History is one of the most popular humanities majors at American colleges and universities, and many colleges have subcategories under the ‘history’ umbrella focused on specific regions, cultures, countries, or communities. If you’re thinking about studying history in college, it’s important to go into the application knowing that it can be tough to stand out as a prospective student even if you have exceptional grades. Because there aren’t a ton of extracurriculars specific to potential history majors, and more high schools don’t offer a wide array of options for history electives, making a splash with your application takes some strategy.
There are three things, though, that you can do to help yourself immediately stand out as a strong prospective history student. We advise the students we work with who are passionate about history to do all three of these things, ideally beginning in freshman or sophomore year. First, though, you need to pick a niche, or a focus within history that your application will highlight as something you’re particularly interested in. This isn’t going to be something you are wedded to for life, and you may not even study this topic specifically in college, but it should be something that you can engage with deeply in your local area, either through your community, local nonprofits, historic sites, and academic resources.
Applying to college benefits from long-term strategy, so send us an email. We offer comprehensive college counseling starting as early as freshman year.
Internship or Job at a Local Historic Site
No matter where you live, there is something nearby that engages with history for the benefit of the public. It may be a historic site, or your town historical society. It could be a living history tourist attraction, a tiny academic nonprofit, or a museum. Find something that connects to your niche, or area of interest, and pursue opportunities for a part-time or summer job, an internship, or a volunteer position, based on what is available. Colleges will look for long-term commitment here, so try to maintain involvement over an extended period of time — ideally at least one year.
Independent Study Project
One of the best ways to pursue the niche you selected is to do an independent study project, or a self-directed intensive focused on a singular subject and overseen by a faculty member. Many high schools facilitate independent study opportunities for juniors and seniors, and we advise students to propose and independent study in the second half of their junior year so that they have the opportunity to pursue publishing it before they submit their applications in the winter of senior year.
Nonfiction Book Club
When people think about a “book club,” they often assume that it’s a bunch of people talking about novels or memoirs over tea. The tea stuff you can keep, but we advise our history-minded students to join — or even start — nonfiction books clubs that focus on history books. This doesn’t mean they are stuck reading boring picks, as there are plenty of compelling historical reads that are as entertaining as any bestselling novel (Devil in the White City, being an iconic example).
Bonus: Summer Academic Program
If it’s an option, we advise students to add in a summer academic program that is focused on history, or an immersive cultural experience in their area of historical interest. For example, you could attend an educational program at your dream university, or you could spend a few weeks immersing yourself in the language and culture of a place you’d like to zoom in on in college.
Applying to college is a creative and strategic process that benefits from long-term planning. We work with students to build their interests and activities over multiple years to ensure they stand out on paper while developing into more passionate, engaged, and, honestly, interesting people in person, too. It’s a big challenge, but it’s not an insurmountable one, and it’s amazing what someone can do when they choose to focus and pursue their passion.
If you know what you want to study, but aren’t sure where you want to go, send us an email. We specialize in helping students find their dream school.