<p>I am wondering if one's chances of being admitted to a top college are better if they say they want to study French, Arabic, Chinese, and geology instead of Economics and Biology simply because there are far fewer people who want to study these things? Would it be to your advantage from an admissions standpoint to say that you want to study more "unique" things? What if your ECs don't necessarily back up such things as arabic and chinese?</p>
<p>also, even if you just say you want to study French, do you have better chances than if you say you want to study Economics?</p>
<p>No, it doesn't. Many people change their majors over the course of their undergraduate career, and schools know this.</p>
<p>It is good to have a cohesive application, like say if you were applying to an accelerated programme at Penn, for example, but otherwise, not really.</p>
<p>[shameless plug] Study linguistics. :) It is the convergence of the disciplines of language, history, anthropology, physics, acoustics, physiology, biology, neuroscience/cognitive science, information theory, computer science and philosophy. [/shameless plug]</p>
<p>^^ Agree 100% about the cohesive app. My friend got into Harvard wanting to study languages... her essay was all about how her having exchange students in her house all her life influenced her to want to study languages. She's not a mega-international-academic-superstar, but she has got the language skills and personality for a perfect diplomat or something. She takes two languages and took Farsi for some time, and I think her English teacher and her French teacher wrote her recommendations. Her application just would not have made as much sense if she'd "said" she wanted to study ___ - because she REALLY DOES want to study languages. So, yeah... if you are dishonest, I don't think your application will make as much sense/be as cohesive as if you are just honest. I got into MIT/Harvard/etc as a math-loving piano-playing nerd. Talk about your stereotypical college applicant, but I think the cohesiveness of my application and my genuine interests shined through.</p>
<p>so, I think cohesiveness and genuine honesty are FAR MORE important than saying you are interested in some major because you think fewer people are interested in that major.</p>
<p>thanks for the good advice. What I'm more concerned about is this: my ECs and classes make me look more like a biology person, but I have developed an interest now in geology (though I don't have the credentials for it) and also chinese though I have never taken it, so I'm wondering if I should just market myself as a bio person anyways ?</p>
<p>I have the Exact same question as Ham. I mean, I too have a Bio background, but was thinking of applying in Geology because I have developed some interest in it and there are far less amount of people who apply as them. I don't have the credentials to back it up though as my High School doesn't offer Geology (I've taken like 5 Bio classes though). </p>
<p>I really think that people who apply in that major would be way more likely then getting in as an econ or bio major sheerly due to the amount of competition</p>