Help out an English major? :)

<p>Hey y’all! I’m applying ED to Brown with English as my first choice of concentration! I know it’s not your “official” major because you don’t have to declare your major until sophomore year, but I was wondering…
Do you think it would harm me to apply to Brown with such a COMMON major? My EC’s really back up this major (I’m a nationally-ranked writer). I’m an Asian female (Filipino) in PA.</p>

<p>no </p>

<p>(10 characters)</p>

<p>^^ elaborate please…</p>

<p>no, it will not hurt. I don’t think anything else needs to be said.</p>

<p>will it help?</p>

<p>will the fact that you’re an intended english major help? no, of course not.</p>

<p>Will the fact that you’re a nationally ranked writer help? yes, of course.</p>

<p>Your intended major matters very, very, very little (i.e. essentially not at all - maybe if by some freak chance they initially decided to admit ONLY biology majors they would go back and try to even things out a bit), and all the humanities ones are probably lumped together anyway.</p>

<p>But what if I applied as a science major. I would be compared with other science majors, who all have more credentials than me. Right?</p>

<p>You’re not going to “game” your way into Brown with a spurious “intended major” listing on your app. Got it?</p>

<p>Unless you’re a supremely noted and accomplished in something already (Eng or Sci), it doesn’t matter.</p>

<p>I don’t totally agree with T26E4 and I_wanna.</p>

<p>I agree that applying as an English major won’t help or hurt you. And I agree that you won’t be looked at as an “English major” but as a humanities person – so it won’t matter if you said English or history or visual arts.</p>

<p>Where I disagree is that I believe Brown as an institution is looking at certain majors. For example, the school is dumping a ton of money into engineering, so you bet it wants engineering majors. And yes, the acceptance rate for science majors has in the past been marginally higher than for other majors, especially if you are female.</p>

<p>However, as T26E4 said, you most definitely can’t game your way into Brown the way you seem to be implying. Deciding to apply as a science major just because science majors have a slightly higher acceptance rate ONLY works if you have the scores, grades and ECs to support your application. </p>

<p>Instead of trying to use game theory for Brown applications, I suggest focusing on your application and figuring out how to market/sell yourself in such a way that Brown admissions feels you are someone that just has to be on campus next year. Embrace your strengths and your interests and present yourself so Brown knows who you are.</p>

<p>Alright but listen…
If I apply as a chemistry major. There are so many genius kids out there with international science fairs and whatnot. Won’t it harm me if I DON’T have those credentials?</p>

<p>Why would you apply as a chemistry major? Your opening post said you wanted to major in English. </p>

<p>My post #9 answers your question in post #10.</p>

<p>Yeah, but I’m also interested in the sciences. I plan on double majoring.</p>

<p>i don’t know if intended major helps or not. i mean its there for a reason right? as long as your EC, award, and course selections have some correspondence to your intended major, it should be at least a little helpful or telling. i mean it indicates your areas of interest, which is never a bad thing at all.</p>

<p>“The most popular majors at Brown University include: Economics, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; International Relations and Affairs; Engineering, General; and Neuroscience.”</p>

<p>[Brown</a> University | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/brown-university-3401]Brown”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/brown-university-3401)</p>

<p>English is not that common a major at Brown. Pre-med type science majors are. If you just want to game out what is most common and what is least common, go with English rather than Chemistry. It syncs with your ECs and accomplishments better, anyway. But probably don’t game it out. Brown admissions are very much holistic, and besides, they are good at spotting bull****.</p>

<p>Where do you see Chemistry is more common than English?</p>

<p>I seriously want to pursue English. Why would this seem like ********? And thanks y’all!</p>

<p>The BS comes into play if you want to major in English, but instead try to convince them you want to major in chemistry because you think it will give you an edge in admissions. </p>

<p>If you want to study English, then for heaven’s sake say you want to concentrate in English. It won’t hurt you or help you on your application. I know this process is very stressful, but you are making it much more stressful than it needs to be.</p>