<p>When I am looking at potential colleges, one of the things I look at is how popular the particular science major Im interested in is at that school (it doesnt matter which one it is for this scenario). Ive seen it as high as the second most popular at 28% of the students are in it to as low as #8 on the list at 3%. Most of the time I see it between #3 and #5 in popularity with between 7% and 12% of the students in it.</p>
<p>I would imagine the upside of attending a school where it is very popular is that there are some great professors in that subject as well as the latest technology and research which is important to science. The downside is that if you are not the top, top, top student (even though you are still really good) in that major you will be looked over for the different projects.</p>
<p>At the bottom end of popularity, the department might not get adequate funding for technology and research but if you are pretty good you would be noticed.
While Im not a 4.0/2400/36 student I am still an A student and would like to have decent opportunities to participate in research and well as having good equipment and very good professors. So, I think I may be better off concentrating on one of the middle ones.</p>
<p>What do you think? What are the pros and cons in either of these situations? Or should I not even bother with this as an issue at all?</p>
<p>If you are dead-set on that major (some students indeed are), then it is OK to use it as a priority in your search. However, if there is any possibility that you might change your major, do take into account other factors while you search for colleges. Most students change their majors once or twice during the course of their studies.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t fixate on the popularity of the major. How do you compare the percentages between a major in a school that has lots of majors versus a smaller school with fewer majors?
Also, it doesn’t tell you that much when looking at really good schools. I bet even the small majors are excellent Ivy league and other top schools.</p>
<p>I **would **examine the strength of the course offerings and faculty at each school under consideration. At the same time, look into any other majors you might consider. It is hard to predict the future, so it is usually good to go to school with lots of options. Most college students change their major…</p>
<p>Also when it comes to “getting noticed”, that depends on a bunch of factors one of which is you! Get to know your professors, go to office hours, ask questions about the course materials, ask about research and internships etc… You need to be proactive and OWN your education.</p>
<p>Sometimes, the popularity stats cloud the picture. The most grads doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the courses, sizes of classes or their availability. Doesn’t say what your chances of an internship or research assistantship are, quality of labs, use of TA’s, career planning support, etc. Some small programs knock themselves out for you, depending. At some small programs, the faculty interaction is priceless.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong - the popularity is not by any means the only thing that I look at. I reveiw courses, requirements, listed technology, etc. Specifically, I was just wondering if my pro and con assumptions were correct.</p>
<p>I also realize that there is a chance that my major will change so I also keep an eye out on other interested areas. Of course, it is an unknown chance that I would change majors as well as an unknown chance that I no what I would change it to. This makes it hard to pick a college for this new unknown major. As long as the school has many choices it should be OK.</p>
<p>As for the “getting notice”, I totally agree with and was planning on it.</p>
<p>lookingforward - Thanks. I was wondering about this but not sure how big of a “sometimes” this is. If this is common that is one thing or is this only in some high end LACs?</p>
<p>Regarding the specific faculty interaction component, I personally think there is a LOT of depth in faculty talent in this country. So many really good PhD students looking for teaching jobs with tenure has made it a buyer’s market for colleges for many years, IMHO. So you do not always have to go to a “top LAC” to get top notch professors. An example would be a guy I dated in college who was brilliant and loved his subject area. He is now a professor at an LAC that is probably in the top 70 or so, and I am betting he is a top notch teacher and advisor, and willing to go beyond the course offerings for interested students. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>High popularity may mean larger classes, or harder to get into classes if the popularity is greater than the department’s capacity. On the other hand, low popularity may mean that some courses are offered less frequently, because enrollment is too low to offer the courses every semester or even every year.</p>
<p>
Research funding is based on faculty quality and research proposals, not how many undergrads are majoring in the subject. </p>
<p>For example, I majored in earth & ocean sciences as an undergrad. This was part of an extremely good and well-funded school of the university that had many great professors and research facilities…but only produced about 6 majors a year.</p>