"Low GPA but Still Ivy League Possible?!

Today, let's talk about something that often worries and makes people ponder during college applications—a strategic choice of majors to elevate your university level by one notch. It's about gaining admission to highly competitive universities by selecting majors with lower competition.

However, I'd appreciate it if we start by acknowledging that, regardless of the student, there needs to be a certain threshold of GPA/SAT scores. It's essential to understand that gaining admission to high-tier universities significantly distant from one's GPA/SAT range isn't feasible.

The post focuses on preparing by wisely choosing majors that might boost the chances of climbing up a level in universities.

Currently, most students prefer STEM majors like Engineering, Medical studies, and Computer Science for STEM-related disciplines, and Business for non-STEM subjects.

If a student decides on a popular major at a particular university and feels they might be overshadowed by other applicants, strategizing by opting for a different major could be an approach. This often involves initially getting accepted and later transferring within the institution. However, it's crucial to note that transfer conditions and situations vary among universities and faculties. While detailed information about specific universities or exceptional cases might not be provided today, the overall idea is to consider majors where competition might be slightly lower than the student's current level, aiming for slightly higher-level universities.

Can you still challenge Ivy League institutions even with lower GPA or SAT scores if you choose your major wisely? Let's explore that.

According to CollegeBoard, approximately 1.7 million students take the SAT annually. The graph in the above image is based on a survey of students who graduated high school in 2017, tracking their SAT/Math/Reading/Writing scores, high school GPA, and their performance during the first and second years in college. It's important to note that surveying the entire 1.7 million student population is impractical, so this chart is drawn from a sample of around 50,000 students chosen to match racial distributions.

Based on research conducted by CollegeBoard, what we aim to convey today is seeking majors within relatively competitive universities that are relatively less competitive!

The table displays the distribution of majors for a sample of around 58,000 students, divided into broad categories.

The table shows the SAT scores of successful applicants, their high school GPAs, and their tracked academic performance in the first and second years of university for each major. If we simplify this table for easier comprehension, it would look something like the table below.

The x-axis represents the SAT Total Score, while the y-axis represents the High School GPA. In simpler terms, moving right indicates higher SAT scores, while moving upwards indicates higher GPAs.

However, the SAT score of 1350 mentioned here represents the overall average from a sample of 58,000 students who took the SAT. It's crucial not to interpret this number as a standard for entry into those majors. Majors with higher SAT/GPA distributions include Engineering, Math, and Statistics, which admit students with both high SAT and GPA scores.

Statistics like these highlight that fields like Mathematics and Statistics, despite being mistaken for less competitive due to being considered Natural Sciences, actually have high competition due to their demand in various industries. Similarly, Engineering, being a popular choice, also faces tough competition.

Fields like Physical Science/Biomedical Science connected with Medical studies show high competition, too.

Majors with relatively higher acceptance rates include Education, Psychology, Communication, Journalism, Liberal Arts, and Sciences. These fields are known for relatively higher acceptance rates despite slightly lower SAT/GPA scores.

A point of caution: Health professions and related programs often refer to fields excluding Bio-Medical Sciences, which are positioned lower left on the chart than they ideally should be.

The table above displays SAT ERW (English Reading & Writing) scores and SAT Math Scores categorized by Academic Major. The horizontal axis represents SAT ERW, while the vertical axis represents SAT Mathematics. Departments selected by students with lower scores are located towards the lower left, while those chosen by students with higher scores are positioned towards the upper right.

Majors chosen by students with relatively low SAT/GPA include:

• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities.

• Psychology

• Education

• Communication, Journalism, and related programs. A decade ago, these majors were highly competitive, but due to changes in the industrial structure, they have shifted to lower positions.

In essence, selecting a major from these departments could increase your chances of gaining admission to a higher-level university.

The above data represents SAT Total and SAT Tilt by Academic Major. It indicates Math Tilt on the horizontal axis and English Tilt on the vertical axis. A skew towards the right of the center suggests students excel more in Math than English. The further left indicates students are better in English than in Math. This data showcases the majors chosen by students.

As expected, majors skewed toward the right include Mathematics, Statistics, and Engineering. These popular STEM majors are often chosen by students proficient in Math.

Students stronger in English tend to select majors related to English or Language.

However, Biomedical fields are located near the center. It's crucial to note that students aspiring to medical sciences should excel not just in Math but also in English.

In conclusion, analyzing the data reveals that majors in the lower left corner, chosen by students with relatively low SAT/GPA, include:

• Psychology

• Education

• Communication, Journalism, and related programs

• Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities

When applying to a specific school, if a student feels the chosen major is highly competitive and their chances are lower, opting for a different major among those listed above might enhance their admission prospects.

For instance, non-STEM fields can be bypassed for English or Humanity-related majors, while STEM fields might take a detour towards Psychology.

Among these, the categories of Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities are quite extensive, warranting separate explanation.

The upper-left group comprises majors related to English, such as English, Languages, Literature, and Comparative Literature. Below are Humanity-related majors, including Philosophy, History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Ancient World, and Ethnic Studies. The center constitutes a broader area related to History or Humanity, including Modern World, Hispanic Literature, History of Art, Architecture, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Religious Studies, and Social Sciences. On the right are majors related to smaller regional cultures or social studies like Italian Studies, African Studies, Egyptology, Assyriology, American Studies, Judaic Studies, German Studies, French & Francophone Studies, East Asian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.

Remembering these departments might be helpful. In essence, we aim not to advocate for these specific departments but to assist students in raising their level to a reputable school within their GPA/SAT scores.

For students passionate about studying a specific major, don't forget the strategy of selecting schools based on your major rather than just their reputation!

The advice shared today should be considered when applying to college with completed GPA/SAT scores. We discourage advance preparation solely targeting low-competition courses as the goal.

The best approach is to choose a major you genuinely want: Prepare in advance and strive to meet the qualifications for the desired school and major.

If you're still pursuing your goal as a student, use this content as a reference. For those currently applying to college, refer to this and hope for successful outcomes.

I'll return with another engaging story next time. Thank you!