Getting into college can be tough. Getting into one of the nation’s top colleges, like Cornell or the other Ivies, can be near impossible. Students often ask us what they can do to get ahead. After all, they’re vying for a spot against countless other candidates with perfect grades, flawless essays, and extracurriculars that impress. Every little bit helps and we think landing on the right major is a solid strategy for getting ahead if the rest of your application is already perfect.

Why Majors Matter

You don’t need to know what you want to do with the rest of your life when you’re 17 years old. But you should be able to draw a connection between your own expertise and an area of study available at your college of choice. The thing is, not all areas of study are created equal, at least when it comes to standing out in the admissions crowd. We recommend our students develop an academic area of expertise over the course of high school. This should be something highly specific (for example, astrophysics vs. merely science). Your extracurriculars and classes throughout high school should showcase your academic niche and tell the admissions committee you’re an expert in this one, super specific area. You should plan to talk about your niche in any “why x school” essay and the major (or program) at Cornell that most closely relates. But we recommend considering which majors or programs are most competitive and which might have fewer applicants speaking about them.

At most schools, Economics is a highly popular major. The admissions committee might be choosing between stacks and stacks of applicants with a passion for global trade and economics. But fewer applicants, on the whole, are going to talk about their passions for religion studies, languages, and Classics. We advise honing in on a major that’s not so popular.

The Findings

We looked into the number of degrees Cornell awarded by discipline in the 2020-2021 school year and found the 10 least popular areas of study. Cornell lists its data by categories that are designated by the National Center for Educational Statistics. What that means is, the areas of study in the chart below don’t exactly correspond to each major offered at Cornell. However, they should still give you some idea of which disciplines are most popular year-to-year and which have fewer students graduating.

Liberal Arts & Sciences/General Studies & Humanities (14)
Philosophy & Religion Studies (15)
Health Professions & Related Clinical Sciences (23)
Area, Ethnic, Cultural & Gender Studies (27)
Foreign Languages, Literatures & Linguistics (30)
History (35)
Multi/Interdisciplinary (39)
English Language & Literature/Letters (45)
Visual & Performing Arts (46)
Psychology (64)

We like to remind our students talking about a particular major of interest in your application doesn’t bind you to that major once you get in (you can go in undeclared or explore any major you’d like!). But it is a good idea to talk about a specific academic area when applying and why it’s a natural extension of an academic area of expertise you’ve been building throughout high school. It’s best to target a major that will have fewer applicants discussing it in their applications.

Need some help identifying a college major? Reach out to us. We’re experts at helping students match with their top-choice schools.