My S16 has been accepted to 2 universities and is waiting on a RD that should come in late February. He applied to each as a computer science major, but after exploring wants to change to information systems (which still has a big overlap in course offerings, but would be in the business schools instead of the STEM schools). Is it a good idea for him to try to change his major before he accepts one of his offers of admission, or should he wait until (1) after accepting an offer but before he starts in the fall or (2) he’s in his freshman year, since course options are probably very similar. I am thinking in terms of advising that his course track could be different based on which major he pursues, even by his freshman or sophomore year. Thanks for any guidance on this!
It depends on the school. If the switch in major requires a switch in the specific school within the university, being accepted into one does not mean the student would necessarily have been accepted at the other. Internal transfers across school can be difficult or impossible in some schools. This is especially true if the major he wants is a more competitive one or has different requirements than the major he was accepted into, Both engineering and business are often contained in their own school. Switching between them once accepted is usually very difficult when they are contained in different schools. In some schools it is almost impossible to do. I would expect that most of the supporting materials for your son’s application are geared towards computer science so even changing once the application is submitted seems like it would be difficult. But, if the majors are not in different schools it is probably not that hard to switch once he starts.
It may make sense for him to call the school and discuss it if the information is not available on line. He would not have to give his read name. Rather he can discuss it as a hypothetical.
Do a web search for “[school name] change major [new major]” to find out whether there is a high standard or competitive admission process to change. If there is insufficient information, ask the school and the department of the new major directly.
An IS major may want to see if s/he can take the CS courses in operating systems, networks, databases, and security instead of the less technical IS versions.
Thank you @ucbalumnus and @lostaccount . I check out the web search and contact the colleges as soon as they open back up for spring semester. I think S would be happier with an IS program that offers a focus in CS courses, so it’s probably worth him checking to see if there is some flexibility in how the programs are each set up. I appreciate your helpful input on this!