Can't everyone just do this to get in to whatever school they want?

Applying to College
1

<p>Some schools have competitive majors, e.g Computer Science at MIT. Can't one just apply to that school as, for example, a Spanish major where there is NO competition and get in because of MIT has like 3 spanish majors? And then once you're in, can't you just switch to the major you really want?</p>

2

<p>Well, why don’t you try that and let us know how it works out?</p>

<p>Okay, honest answer:</p>

<p>(1) I’m not a big fan of deceit in college (or job) applications. Seems like not a good way to get where you want.</p>

<p>(2) Although you might be a more interesting candidate to School X if you profess an interest in an unusual major, that still won’t be enough for the school to disregard its usual standards for admission. So, if you don’t have the stat’s to get into School X, the fact that you want to study zooarchaeology probably won’t make any difference.</p>

3

<p>Your concept is one of the most often asked “strategies” extant on this entire site. No EUREKA moment for you here.</p>

4

<p>Also, while some schools, including most LAC’s, allow students to switch majors at will, many don’t. If you don’t have the stats to get into a restricted program at time of entry, you may not have the stats to transfer in half way through. And then you’re stuck majoring in Spanish.</p>

5

<p>In addition to what other posters have said, a lot of schools with competitive admissions don’t admit by major. For instance, at MIT, you apply to the university as a whole and then declare a major after your first year (and you can declare whatever you want - the difference between Spanish and CS would be checking a different box).</p>

6

<p>What if everyone just got a 2400 on their SAT? Gosh it would make it all so easy.</p>

7

<p>It doesn’t work,</p>

8

<p>Call me old-fashioned, but it would drive me crazy if I was accepted after lying on my application. I would never know if the adcoms liked me or they simply liked the person that I pretended to be.</p>

<p>BTW, another variation on this dishonest application theme is to indicate that you are a URM. This gambit has worked on occasion, but it creates more problems than it solves.</p>