<p>Two point that are mentioned in multiple sources/reviews/comments about CMU.
1. CMU has great academics if you know what you want do.
2. It can be difficult to change majors at CMU.
Are items 1 and 2 fair statement?
Why is it any more difficult to change majors at CMU that 217 other schools?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I think this is true of any college. If you come in as an undecided major at a top tier school, you’re kind of screwed no matter where you are. CMU is great but a lot of the programs are four-year, meaning it’s very difficult to just transfer in as a sophomore if you haven’t yet figured out what you want to do with your life. Design, Engineering, CS, Drama, and Music are some majors that follow a very strict four-year outline.</p></li>
<li><p>Depends where you’re transferring from and where you’re transferring to. If a Spanish major wants to become a CS major, it’s hard. If a CS major wants to become a Spanish major, it’s easy.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Generally the difficulty of transferring into a college goes like this (from most difficult to least): SCS, CIT, CFA, Tepper, MCS, HSS. It is impossible to transfer into Drama, directing, architecture, or any of the hardcore CFA programs.</p>
<p>at a lot of schools you may not get to the core courses for your major in the first year. this allows you switch majors without necessarily being “behind schedule”. this is not quite the case at CMU</p>
<p>I switched from MCS to CIT (ECE). Switching into CIT is easy because you don’t even get to declare your major until the end of freshman year. The only class you’ll have to catch up on is the intro to foo engineering course, which you should try to take spring semester.</p>
<p>“About 80% change their major at least once. On average, college students change their major three times over the course of their college career.”</p>
<p>It has to be easy to change majors at colleges if students do it about three times.</p>
<p>I think I posted a response to this a few weeks ago…</p>
<p>Put your mind at ease…if you look at the program of studies for every major in CIT, SCS and MCS…essentially same first year… A lab science, Programming, Math, Freshman English…
Totally easy to switch across these majors…even easier to switch out of these majors.</p>