I will be applying to college soon and I know that post-grad I want to pursue medical school and eventually become a doctor. I’ve talked to alot of people about applying and they have consistently discouraged me from applying as a biology major to schools because it is a more competitive major. I am still considering applying as a different major and then switching to biology for its obvious benefits, but throughout my high school career I have shown a strong devotion to the natural sciences and scientific research. What are some less competitive majors that I could apply to that could easily allow me to switch to a biological sciences major? How do I highlight my devotion to scientific research and apply for a loosely related major, but not seem suspicious when applying to that major?
…And is it actually going to make that much of a difference if I choose to apply as biology major?
This plan may not work in all cases. There are two types of colleges- those that admit by major and those that don’t (like the Ivies and LACs, for example).
If a school does not admit by major, then it really doesn’t matter what major you write on your application. Universities know that many students do not graduate with the same major they applied with, so it will have little effect. If the school you are applying to, I would not try to trick them- rather, since you clearly have strength in the sciences, I would list your intended major as biology.
If a school does admit by major, you should write biology also, but for a different reason- if you don’t get accepted as a biology major, it may be very hard to switch into the major.
Agree with the above – your “plan” of applying to a less competitive major has no benefit.
If a college admits by major then it will likely be very difficult to make an internal transfer into the major you really want – particularly if it is a more competitive major than the one you have been admitted to. There would be a good chance you could not study what you want if you go this route.
If a college does not admit by major then admission officers are well aware of the fact that you can change majors once you have been admitted to the school. I’ve heard admission officers say that in this scenario they don’t pay much attention to the intended major as about half of the applicants come in as undecided and about half of those coming in with a designated major end up switching it while they are at the college. (The only time an intended major may have an impact is if an applicant has a long standing history of involvement with an obscure major – ex. has done significant research, pursued upper level classes etc which doesn’t seem to be the case for you.)
Admissions officers have seen every way to game the system and they are wise to these ploys.