hi so i’m a student who’s interested in cog sci/neuro- but there’s something i’m slightly worried about. most of my ec’s have a focus on english, and don’t get me wrong, i love creative writing and i love the field. it’s just- i’m not sure if i want a career out of it, so i’d really like to study something bio-related at college. i’ve always loved learning about bio, and i’m just as passionate about neuroscience as i am about english, it’s just- i don’t have access to the same ec’s.
when it comes to creative writing, you can write from ANYWHERE and anyone has access. when it comes to things like lab research, there just aren’t many opportunities around me. i’m worried that i might have an application that says i intend to major in “neuro, bio, cog sci” but a bunch of poetry ec’s. it might come off as unpassionate to adcoms so i’m just worried about what i should do.
one of my friends told me i could apply as an english major and it’s pretty easy to switch out at private unis, so is that true? could i have english ec’s (but a passion for stem), apply as english, and then study neuroscience at college? thanks sm.
Assuming the college doesn’t accept by major, and most don’t, you’re not committed to the major.
If the college does accept by major, don’t apply as an English major thinking you can easily switch into a competitive major, since that is often difficult to impossible. But generally, switching from English to bio at a private college isn’t an issue. Switching from English to CS at CMU is an example of things that’s not gonna happen.
Your ECs don’t have to have anything to do with your possible major. In most colleges, admission is not by major (there are a few exceptions, but I don’t think they would apply to you). No one expects you to know what you want to do for a living when you are a teenager, and no one expects you to shape your entire extra-curricular and academic portfolio around some career path. You’ll likely change your major (unofficially) several times before you actually declare, and colleges expect that (again – the exceptions are schools where you have to apply for a heavily impacted major).
The main issue here has been mentioned by others: Your ECs do not need to have anything to do with your intended major. Also, I would not expect a high school student to have access to any ECs that are related to cognitive sciences or neurosciences. I do not think that your ECs will be a problem at all.
The only exceptions that I can think of would be if you were either applying for a direct entry nursing program, or applying for a BS/MD program. In either case having medical experience up front would be valuable. However, neither of these situations applies to you.
Also, the ability to write well is useful in a wide range of careers including many careers in science. Scientific papers for example would best be written by someone who understands the science very well, but who also writes very well.
It is common for university students to change majors (particularly in the US and Canada, where switching majors is often easier than it is in some other parts of the world). How difficult it is to change major may depend upon which university you attend. Some universities (MIT comes to mind, but there are many others) do not allow you to choose your major until the end of your freshman year, and allow you to freely choose any major that they offer. At some universities you need to apply to change your major, and whether you will be allowed to switch to a particular different major may depend upon various things including how you did in your classes up to that point and whether space is available. I would not want to start at CMU or UC Berkeley as an English major and then try to switch to computer science (both of these schools are exceptional for CS and have very competitive admissions for CS).
And yes, lab opportunities are going to depend upon where you are. You are likely to find lots of opportunities to take lab courses (if you want to) once you get to university. Similarly, the opportunities to do anything at all related to neuroscience while you are still in high school are likely to be limited or nonexistent for most of us.
One daughter started university as a languages major and switched to biology at the end of her freshman year. She needed to first get permission to take “biology for biology majors” as a freshman, and then get permission to switch majors. She also needed to take four lab course at once sophomore year. None of this turned out to be a major problem for her. However, I think that it might have been easier if she had started as a biology major in the first place. Similarly my other daughter started off with an environmental sciences major, then switched to biology, then switched to a dual major in animal sciences and neurosciences. She was able to start with classes that were a bit more related to what she ended up majoring in because she was switching between related majors. In both cases this went well, and switching majors is possible at most schools. However, it is likely to be easier to just apply for and start with the major that you want (and understand that this might still change).
I would apply for the major that you want. I do not think that your ECs will be a problem at all.
My daughter applied as a chemistry major to some colleges, and as a nutritional sciences major to others. Once she arrived at school she changed to public health and then finally settled on biology.