Personal context

My LinkedIn tagline is “Stanford Student Studying Symbolic Systems (Speculatively).”

I’m a Stanford freshman who applied for Symbolic Systems, but Stanford is very flexible so I can basically pick any major. Lots of people change their mind. Initially, I told people I’d probably do so too, but I’m one quarter in and I’m still on the SymSys route! However, I don’t want to commit yet, and could see myself as CS or maybe like math / public policy (I love humanities too, but I feel that a STEM major will better keep my options open between a STEM and humanities career).

Context on major

Symbolic Systems is an interdisciplinary major spanning CS, philosophy, linguistics, neuroscience, and math. I’m an interdisciplinary person, and I liked those fields a lot in high school! It offers many concentrations, is pretty flexible, and is (iirc) the 5th-most popular Stanford major. As a de facto AI major, it’s also very employable.

Feel free to share any thoughts you have on the SymSys major!

Timeline

I have to declare by end of sophomore year. To declare SymSys, I’ll have to take SYMSYS 1, which I’m dreading and putting off. I’ll probably do it next year.

Resolution criteria

Note: this market resolves based on the first major I declare, not what I graduate with.

Gut estimate

Back when I got in, I’d have put it around 40%, but I think the chance has risen to … like 75%? I think first quarter is big for time decay so it matters that I’m still saying SymSys.

General policy for my markets: In the rare event of a conflict between my resolution criteria and the agreed-upon common-sense spirit of the market, I may resolve it according to the market's spirit or N/A, probably after discussion.