<p>i'm a bit confused about something. at northwestern, you indicate at application time which major you want to pursue. if your major is a competitive one, and you don't get in, you don't get into northwestern. is this also true for NYU (and most universities)? i'm applying to the recorded music program in tisch, and it's really selective... i'd hate to know that if i don't get into it, i won't be able to attend NYU at all....</p>
<p>If you don't get into Recorded Music, then you don't get into NYU. At NYU, you apply to the college which has the major you want, in this case, Tisch. And with Tisch, you apply to a specific department, unlike if you're applying to CAS, for example. If you don't get into that program, they will not refer you to CAS or another college, so no, you won't get in.</p>
<p>There are many excellent colleges and universities, including most of the Ivies, where this is NOT true - you get accepted into the university regardless of major. The exception is generally conservatory type programs. U. Michigan has a music conservatory but you can apply to the regular University at the same time as applying to the music program - if you don't get into the music program, you can still get into the University.</p>