an admission declaring that major.
I agree with JustOneDad. For example, some people are being closed out of impacted majors at some University of California campuses – too much demand, not enough spaces. I think the best policy is to excel in one (or more) areas as much as possible, and be sincere and passionate about those interests during your application process. If you happened to be an outstanding physics candidate, and that is truly your passion, then let that passion shine in your applications.
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@anhydrite I have a true passion for Russia and its history/culture, and Europe in general. I intend to apply as Russian Studies (or Russian major) and Physics major wherever possible. Physics is my first major because of its more practical nature. I really like Cornell University, it has an amazing physics program and I love its rural setting. I am quite sure I want to ED there, the problem is they no longer offer a Russian major. Because my passion for Russia is big part of my “identity” (I’m sure my teachers will be mentioning it in their recs), I am afraid it will be lost to Cornell, as they will think its silly I am applying to Cornell, when they only have minor in Russian. I was thinking I could make this connection better with a History major (which I do enjoy greatly) with a concentration in Eastern Europe or perhaps that is foolish idea as well? Advice is greatly appreciated!
Now I remember you from another thread asking about your Russian interests. What I honestly think is that you are becoming overly concerned with presenting the “perfect” impression on your applications, and not concentrating enough on the substance. The most important thing you can demonstrate on applications to competitive schools is your aptitude in your academics. Since you intend to cover both physics and Russian, that means that you must really cover your bases in science, math and humanities. You already have your work cut out for you.
I am more familiar with the German department at Cornell, which has a strong tradition, than Russian studies. I think it was covered in your Russian thread that Russian as a department wasn’t eliminated at Cornell; even if it was shifted, I don’t think there would be any problem at a major institution like Cornell – it said (a few years ago) there were thoughts that some Russian may be housed in Comparative Literature eventually, which is also strong. In any case, no: it won’t be lost on Cornell. Rather than trying to persuade the committee via departmental proposals, I think you should simply state what your primary interests are, and have your recommenders back those up.
I think you may be trying to second-guess and outmaneuver the admissions committee at Cornell. If so, bad move. I suggest as above: be sincere about your passions, intellectual strengths and curiosities. Once you matriculate at an institution, you will take appropriate courses in whatever department they are housed in. If you feel you have a shot at ED Cornell, and go with that, you could perhaps mention a faculty member or two who are working in areas that speak to your interests – that would take precedence over a potentially confusing departmental proposal. But this would need be sincere and concrete; don’t just pick people or study areas out of thin air to impress the adcom. It won’t work.
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What happened to the Russian major at Cornell? It has always been strong.
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With 6 students majoring in it when it was eliminated, “strong” would not be the adjective I’d use.
http://cornellsun.com/blog/2010/05/06/russian-program-faces-upheaval/
“Strong” means I know graduates and they have had good preparation. Maybe the faculty responsible for that…passed on.
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http://russian.cornell.edu/ indicates that Cornell still has courses and a minor in Russian, but not a major.
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As Anhydrite pointed out, applying for a major- except for universities where you have to select a “school” (such as arts, engineering, etc)- in the hopes of improving your chances of admission is not a good gambit. Most competitive schools won’t take it that seriously, because of things like this:
http://borderzine.com/2013/03/college-students-tend-to-change-majors-when-they-find-the-one-they-really-love/
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/does-the-college-major-matter-not-really/?_r=0
http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/2013/06/disconnect-choosing-major/
https://www.â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– /blog/declared-vs.-undeclared-which-is-better-on-a-college-application