<p>Do I have a better chance of getting accepted if i major in near eastern studies?</p>
<p>my hs gpa is kinda low, but high SATs..and i want to major in that if i go to JHU, do i have a better chance of getting in?</p>
<p>People need to get this pre-conceived notion out of their head that applying to a less popular major increases their chances. Your choice of major has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you get admitted unless you apply specifically to the BME program. If your application shows no interest in near eastern studies, it will hurt you more than help you.</p>
<p>^^ That is the party line. However, I was curious to read before, posted by AdDan himself, that they asked Physics dept to look over the apps of students interested in physics. If the dept came back and said “we really like this kid,” I can well imagine that may have significant influence on the app.</p>
<p>^ I believe YanksDolphins is right. Even if that major isn’t much recognized, the department will nevertheless expect the same standards as any college of the university (may it be BME or premed). Now it may not be as competetive, but JHU is pretty well ranked, and so it will not expect below average stats from a student who doesn’t even have any background with the major. For the most part, a small cultivated group of students is much preferred.
JHU is for committed students…not for those that abuse the system by entering into EASY/less competetive majors (which in my point do not exist in top schools). If you have the passion…go for it…if not…then please don’t spend your time b/c you might just end up hating the courses (if you get accepted). Admissions only works for the benefit of other students, maybe you should look at something else that might seem more interesting! :)</p>
<p>I would agree with polar bear, you should apply for the major that you are genuinely interested in. I was genuinely interested in biological studies and was accepted by hopkins, but faked being interested in bio by stanford and dartmouth but turned it down for hopkins because I felt that JHU would serve my needs better than stanford or dartmouth. Plus I am interested in engineering and dartmouth engineering kinda sucks haha…</p>
<p>^^ ihs76 That must be why I was admitted 
I wrote both of my essays about physics (my JHU-specific essay was about Isaac Newton’s tomb at Westminster Abbey). Too bad I ditched physics after freshman year after I got bored with it!</p>
<p>how do i show i have interest in that major or a background in it? do intended majors play a role in admissions if you show interest or background?</p>
<p>See my post directly above. I wrote both of my essays about physics, self-studied physics, and did physics events at Science Olympiad my senior year. Stuff like that.</p>
<p>If you want to study Near Eastern Studies @ JHU, then apply to it. Good luck!</p>
<p>ihs76, the physics department has, from what I’ve heard, always been very involved and interested in the undergrad admissions process, but I don’t think there are many other departments that are that involved in the admissions process.</p>
<p>iwantyale, like YanksDolphins posted, a lot of people will have extracurriculars and other activities/accomplishments/programs related to their field of interest and that’s often required for something like the BME program (where admission is limited), but I think the most important thing is have a strong essay explaining your interest in the program you’re writing about. In addition to talking about how you developed an interest in the field and why it interests you, research what the program involves at Hopkins, what its strengths are, how big it is, what opportunities it gives you etc so that you actually have some idea of what the department is all about. That said, it’s okay to apply undecided if you really have no idea what you want to study!</p>
<p>While Near Eastern studies seems unpopular, you need to take a broader look at things. The department focuses on ancient Near Eastern studies, of which there are very few programs in the US. Chicago naturally has by far the best department, followed by Penn. After a significant drop, you have Brandeis, Harvard, Berkeley, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Brown, and Yale, in no particular order. Therefore while the number of majors may be small, the small number of departments ensures that demand exceeds supply. Most NES programs receive somewhere between 50 and 100 applicants for PhD programs, and I would imagine that the demand for the undergraduate programs is much greater.</p>