How much do "hard" majors help? Forum

[Marisa5252]

I've got a 3.51 from a top public university. I majored in chemistry and physics. What's the feeling on whether this gives my gpa a little bit of a boost? I scored a 173 on the LSAT so for the schools I'm hoping to get into (waiting to hear from upenn, columbia, nyu, gtown...already got into uva) I know my gpa is rather low...

[Pankun]

Everybody on here says that it doesn't matter and that science/math/engineering are as difficult as any other major. Based on the stats you see on LSN, I'm tempted to believe that the actual major doesn't matter but I don't really know for sure. Good luck.

EDIT: In fact, many schools have an formula that uses GPA and LSAT to arrive at an "index." I'm guess they use the index to rank and prioritize certain applicants. So for schools like that, I'm sure major doesn't play as big a role as schools that don't use a formula

[WhiskeyGuy]

It seems a hard major matters only to a couple of the highest ranked schools.

[Aeroplane]

Seems like math/sci/engineering majors appear to get cut more GPA slack than others when their LSAT is very good. But not a lot more.

[driveshaft]

Totally guessing here, but I've always imagined that schools do care, but only in the context of someone with a similar GPA. I think they'd take a 3.51 chem/physics major over a 3.51 poli sci major.

[tinman]

I've got a 3.51 from a top public university. I majored in chemistry and physics. What's the feeling on whether this gives my gpa a little bit of a boost? I scored a 173 on the LSAT so for the schools I'm hoping to get into (waiting to hear from upenn, columbia, nyu, gtown...already got into uva) I know my gpa is rather low...

Unfortunately, I don't think the difficulty of major matters very much at all. I majored in bio/chem, which is probably not as bad as chem/physics, but at least we don't have it as bad as some engineering majors. At a lot of places as 3.5 in engineering is equivalent to a 3.8 in other fields. But schools do not seem to see it this way. I would like to think it has to do with administrative ease (and issues of equity) rather than concern over US News rankings, but I suspect the latter might be a large factor.

Congrats on UVA. and good luck on the others.

[Marisa5252]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Sounds like it probably won't help me but here's hopin'! Guess I'll just have to wait and see...

[EricM]

I majored in bio/chem, which is probably not as bad as chem/physics, but at least we don't have it as bad as some engineering majors.

What eng. are you talking about specifically?

[Kiersten1985]

I think the general consensus is that law schools like eng. majors. One could perhaps consider being an eng. major a weak soft. If you have a 4.0 in eng., it might be stronger.

[ScaredWorkedBored]

3.51 in hard sciences is better than 3.51 in political science. It's not as good as 3.8 in political science.

[tesoro]

3.51 in hard sciences is better than 3.51 in political science. It's not as good as 3.8 in political science.

+1. Adcomm panel of GULC, GWU and Mason at work was unanimous: engineers / "hard" majors get more life with a high LSAT score than do poli sci majors. If 10/230 applicants with a 173/3.51 are to get accepted at columbia, i've been led to believe that 7 of them will likely be "hard" major students.

This is the only boost I'd expect you to see. I'm a fellow "hard major" applicant and this has been my experience so far.

[BearDownChicago]

I know Dean Pless at UIUC is big on difficult majors. He said he would prefer someone with a lower gpa but a hard major (engineering/accounting/math) than a higher gpa but cupcake major (advertising/history/communications)

edit: obviously within reason

[prezidentv8]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

[MC Southstar]

Prolly helped me, how much iuno.

[JP001]

As someone who reviews law applications - it really doesn't matter that much.

[Marisa5252]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

This is what I'm hoping. I'm like RIGHT on the line for UPENN (my #1 choice) if I look at LSN - maybe there are few more of those lovely little green dots around me than the red ones but it's very very close.

[prezidentv8]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

This is what I'm hoping. I'm like RIGHT on the line for UPENN (my #1 choice) if I look at LSN - maybe there are few more of those lovely little green dots around me than the red ones but it's very very close.

Man, Philly rocks. Hope you get in.

[Marisa5252]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

This is what I'm hoping. I'm like RIGHT on the line for UPENN (my #1 choice) if I look at LSN - maybe there are few more of those lovely little green dots around me than the red ones but it's very very close.

Man, Philly rocks. Hope you get in.

Philadelphia does rock. I actually work in a lab at UPENN

[prezidentv8]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

This is what I'm hoping. I'm like RIGHT on the line for UPENN (my #1 choice) if I look at LSN - maybe there are few more of those lovely little green dots around me than the red ones but it's very very close.

Man, Philly rocks. Hope you get in.

Philadelphia does rock. I actually work in a lab at UPENN

Nice. I spent a summer out there, and it was great. Arguably one of the most underrated big cities in the country imo.

[MC Southstar]

I'd bet it puts you over the top at a couple places you've got borderline numbers.

This is what I'm hoping. I'm like RIGHT on the line for UPENN (my #1 choice) if I look at LSN - maybe there are few more of those lovely little green dots around me than the red ones but it's very very close.

Man, Philly rocks. Hope you get in.

Philadelphia does rock. I actually work in a lab at UPENN

I'm glad you actually call it UPENN like I'm used to. It seems no one else on this board says that.

[Marisa5252]

Man, Philly rocks. Hope you get in.

Philadelphia does rock. I actually work in a lab at UPENN

I'm glad you actually call it UPENN like I'm used to. It seems no one else on this board says that.

People who call it Penn are TTT

[MC Southstar]

People who call it Penn are TTT

Hahaha. <3 Good luck getting in.

[84Sunbird2000]

3.51 in hard sciences is better than 3.51 in political science. It's not as good as 3.8 in political science.

+1. Adcomm panel of GULC, GWU and Mason at work was unanimous: engineers / "hard" majors get more life with a high LSAT score than do poli sci majors. If 10/230 applicants with a 173/3.51 are to get accepted at columbia, i've been led to believe that 7 of them will likely be "hard" major students.

This is the only boost I'd expect you to see. I'm a fellow "hard major" applicant and this has been my experience so far.

So, can these people who believe their major was "hard" rank the majors? I'm constantly befuddled by the notion that science majors think their major was harder than liberal arts students, and I kinda take umbrage with it. However, I'd like to see this hierarchy spelled out specifically.

[Marisa5252]

People who call it Penn are TTT

Hahaha. <3 Good luck getting in.

Hahaha seriously. Thanks!

[Marisa5252]

3.51 in hard sciences is better than 3.51 in political science. It's not as good as 3.8 in political science.

+1. Adcomm panel of GULC, GWU and Mason at work was unanimous: engineers / "hard" majors get more life with a high LSAT score than do poli sci majors. If 10/230 applicants with a 173/3.51 are to get accepted at columbia, i've been led to believe that 7 of them will likely be "hard" major students.

This is the only boost I'd expect you to see. I'm a fellow "hard major" applicant and this has been my experience so far.

So, can these people who believe their major was "hard" rank the majors? I'm constantly befuddled by the notion that science majors think their major was harder than liberal arts students, and I kinda take umbrage with it. However, I'd like to see this hierarchy spelled out specifically.

"Hard" doesn't translate to "difficult" here. "Hard" describes the major as having a basis in the "hard" sciences vs. the "soft" sciences. Hard sciences = bio/chem/physics and in this case engineering. Soft sciences = polysci, sociology, anthro, etc. Soft sciences also equals "social sciences," whereas hard sciences also equals "physical sciences." No one is judging your english major.