Читать книгу Accepted!. Secrets to Gaining Admission to the World's Top Universities онлайн

59 страница из 68

If you look at Harvard, the most popular major of choice is economics.ssss1 It makes perfect sense. Economists from Harvard go on to work on Wall Street in large numbers. They intern at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, some may go onto legendary private equity firms like Blackstone or venture capital firms like Tiger Global. Economics can be applied to business and finance but the training is broadly applicable to almost anything from political campaigns to law school. It is hard to go wrong. Amongst Crimson alumni, it is the most popular area for coursework. I have a soft spot for economics because it was my main area of study at Harvard.

Can you guess what is a terrible major to apply for when you apply to Stanford or Harvard?

The worst major to apply for at Stanford? The prize goes to computer science!

The worst major to apply for at Harvard? The prize goes to economics!

Economics at Harvard is generally the most competitive major to apply to. The admissions office knows that everyone who says economics will generally go on to study it and many more who declare other majors will likely switch to economics anyways. As a result, they are desperate to find people with sincere academic interests in other areas to create a “diverse class.” They don't want four aspiring Wall Street bankers sitting around Cabot dining hall discussing summer internships. They prefer a folklore and mythology major who can educate a physics major about topics that could also help a social studies major develop ideas for their thesis over dinner. If you apply for the most common, popular majors at a university you immediately make landing your offer substantially more difficult. You become a dime-a-dozen commodity.