Engineering is super broad. From designing the next bridge to developing energy solutions that will power the future, engineering offers a vast array of disciplines for you to explore as you contemplate your major. It's a field that captivates students from around the world, drawing inquisitive minds eager to leave their mark on history. Engineering is also the most competitive of our three categories: stem, humanities, and business. Given its super competitive nature, securing admission to top-tier engineering schools like MIT and Columbia is tough. But that just means you have to put it more work on the back end, and the time to start is now.
Demonstrated Interest at Vanderbilt
So you want to anchor down, huh? Vanderbilt has gotten increasingly competitive in recent years, and it’s natural that eager prospective students are looking to have an edge on their competition in any way that they can. “Demonstrated Interest” has remained a hot-button issue in college admissions because applying can be an incredibly emotional process and it’s hard to understand how much demonstrated interest really matters.
Best Programs for Specific Majors at Top Tier Schools
Or, as we like to call it, “A Deep Dive into the History of Collegiate Notoriety.” If you’re reading the unofficial title of our new series, you might wonder if we’ve taken cues from Vanity Fair’s school of journalism or branched into scuba instruction. Although in many ways a seaside vocation navigating the ocean waters full of tropical fish might be less stressful than teaching teenagers to swim through the murky depths of college admissions, the truth is that we’ll always take the hard path over an easy one if it’s worthwhile (and let’s be honest… we’d probably be better sharkbait than deep sea divers, so here we are).
9th Grade College Strategy for Psychology
If you like a lot of different topics – English, science, math, history – you might enjoy psychology! It’s a super interdisciplinary field of study that allows students to blend lots of topics together to better understand ~people~ and ~brains~ which is pretty cool. If you’re here, we’re guessing two things: you’re maybe interested in psychology for college, and you’re probably a freshman.
The Best Majors at Bowdoin
Bowdoin is a small liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. Brunswick is a town of 20,000, a 30-minute drive from the closest commercial airport in Portland, Maine, and offers a small-town experience — but still accessible. So, you have urban, rural, and coastal. It’s a pretty awesome combo, but it’s not the place for those who want a big city experience. However, Bowdoin offers a lot that big cities, and big schools, don’t. It offers exploration in a supportive, tight-knit community. The place defines the experience, and the experience defines the place. They expect a lot from students, and only accept outstanding applicants, but they also offer support every step of the way. This includes supporting students in pushing them out of their comfort zones! One of the reasons that they can offer this amazing support is because the college is completely undergraduate and has under 2,000 students.
Summer Strategy Ideas for Vassar
Vassar College in the city of Poughkeepsie, New York is a small liberal arts college in the heart of the Hudson Valley with the resources of a small city and only two hours north of New York City by train. It’s a college that is the best of every world. You have a small liberal arts school with a tightknit community, the arts and culture resources of a city, and the ability to hop on a train nearly any hour of any day to get to a concert, event, or museum in NYC. There are 50 majors to choose from, including the option to “design your own” major. The school collects about 2400 students in “a diverse community of scholars, artists, writers, scientists, musicians, and thinkers.” There is an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio on a stunningly beautiful 1,000-acre campus. The Open Curriculum encourages creativity, and attracts students from around the world.
Freshman Year of High School Advice
Applying to the University of California (UC) System as an International Student
The University of California undergraduate programs cover dozens of academic majors, hundreds of degree programs, and nine distinct universities scattered around California — a state in the United States that is larger than Vietnam, the U.K., and France (although not combined). Some of these campuses are predominantly popular among California-based students and fairly accessible for those outside of the state, while others are globally-recognized as top-tier universities and are very hard to get into.
10th Grade College Strategy for Math
Addition! Derivatives! Exponents! Math! It’s probably used to some extent in every single topic, job, and hobby in the world. The career applications with a degree in math are endless. Teaching, finance, economics, data analysis, accounting, truly almost every field can benefit from someone with a math degree. If you’re here, you are probably interested in studying math in college. Or maybe math is your best/favorite class. Either way, let’s talk about it.
The Best Majors at New York University (NYU)
NYU, or New York University, is one of the top private research universities in the world — and one of them most innovative, bringing together the sciences, the arts, and the humanities at the highest level. It is deeply respected for offering leading programs across nearly every field. Basically, NYU is a big deal. It is also the largest private research university in the country, with more than 65,000 students across 20 schools and colleges. Plus, it’s in the heart of one of the best cities in the world for young professionals who are hungry for success. In addition, there are campuses (not just programs) in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, which augment the New York City offerings while also hosting many cutting-edge programs that are exclusive to those campuses. Add another 12 global academic centers across the globe, and you’ve got one of the best networked universities anywhere.
Applying to Sarah Lawrence as a Student Athlete
Sarah Lawrence is a small liberal arts college that is a thirty-minute train ride north of New York City. Home to less than 2,000 students, the college offers an intimate and immersive college experience known for conversation-based classes, a deep commitment to the performing and fine arts, and a tradition of academic exploration and discovery. Also, just in case you don’t know already, it’s co-ed.
11th Grade College Strategy for Political Science Majors
Do you love The West Wing? Or maybe you’re more of a Veep type. Either way, you’re drawn to politics and want to study it in college. Political science offers several high-profile career paths, from serving your country as a politician to being a lawyer. Whether your goal is law school or shaking up the political arena, you have to start by getting a poli sci degree. And if you’re here, you probably know (or should know) that poli sci is one of the most competitive majors at top-tier schools – it’s one of the most popular non-STEM major at most colleges!
Summer Strategy Ideas for Cornell
Cornell University is one of the most outstanding universities in the world, a member of the vaunted Ivy League, and has top programs in just about anything you could possibly want. The university is comprised of a collection of undergraduate colleges, and you should have the college you want to go to in mind as you plan your courses, your activities, and how you spend your summers. Altogether, across the various colleges, Cornell is home to over 16,000 undergraduate students from over 130 countries.
Applying to The University of Chicago as an International Student
The University of Chicago is one of the top schools in the United States, and is frequently mentioned in the same sentence as Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale, and other top colleges, like Stanford. Located in Chicago, Illinois, it is an exceptional school ideal for analytical, curious, and internally-motivated students who want to gain an understanding of the world around them so that they can change it. 7,600 undergraduate students call the university, most often called UChicago, home, and experience a liberal arts educational experience with the backbone and resources of a research university.
Demonstrated Interest at Northwestern
In the last few years, the college landscape has changed quite a bit when it comes to demonstrated interest. Historically nebulous and opaque, demonstrated interest didn’t have a clear definition, nor did universities disclose how much it factored into their admissions decisions. Recently, more top-tier universities have come out to say they do not consider demonstrated interest when evaluating applications, but each school has a slightly different policy. Northwestern’s might seem a bit complicated at first glance, but we’re here to cut through the noise so you can focus on what matters most this college application season.
Applying to Columbia as a Student Athlete
Columbia College of Columbia University is an Ivy League research university in the heart of New York City. It’s a top school, in a top city, on top of a hill on the island of Manhattan — basically the top of everything. There are 6,700 undergraduate students between Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. The student body is comprised of many of the best students in the world, and many of the best athletes including 46 Olympians, 16 NCAA Championship Teams, 60 Individual NCAA Champions, and even professional athletes in non-collegiate sports.
Applying to Hamilton College as an International Student
Hamilton College is a small liberal arts college in Clinton, New York, a small town in the upstate Adirondack region. The college is home to about 2,000 students who share a deep commitment to the humanities and a passion for being around nature and experiencing all four seasons. If you want a winter — they’ve got a winter!
How to Get into USC
The University of Southern California, usually just called USC, is California's oldest private research university. Don’t let the name fool you. While it might sound like a UC, it is not a part of the University of California system. USC is one of the most popular schools for students looking for an Urban mid-sized campus experience. Located near downtown Los Angeles, USC is especially known for its film and media majors. However, the school offers over 350 degree paths. So, whatever you want to study, they probably have it.
Demonstrated Interest at Williams
The Best Majors at Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a small liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio with 200 years of history and under 2,000 students. 100% of students live on campus, nurturing a fully-immersive and inclusive residential community. The college has a deep commitment to multi-disciplinary learning and cross-disciplinary mastery, with students layering literature over science, and math over philosophy to gain a deeper understanding of the world. Overarching everything Kenyon offers is a passion for the written word, and Kenyon expects all of their students to graduate as strong writers regardless of their major.