Colleges admit based on major?

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I was just wonder for highly selective colleges (Vanderbilt, WashU, Rice, U of C(Berkeley,LA)), if you are an applicant, does major play a factor into whether you get admitted? For example, I am not sure whether I want to major in a science or in engineering. Someone told me if I choose a science major, I will have a much higher chance of getting in and if I choose I engineering major, I will have a lower chance of getting in. And I don't want to get rejected out of a great college just because I chose an engineering major and not a science one. </p>

<p>Thank you for your time and advice!</p>

<p>You can’t lump those colleges together and assume they admit the same! Also it depends on the major if they care or not. Many schools do admit by major for engineering. If you don’t get your first choice they will often admit your into your second choice or just the school of Arts and Science. Beware that if you don’t pick engineering and get admitted to that, at some colleges you will never be able to transfer into it. So is the school most important or the major? You decide. </p>

<p>I can tell you that at the UC’s you have to be admitted to engineering in order to major in it and it is harder to get into then a science major, except possible Chem at Berkeley. Some schools, like Brown and, I think Univ of Wisconsin, you can still major in Engineering even if you don’t declare it at first.</p>

<p>You really need to research this question for each of your target schools. Every institution is likely to have its own policy (often, subtle differences); your investigations and analyses are critical. </p>

<p>Thank you! And I didn’t really lump them together. Those were what I meant by highly selective. And I was asking about the majors question more generally rather than for specific schools. </p>