Hi
Applying Harvard EA. I am clearly interested in premed.
Does choosing premed show commitment or does it put me in the bucket of “another Asian male med candidate” (and reduce my chances).
In effect, should I choose undecided?
Thank you.
I think that choosing premed would be better, as it would indicate focus and commitment. And I do not think they will be sorting applications in “Asian who wants medicine” way.
I may be incorrect though, these are my guesses.
First off, Harvard doesn’t offer a concentration called “pre-med.” Even if you are interested in going to med school, Harvard students still must choose a concentration from this list So, from this list . . . what interests you? https://college.harvard.edu/academics/fields-study/concentrations.
Secondly: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/9/26/the-real-premed-requirements/
If one-quarter of all applicants to Harvard are thinking about medicine that doesn’t make you stand out from the crowd. Instead of writing “undecided” what else would you choose and does your application back-up those interests?
And lastly. remember many applicants who apply to med-school have majored in something other than biology, chemistry or physics. Some, like my daughter, are humanities concentrators. So IMHO you are doing yourself a disservice by writing 'pre-med" or “undecided.” Choose a concentration that Harvard offers!
Isn’t there a concentration (beside biology) that you’re interested in?
Also, SOO MANY applicants check premed as a preprofessional emphasis in addition to their major/concentration, and so few actually make it through, that it indicates nothing (except another high school student who likes science and helping people.)
Choose a concentration, or choose undecided.
And choose a concentration that follows logically from your high school choices and verifiable interests.
When my son applied (Princeton not Harvard) he indicated he was interested in Physics, Philosopy, and Religion and I believe he included a short explanation of how they shared a search for existential truth.
I doubt his choice of concentration impacted his acceptance, but I think it helped give the adcoms an accurate picture of who he is, which is always a good thing in an application.
Thank you all. The common app does not list all of Harvard’s concentrations. It only asks to choose a “program”. Though I am interested in premed and the rest of my application does show my interest and experiences in science and research and one of my essays does touch upon my interest in medicine, I am not sure if I want to do bio or some other sciences. So, my question is if I choose undecided, will that hurt the chances?
no.
No.
You can major (“concentrate”) in anything and go to medical school. (Music majors actually have a high admit rate, for instance.) Is there anything else you are interested in for undergrad study?
If not, put undecided.
There is no premed program or concentration, as Gibby said, so you wouldn’t want to put that down.
I don’t think the question about what you want to concentrate in is that significant honestly, so don’t worry about it. The rest of your application will tell them a lot about your experience and goals.