Apologize if this has been answered before.
While filling the cal state apply (fall 2022), we see cal poly allows picking a second/alternate program(major) in the application.
My question is , how seriously are you considered for the second choice major, if you do not get accepted for the first choice?
Not very, but put one in anyway. If both majors are heavily impacted, they will fill with first choice candidates. They don’t look at second choice unless a major doesn’t fill with first choice applicants. Even if there are second choice applicants that are better on paper than the last one to get in, they aren’t considered with the first choice applicants first time around. Clear as mud? 
From the SLO website:
As a first-year applicant, you are encouraged to enter an alternate major on the application. If you are not selected to your first choice major, you may be considered in your alternate major if space is available.
The MAY BE should be emphasized in that statement.
Thanks to both of you. Sort of clear. This question was for impacted majors.
Put a choice in no matter what, but assume that if you don’t get your first, you won’t get your second either.
What majors?
All majors at SLO are impacted. The CSU application allows you to enter in a 2nd choice/Alternate major but very few campuses will actually consider it. Cal Poly Pomona and San Jose State are the campuses that normally will consider an alternate major if spots are available. SLO only rarely and the applicants that I have seen which are considered are usually Engineering applicants that put Math/Physics/Stats/Bioresource Engineering as their alternate major which are in another College, not the College of Engineering.
Did not see an option for alternate major for san jose state, but it is available for cal poly pomona.
CS/Business Admin. With 4.17 GPA his chances of CS are very small.
Interesting about SJSU since this is what it states on the website:
You must enter an alternate major on your application to SJSU. We will consider the alternate major for those applicants who did not meet the impaction threshold to their first choice major. We will only admit to alternate majors if there is additional capacity for new student enrollment in that major.
Perhaps things have changed for Fall 2022.
If that’s a UC/CSU, a-g, 9-11 GPA, I agree…long shot for CS.
That said, those are two weird ones to be 1 and 2. Usually it’s CS/SE, or Business/IT&P. The first and second are generally related.
He should really focus on one route or the other. At Cal Poly for example, he’d probably just get locked out with CS/Business. IT&P is a GREAT and underrated major at Cal Poly. I have no idea why it’s unpopular, but they make very good money, doing interesting stuff. If business is really his thing, I’d choose IT&P as his primary at CP and Business as his secondary and he’d likely get in. Just a thought.
Maybe @eyemgh can comment on this idea, and it may be “in the weeds” for someone interested in engineering and/or business, but what about BioResource and Agricultural Engineering or AgriBusiness in CAFES?
I know those two majors aren’t as difficult in terms of acceptance like CENG majors, but honestly, I’m wondering if it’s a way to get into “engineering” and/or “business” in a kinda-sorta way?
Edit: I now see @Gumbymom makes mention of BioResource Engineering.
The reason I mentioned the Bioresource Engineering is that my younger son’s classmate applied as a Civil Engineer as a Freshman with Bioresource as an alternate and was accepted into his alternate major. This is was 4 years ago. He works in Winery Mechanics.
I know nothing about that major. Sounds interesting though.
Probably because most people do not think of packaging as an interesting topic. Most people buy a shiny new thing, remove it from the packaging, and then throw the packaging in the trash or recycling bin without a second thought, even though (in actuality) there are numerous potentially interesting problems to solve when designing packaging.