do you think being a humanities student(with Economics and Maths) unlike majority of the indian applicant will some what differentiate me from them? I understand that good grades are necessary obviously
All students apply to Harvard as “Liberal Arts” majors and decide upon their concentration during their sophomore year. That’s true for potential math and econ majors, as well engineers, scientists, artists and musicians.
Admissions cannot use an applicant’s “intended major” for recruitment purposes, as more than 60% of US college students change their major during their 4 years of college. So an applicant’s “intended major” or “interests” do not translate into the degree a student will have upon graduation. As such, it doesn’t matter, distinguish or differentiate an applicant by what they write down. A student should write down what they are truly interested in and not try to “game” the system by writing down something they think will give them an upper hand because the majority of Indian applicants will write down Econ and Math. Admissions doesn’t work that way at Harvard and at other selective colleges.
Admissions asks students about their “intended major” to gauge how deep an interest an applicant has in the subject matter. For example, a student who says they’d like to major in computer science should have at least taken some high school and other CS courses and possibly have a website with examples of what they have created in different CS languages. Likewise, a student who is interested in humanities should have a demonstrated interest in the subject beyond good grades – maybe they’ve written poetry, pursed foreign language study outside of the classroom or engaged in theater and dance as extracurricular activities. It doesn’t move a student’s application forward to write down an interest that you haven’t pursued to some degree.
Okay that was very resourceful. My initial doubt was regarding the subjects that I study on my school right now. Since I have a fairly different combination of subjects as compared to most of the indian applicants, will that work to my disadvantage ? And as you mentioned foreign language, yes I am interested in German language and worked hard towards improving my language and have been to foreign countries for the purpose too. I have also been reached among the top in the country in a German language exam conducted by Goethe institut.
Are you currently in the Humanities track?
If you speak several languages (say, Gujarati, Hindi, English, German), that would matter, especially if you have external validation such as the Goethe Institut’s. You’d have to apply as a modern language major, perhaps combining this with another interest (Area Studies, for instance)?
It WOULD indeed distinguish you from most Indian applicants who are in the secondary schools’ science tracks and present Math2+ 2 sciences for subject tests, then apply to become STEM majors. It wouldn’t be enough for admissions on its own but it would help you stand out in the very crowded field of Indian applicants.
^^ I concur. If you apply to Harvard with an “intended interest” of foreign language AND can back that interest up with demonstrated pursuit of foreign language, then it would “tip” the scales in your favor (as opposed to other Indian applicants that have a Math/Science/STEM interest). However, as @MYOS1634 stated, that’s NOT enough to guarantee acceptance.
A minor correction. No one really studies “foreign language” at university. (Or hardly anyone. I know one person who put together a roll-your-own program at NYU Gallatin that essentially consisted of learning 4-5 different languages.) You would indicate an interest in a particular literature and culture (like German, French, or Chinese), a related group (Romance languages), or maybe comparative literature (inter-cultural). Or linguistics, which is a formal study of language in general, and often entails learning multiple languages, some of them very obscure.
College is a good place to learn new languages, but learning new languages itself isn’t really university-level work. It’s a lot of memorization and rule-learning. Language acquisition classes are often not taught by university faculty and rarely involve critical thinking. If you give the impression that’s your main interest, it won’t help you.
@JHS But Harvard has a full fledged German language Department and a specific major ?
Yes they do. But @JHS 's point is that the German concentration (Harvard-speak for major) is not a German language major - it’s a German Studies Concentration toward which only 2 language courses may be applied. The rest of the requirements are more advanced courses in literature and/or culture.
^ in college, 'French ’ or 'German ’ isn’t really language, but more about using a language you know to analyze situations either real (culture) or fictional (literature) -+ see how literature affects culture and vice versa-, plus of course the past and how it affects the present.
But as a high school student you wouldn’t be expected to have had any of that, only strong bases in languages and a demonstrated interest in the cultures that use them (such as knowing and watching films and TV shows in that language, reading books in the language or translated books from that language, coordinating the language student club, etc.)
My point wasn’t a big one, and @skieurope and @MYOS1634 understood it. There’s sometimes a little tone-deafness towards humanities here on CC. Saying, “I really like learning languages; in addition to the __ Indian languages I speak, I have studied German for __ years. I want to major in foreign languages” sounds immature and unsophisticated. Saying, “I really like learning languages. In addition to the __ Indian languages I speak, I have studied German for __ years. I want to study the German culture in the early 20th Century, including German interest in Indian culture and religion” makes you sound like you know what a university is for.
Honestly, neither statement will make or break an application. But the first doesn’t help any, and may hurt a little, while the second doesn’t hurt and may help a little.
The short answer is that it probably won’t help your chances much. The long answer is, as always, more complicated. Admissions departments definitely care about admitting unusual or interesting applicants. Especially at colleges like Harvard, where the rule seems to be, “Be extraordinary.” Part of being extraordinary is being talented in general, but part of it is also being unusual (or “not ordinary”). Expressing an interest in fields that are not stereotypically associated with people of your nationality is certainly one way to distinguish yourself. Is it enough? No. But, combined with a sufficient number of other details that separate you from the pack, it may prove useful. Be careful of the respondents who try to paint the situation as black-and-white. Admissions departments are, unfortunately, capricious, as they are run by human beings who have different moods, different agendas, different priorities. Sure, they work according to certain rules and standards set by their colleges, but at the end of the day their decisions can often be subjective. Thus, the question should not be, “Will this help me,” but rather, “Could this help me?” And yes, it could. But as with all applications to Ivy League universities, you should never rely on a single distinguishing feature to win the day. You owe it to yourself, and to the wold, to be as interesting as possible, and my hope is that you’re able to distinguish yourself in other ways too.