So the applications for the art college and college of engineering at Cornell are very different. I was hoping to major in CS and minor in art or to double major. I’m not sure if I should just apply for fine art. I really want to go to a top tier school (right now I’m looking at Cornell and Columbia) and I know that my chances for getting in for art are a lot better then CS (schoolastic art and writing awards gold key winner etc.). Would it be possible to get in for art then change to a double major with art and cs later on? (I’m good at cs. Got a 5 on AP cs test but I know a lot of people are good at CS and art sets me apart more). Just asking if it would be possible to combine two drastically different majors if you only got in for one.
Yes, you can apply to Art then switch to a double major with CS. There’s a concurrent degree program where you can get an arts degree and a degree in CS from either the college of arts and sciences or the engineering school.
https://aap.cornell.edu/academics/art/undergraduate/concurrent-degree-options
Keep in mind though that the concurrent degree program listed above takes five years to complete, and you have to apply to get into it your second year (so there’s no guarantee you’d be accepted). That’s not to say you shouldn’t do it, but you should keep that in mind.
Alternatively, you can major in one and minor in the other. If you aren’t dead-set on a single major, I would recommend applying to Arts & Sciences (I’m biased though so feel free to take this with a grain of salt). CS is offered as a major there, as well, and you could explore a lot of different majors within CAS that may fulfill your artistic side, like art history or music (which I realize are not the same thing as fine arts). From there, you could also decide to minor in fine arts in AAP.
Thank you!