How to Develop the Best Academic Focus by Doing Research
There are plenty of reasons to choose an academic focus by doing research. But to understand those reasons, we need to start by thinking about who actually designs the admissions process. Students are being selected for entry into a college made up of professors. So it makes sense that the professors who teach the students have a lot of influence over who gets chosen. Yes, the admissions deans and officers actually pick the students but they’re definitely influenced by the values and the preferences of the professors.
After all, who do you think decided that professor’s children get preferential treatment in the process? Donors’ children provide the university with a lot of resources, and top athletes can also bring prestige and money to the university. But what do professor’s children give the university when compared to other equally qualified applicants?
Universities and Professors Care About Research
If the professors have so much influence over the admissions process, then you need to know what they care about. The number one job of most professors is to publish research. Yes, professors at some smaller universities that care a bit more about teaching, but they typically need to publish too. There’s a saying in academia: Publish or perish. While getting my PhD, I could practically smell the pressure of publishing in the air it was so strong.
Because professors care so much about their own research, it makes sense that they would also like students who have done research as well. Plus, doing research is the easiest way for students to showcase their intellectual contributions and academic potential. In addition, writing a research paper pushes students to develop new and exciting ideas that they can use in their college essays.
The Benefits of Choosing an Academic Focus — Especially a Less Popular One!
Not only do professors like students who do research, they really like students who do research in their own fields. This is because professors want to make sure that there are enough students who will take their classes. Otherwise they may lose their jobs one day.
As a result, colleges ask students to declare their intended major on applications. This helps the admissions officers get a sense of whether they have enough students interested in all of the majors offered. Essentially, they want to avoid admitting a whole class of computer science majors, even though that seems to be happening anyway. But here’s the thing. Most students have never even heard of some majors such as Folklore and Mythology or Oceanography. Thus, students who do meaningful work to show their interest in these lesser-known or less-popular majors get a significant advantage. On the contrary, students who say that want to study CS or medicine face a lot more competition, because everyone wants to do it.
Develop the Best Academic Focus by Doing Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences
As you may have observed, lots of students want to major in the STEM fields, but fewer and fewer students want to study humanities or social sciences. According to the NY Times, top colleges such as Princeton, Stanford, and Harvard have increased their efforts to recruit humanities students in response to the declining interest in humanities. Worried about losing their relevance, the humanities professors have advocated for the recruitment of more humanities students. Therefore, you can bet that you’ll have a lot less competition getting into top colleges if you’re interested in humanities.
You might be wondering if top colleges have simply started to recruit fewer humanities or social science students given the lack of interest. Nope, at least not for now. In Harvard’s Class of 2026, 44.5% of students indicated in their applications that they wanted to study humanities and social sciences. That’s almost half the students, way more than will actually go on to major in those fields.
You might also be thinking that you’re actually interested in CS or medicine. That’s fantastic, and you should absolutely show that part of yourself in your college application. But you could still consider adding some humanities or social sciences work to your resume. You could pursue a minor or a dual major. Lots of my best students who have gone to top colleges have had interests in STEM and humanities.
Improve Your College Application in Senior Year: Do Research
Critics may say that they know people who got into Ivy League schools without doing research. Sure, you don’t have to do research to get in. Just like you don’t have to be a world-class musician or athlete. But it helps. A lot.
And unlike being a world-class musician or athlete, which you typically need to start before high school, you can start doing research in your senior year. In fact, it’s often better to wait until you’re a bit older, taken more courses, and have a stronger academic foundation before doing the research. Depending on how much background knowledge you have in your topic, you can complete a paper in a matter of a few months. No one expects a high school student to write a PhD dissertation.
The good thing about research is that anyone can learn to do it. You don’t need to be most talented person to show that you have ideas about a topic and the ability to present those ideas in a structured fashion. Especially if you’re taking AP/IB courses. You’re already learning a lot of the foundational skills you need to do research.
When I was in high school, research was really only available to the children of academics, students at top high schools with research programs, or students who lived close enough to a university. I certainly had no access to those resources. But today, there are far more opportunities for any one to do research. This also means that a lot more people are doing research nowadays. It’s no longer a luxury, but an increasingly common activity for students. Not surprisingly, it’s become much more competitive too. Admissions officers will try to assess the quality of the research, whether you’ve published, who you’re working with, etc. You could even say that it’s unusual for students not to do research these days.
Want to write the kind of paper that could get you noticed by colleges? Check out our research services.
Dr. Kao is the Principal Adviser at Motivont, specializing in college admissions counseling and research for seniors G12. She has worked with 1000+ students in her 16-year career in education. In addition, she has evaluated applications for the Stanford Undergraduate Admissions Office. Dr. Kao holds a Stanford BA, Columbia MA, and Harvard PhD. For more info, visit motivont.com.
Next: Read more about doing research in How to Do Good Independent Research in High School.