<p>comparative literature, linguistics, or the classics are the three concentrations i am cosidering but i am heavily leaning toward the classics.
I have always had deep admiration for latin and greek but my school does not offer any opportunities for me to study these subjects. However, during the past summers I have spent time exploring these areas of study on my own but I still do not know Greek or Latin and want to take the opportnity to study them formally in college. Would listing the classics as my intended major be a disadvantage to me?</p>
<p>No, most schools don't offer Greek and Latin as foreign languages anyways, so it's kind of silly to expect you to know them already. And I think Classics is not a very popular major anyways, which can only help. I would also try to include what you did during the summers somewhere on your application if you can.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And I think Classics is not a very popular major anyways, which can only help.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, just marking an unpopular major like Classics will not help you. Marking Classics MIGHT help you if you have very strong credentials to back it up, eg. coursework, ECs, etc.</p>
<p>OP, the major you mark has very little, if any, impact for the vast majority of candidates. Most students change their majors during the first couple of years of college.</p>
<p>^Still, it may be more beneficial to be a classics major than premed or business. </p>
<p>OP, I would only mark those majors if you can expound on your passion for classics in an essay. You don't necessary need "First Place, Nat'l Classics Tournament" to demonstrate interest, but you need to let the adcoms know that this is a genuine, thriving passion of yours, not an admissions ploy.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think that picking an obscure major CAN help you. Many colleges, especially the best in the country, could fill their freshman class two or three times over with bright, qualified students. However, ultimately, they have to select a DIVERSE class. Imagine how boring Harvard would be if everyone was pre-law or pre-med. I personally think that picking an obscure major can help because it may make you more unique as adcoms work to select a diverse class.</p>
<p>I do suspect that applying as a potential philosophy major helped me at Harvard - but only because I had rec letters to back it up (two, from established professors in the field).
I don't know if it's worth taking the risk if you don't have any documentation of the interest. If they think you're being dishonest, it's probably over.</p>
<p>They aren't gonna think you're dishonest. Hopefully, u are interested in learning and aren't bound by searching out even new areas of study. That's the point of American liberal arts education, no?</p>
<p>If you do have in mind some potential major, list it. If not, don't. You aren't missing out on some huge gaming strategy on how to make yourself look better. I listed "Chemistry" although I got Bs in my honors chem my Junior year. Ivies and top engineering schools all accepted me. I honestly thought I'd want to major in Chem. Only listed it because it was the truth -- not to give me an edge or hide some weakness. (BTW, I'm Asian-- OH NO, Not another Asian science major!!)</p>
<p>I think intended majors are only given a cursory glance. Obviously, I think for engineering-type majors at the "top" schools require maybe some backing, but even then... </p>
<p>Colleges know that they are taking students who are beginning to understand themselves while also not necessarily given all the chances to do what's needed for that major. I put down a major that I, at the time I applied, really wanted to do, but I didn't have any experience and save for a rec letter, nothing backed it up, really. People have this misconception a lot, and people hound others when they hear the obscure majors seeing it as an easy way out. But it's not. Does the school you apply to (engineering, arts and sciences, business) matter? Yes. But even then only to an extent. </p>
<p>And yes, colleges want diverse people, but if they chose with the intent to predict their majors, it would be a difficult road. They pick the overall diverse class with much higher weight given for transcript, essays, recs, and so on. So, don't sweat it, pick the major that's most interesting to you.</p>
<p>id suggest against it. personal experience, this year i applied to 12 schools, and didnt get into the 6 that i chose a major that i thought was interesting that i had no exprerience in (psych), and i got into some big reaches.</p>