As of Wednesday, 325 students declared concentrations in the social sciences, a drop from last year’s 363.
Economics remain the largest department within social sciences, with around 114 new concentrators as of Wednesday, according to unofficial numbers from University College Facebook. This is a decrease from last year’s 130.
“Economics is an attractive major that provides a strong foundation in both theory and empirical analysis that can be used to understand a variety of socially important phenomena," Economics professor Smita Brunnermeier said. "Since our training is both structured and flexible, our majors can either directly begin careers in banking, finance, consulting, government and industry or pursue further studies in diverse fields such as economics, finance, law, public policy, business and medicine."
Kira Keating '18, who declared economics, said she finds the balance of quantitative and qualitative aspects within the discipline intriguing.
"I'm concentrating in econ because I like how intuitive it is – the way models and theories make sense," Melissa Reed '18, another new economics concentrator, explained. She also noted her interest in studying the way that individuals' thinking and decision-making processes interplay with these models.
The number of students concentrating in the Wilson School is 104 compared to last year's 109, according to an estimate obtained from University College Facebook.
The Wilson School Undergraduate Program Office did not respond to request for comment.
Jenny Mu '18 noted that she decided to declare her concentration in the Wilson School because of its unique interdisciplinary curriculum that allows her to combine her interests in a single course of study.
According to Politics Department Director of Undergraduate Studies Markus Prior, a total of 70 sophomores have declared their major in politics, remaining constant with last year’s 68 and the prior year’s 70. Prior expects this number to rise slightly in the summer.
“There is no other major at Princeton in which students can study politics with as much breadth and depth. And because we are a big department, we can offer cutting-edge training in different methods and one-on-one independent work advising starting in junior year,” he noted.
Both the anthropology department and the sociology department experienced a drop in numbers of concentrators.
According to numbers from University College Facebook, anthropology has 15 new concentrators compared to last year’s 22.
Morayo Odujinrin '18 said that she declared anthropology because of the classes she took with the department, which were more specific and catered towards her areas of interest.
"I'm in a class that's only about technology, and another one that's only about urban spaces and cities, which I really like, and they really align with my interest of wanting to be in a non-profit in the future," she said.
Olivia Fiechter '18, who also declared anthropology, said she liked the department’s atmosphere.
"I was torn between a few departments in the social sciences but at the end of the day, the intimate and supportive nature of the anthropology department and staff was the deciding factor in my concentration decision," she explained.
Department of Anthropology Chair Elizabeth Davis did not respond to requests for comment.
The sociology department has 22 new concentrators as of Wednesday, compared to 34 last year.
“All of the professors that I've had so far have been incredible and because the study of sociology provides a different way of analyzing the world around us, which I find to be fascinating," Ashley Forte '18, who declared Sociology, said.
Deparment of Sociology Chair Mitchell Duneier did not respond to request for comment.
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