Applying Undecided and then Switching to Engineering?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone! So I've been talking to friends and stuff and a lot of them have a major they want but are applying to schools as undecided so that they have a higher chance of getting into the school. Then they will switch to the major they want. I was wondering if that was a smart idea. I want to get into the engineering program at schools like Virginia Tech, UVA, George Mason, etc. But my test scores/grades/other credentials are mediocre. Would it be smart to apply undecided first? </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>Doing this may mean having to go through another admission process to change into an engineering major. For example, at VT, see:
<a href=“http://www.enge.vt.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-changing-majors/undergrad-into-engineering.html”>http://www.enge.vt.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-changing-majors/undergrad-into-engineering.html&lt;/a&gt;
Note that the following:
<a href=“http://www.enge.vt.edu/_files/undergraduate/pdf_EMP_AverageGPA.pdf”>http://www.enge.vt.edu/_files/undergraduate/pdf_EMP_AverageGPA.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
indicates that a 3.0 GPA while meeting engineering major prerequisites will guarantee entry into the desired major, but applicants with lower GPAs may not be admitted into the desired major. Also note that non-engineering students may have lower registration priority for engineering major prerequisite courses.</p>

3

<p>This is fine when you are deciding between two liberal arts majors (psychology and English for example) but it is definitely not a good plan when you are applying to a specific program like engineering. Many engineering programs require acceptance into the school or program. In addition, engineers start off with classes in their major right away and the classes are sequential so if you don’t start out in the program you might not be able to graduate in 4 years.</p>

<p>Colleges are very wise to the “game” of students applying to a less selective program and trying to then switch into a more selective program. </p>

4

<p>@ucbalumnus and @happy1, thank you. I guess I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.</p>

5

<p>Definitely harder to get into UVa. undecided (School of Arts and Sciences) than Engineering.</p>

<p><a href=“http://avillage.web.virginia.edu/iaas/instreports/studat/dd/adm_first.htm”>http://avillage.web.virginia.edu/iaas/instreports/studat/dd/adm_first.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Definitely not better at UVA. They are significantly more difficult to get into if you are undecided (School of Arts and Sciences) than directly into Engineering.
<a href=“http://avillage.web.virginia.edu/iaas/instreports/studat/dd/adm_first.htm”>http://avillage.web.virginia.edu/iaas/instreports/studat/dd/adm_first.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;