I’m most likely going to be applying here and I am extremely interested in journalism/English but also STEM (I most likely am going to double major or major and minor, still undecided). I understand colleges like Harvard look for the most uniquely driven minds so I’m wondering how beneficial two strong but different interests are which you’re good at.
I think you my underestimate the intellectual diversity and interests of your fellow applicants. What you describe does not sound unique at all in the larger pool of top school applicants, I’m afraid. I’m not saying it’s bad – it’s wonderful, actually.
But you’re applying with many thousands of wonderful applicants, too.
Basically, there’s nothing wrong with it whatsoever, but don’t assume it boosts you above the crowd. In my +25 yrs of interviewing/recruiting applicants for a Harvard peer school, what you describe is commonplace.
You’ve likely been the big fish in most of your ponds. At H et al, you’re just one of the school of fish. if I could tell you what the chatter in our common rooms or dining hall tables was like at my Ivy, you’d be pleasantly surprised. But that’s the whole reason you’re applying to a school like Harvard.
Good luck, nonetheless!
I agree 100% with @T26E4, but would like to add . . .
All student’s apply to Harvard College as Liberal Arts Majors, and do not choose a major, called a concentration, until their sophomore year.
Admissions cannot use whatever you write down as your “intended major” as a recruiting tool because 60% of students in the United States switch their major during the course of their 4 years of college. So whatever you write down as your “intended major” has absolutely no bearing on your acceptance as most students will graduate with a degree that is entirely different than the “intended major” they selected on the Common Application or Supplemental Application.
So why does Admissions ask about your “intended major?” To gauge your interests! If you write down “Journalism/English and STEM” Admissions will expect to see demonstrated interest in those subjects inside and outside of the classroom. They will expect to see that you’ve written for your school newspaper, maybe even your local town paper, and have pursued your STEM related interests inside and outside of the classroom after school and during the summer vacation.
And FWIW, when you apply to a school like HYPSM, you need to understand there are just some over the top students with a demonstrated interest in their work that will blow many other students out of the water. For instance, here’s one of them; notice how much this woman accomplished before entering Harvard: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681325/what-happens-to-genius-kids-after-they-win-the-google-science-fair.
Applicants like Shree Bose are the rarity, not the norm. The things you described though are indeed very commonplace among top applicants, so it will not tip the balance in your favor. Best of luck to you!