<p>what subjects do they look for in high school?</p>
<p>You apply to a college, not to a specific major.
Get a well-rounded background in high school to prepare you for your college studies.
Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field, drawing on linguistics, psychology, computer science, philosophy, and neuroscience.
Different high school subjects will prepare you in different ways:
Math is essential background for core science and math courses (calculus, statistics).Math also will prepare you for computer science and aspects of philosophy.
Biology, chemistry, physics will prepare you for neuroscience and aspects of psychology as well as for supporting courses in core science fields (gen & org chem, gen physics, gen bio, calculus).
English and languages will prepare you for linguistics. English also will prepare you in close reading skills and to prepare you for philosophy; writing skills are important in all fields.
Even art and music can be relevant for certain topics in cognitive psychology and neuroscience.</p>
<p>If you are applying to the highly selective colleges, they will expect you to have taken the most challenging courses your high school offers (ie, Honors over regular classes). And this is independent of intended major. </p>
<p>The highly selective colleges also will require 2 or 3 SAT II tests, something to plan into your SAT schedule between now and next fall. If you are applying Early (in some form), you need to take that into account in your SAT test dates. </p>
<p>Typically private schools admit you into the college without regard to your intended major, although this is not true for majors with very limited openings like Nursing or Physical Therapy. State schools sometimes require you to apply for a specific major and perhaps one secondary major in which you can be considered.</p>