Hi! I’m currently deciding what to put for my major. I’m interested in Cognitive Science, Linguistics, and Classics. I’m applying for liberal arts/interdisciplinary schools that don’t admit by major and allow for flexibility.
My current honors and activities are split between classics (awards, school club, internship) and science/medicine (e.g. EMT, research, Science Olympiad). I’m planning to pursue a pre-med track but unsure how much I should mention in my application.
I originally put Cognitive Science because I personally like linguistics/psychology, but I realized that I don’t have anything to show for it on paper. I genuinely enjoy classics a lot, but if I do classics, I’d definitely want to pursue a double major or something similar. Would I be compared to typical STEM kids as a CogSci major? Is it okay to be strong in science as a Classics major? I’d like to know what seems to fit best.
Wrong reason to choose a major. Let’s say you were in the band, had a job at McDonalds, or walked dogs at the shelter?
They’re all great but are they tied into Classics, Linguistics or Cog Sci?
No.
You should put the major that you want. I imagine the first two will have less demand than the 3rd (I don’t know) - but if Cog Sci is what you want, then that’s what you should major in.
Where would you mention pre-med? In the check box schools ask? In an essay? If it fits, sure - it’s simply an intention.
There is no reason to hide things and there is no reason to choose a major that’s not your primary, if you need to choose one.
And your activities are irrelevant to which of these three you apply for at 99.9% of schools.
Be honest - you are asking to spend four years somewhere, day after day and you’re about to drop a boat load of money, so put down what you want!!!
I’m not sure this matters. Many (if not most) college students switch majors anyway. Since we don’t know what colleges you are applying to…we don’t know if they admit by major. Most don’t. And in many places you don’t actually choose your college major until end of sophomore year.
Whatever you decide to pursue, just make the the college/university doesn’t have plans to phase out the major or minor. Choose schools that offer classics, cognitive science, & linguistics. Also check for size of departments - number of undergraduate & graduate students.
It seems the OP seeks enhanced chances of admission based on a strategy of intended major selection, even if this major may not adhere to their most likely intended major.
It is perfectly fine for you to talk about how you are interested in all three of these fields, in your application. Linguistics and Cognitive Science go together; there is a subset of linguistics called psycholinguistics, which sounds as if it could be your interest. And it is fine to be interested in majoring in Classics, too, or double majoring. All of these set you apart - not that many people are interested in linguistics or classics. I would not mention pre-med at this time - so many people apply as pre-meds, so it doesn’t set you apart from the herd.
So Linguistics and Cog Sci are not typically offered in US high schools, nor are there common student activities closely associated, so it is perfectly credible to be interested in them without any of that on your resume.
I think in practice what will happen if you start as a premed in a program with an exploratory curriculum (so you don’t declare your major until later) is that you will take some classes and see how it goes. Assuming you continue as a premed (many eventually do not), you will see what else fits with your curriculum plan, and that you enjoy, and that you are confident you can do well with. And that will determine your major, or sometimes major and minor, multiple majors, or so on. And that list could end up including any of the three you named, or something else entirely you have not thought of yet.
Point being this is not a high stakes issue right now, again assuming you choose an exploratory college program. And to the extent some of your colleges ask you to talk about any interests you name, I don’t think you need to worry about the resume stuff, it is fine just to talk about why you might actually be interested.
i was a Classics Major in college and ended up going to medical school. you don’t have to double major to be taken seriously as a med school candidate (although pre-med requisitie coursework, MCAT scores, ECs, etc. will definitely matter). if you love classics and enjoy it, go for it and do the pre-med alongside during college (or change your mind if that’s where life takes you). There are so many skills acquired in being an accomplished Classics major that will translate to being a doctor: attention to detail in the translations, contextualizing translations from the historic meaning into a modern understanding (as you will have to also contextualize complex scientific concepts and communicate in layman’s terms for patients), and other critical thinking skills. Oh and learning all those greek and latin roots won’t hurt for all the medical terms you will learn!
My D (currently a senior in college) is an Environmental Science/Classics double major, so I would say yes!
More importantly, anything you put down in your college app is not binding, with a few exceptions – some universities admit by major, and many admit by college (in which case you can change your major within the college, but it would be harder to change divisions). But mostly, majors are non-binding. Schools just want to get a sense of your interests so they can balance the class. If you’re interested in a STEM major and classics, that just makes you seem more interesting and broad minded!
And like everyone else has advised, your ECs don’t need to match your major.
The only correct answer from an intellectual standpoint is: study what interests you.
Until you know what that is, try lots of different things – and the liberal arts tradition in the US, and most US schools’ curricular requirements per se, encourage exploration.
Once you find that, follow it.
So if you think you might be interested in these three realms, take early elective courses in Greek or Latin (language, history, or lit), an intro to Linguistics, and an intro to Psychology. Cog Sci is interdisciplinary by nature, so maybe consider also taking intros to Philosophy and Human Bio/Anatomy. If one resonates with you most, you’ll have your answer; if not, keep searching. In fact, if you can handle five courses, that would comprise a full and interesting semester.
Thank you so much! I feel like it’s heavily implied throughout high school that you have to pick your major when you apply, but I just realized that most of my schools won’t make me officially declare until the end of sophomore year.
Brown seems to attract students who have a lot of different interests (my D22 loved the idea of their open curriculum), so I would talk about all of these interests in your application. Do they still ask for the video essay?
Incidentally, my kid double majored in linguistics and classics and loved every minute of both. She had a friend in school who did exactly the same plus pre-med, and he is now in medical school.
In terms of activities matching your intended major, I understand why you’re asking. Schools do often have supplemental essays that ask something like, “What do you want to study, why do you want to study that, and why do you want to study that at our college specifically?”
In which case, it is helpful to have something to draw on from your background. My D22 talked about her extensive study of Latin in middle and high school, how she was nerdy enough to debate classical Latin vs. the church Latin pronunciation she encountered in choir, how she studied Latin in a prestigious summer program and did a side independent project on translating from the Vulgate, how she visited Rome and Pompeii and her takeaways, etc. It was a logical leap that if she liked Latin translation, that might be a reason she was interested in linguistics. You could use something like that?
On the common app essay, you could - or you can be totally random. Someone by me who got into Yale wrote about waiting for Papa Johns delivery. I’ve read other essays - like one tying the yellow fuzz on a tennis ball. My daughter wrote about tea as a bridge to people.
You can right about anything - sure, you can right about your majors and interests or you might write about your favorite family beach day or the best honeydew melon you ever ate.
You can really go any which way in an common app essay - but it certainly doesn’t need to be a bio.
Four essays are required for all first-year and transfer applicants:
1. “There is something distinctive about Brown students. It is a blend of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and humility. A commitment to collaboration. An openness to new ideas and perspectives. A desire to make the world better. And it is resilience: the ability to recover and thrive after experiencing difficulties.” From President Christina Paxson’s 2025 Convocation Address. How will you use these characteristics or others to shape your approach to the Open Curriculum? (150-250 words)
2. Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (150-250 words)
3. If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100-150 words)
4. Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (100-150 words)
