I am having a hard time deciding which major to apply as to GT for next year. I am confused between Business and Chemical Engineering. I was thinking of applying as Business since I have heard it is less demanding and competitive and then intend to switch majors after I get in (switch to chemical). Does this seem like a good idea?
Despite the increasingly rampant myth on CC that GT admissions focuses on an applicant’s major selection, choosing business will not make it any easier for you to get into Tech. If you’re going to write about a passion for a particular field, it would make sense to have your major align with the rest of your story. Otherwise, your major is just an incidental aspect of your application.
If you are accepted, it is easy to change your major before you come to orientation, and once you start classes you get 1 free major change to any major you want. After that, it’s usually very easy to change majors as long as you maintain a 3.0 GPA. This lenient major change policy is also why it would make little sense for Tech to admit based on major; they know many students will change their major at some point in their academic career.
If you want to study Chemical Engineering, put that on your application. If you want to study engineering, but you don’t know which field, put undecided engineering, etc… Your time will be much better spent improving the substantive portions of your application rather than fretting over which major to apply with. I can assure you that the admissions committee is not going to read your application and think, “Darn, we would admit him if only he had chosen major X instead of major Y.” Admissions is looking for the best people to compose each freshman class and not some set number of students for each school. If you’re still worried about it, just apply during the early action round, as no school will be “overcrowded” at that point.
Thanks @InPursuit for the reply. I really appreciate it.
I also think you should apply for chemical. That way, GT will know to send you engineering publications if they send any out.
If you’re really concerned about getting in, then I suggest applying early. EA has a slightly higher admit rate, and that’s how you get considered for some of their scholarships.
Best of luck!
@MysteryTwin12 Thanks for the feedback. I am just worried that applying for engineering will make it much harder for me compared to Business as some of my friends have gotten in with much lower stats for Business and some with perfect scores have gotten denied as they applied for Computer Science/ Engineering. 
:? 
Another thing to think about… If your EC’s or stuff done during the summer is all engineering related then saying you want to major in business may look funny…
Sort of in the reverse my son who will be a High school Senior is more a liberal arts/business student. All his EC’s and most classes are related to those sort of majors. If he were to apply to GT as an Engineering student it would look strange.
@harsh98 On the other hand if you are really considering business, and can make a case in your application that this is a potential good fit major for you, it does not harm you at all to talk about that. Many students are undecided even one year into college. So its OK to be undecided. Chemical engineering includes organic chemistry, and engineering fluids. Its a math intensive major with a lot of chemistry, so think about your strengths and what INTERESTS you the most ! Business can be accounting, or marketing or other quantitative finance types of concentrations. GT also offers International Policy majors.
@Coloradomama well the only part I can talk about my interests in a major is the supplementals that are required by GT. The common app has different prompts and the prompt I have chosen is very different and it doesn’t require me to talk about my major. Should I show my interest in the major in the supplementals since one of the prompts basically asks “why are you interested in gt”
You may want to get other advise but my answer is yes. It helps to say GT is good at business, engineering and I want to study those subjects, I would guess. I am not on the GT admissions committee however.
http://factbook.gatech.edu/admissions-and-enrollment/freshman-admissions/
For the 2015 admissions cycle, 25% of applicants to Scheller were accepted; 35% of COE applicants were accepted. Granted, there may be some self-selection bias behind those stats, but the point remains that you won’t be making a meaningful impact on your chances of admission by applying as a business major. As others have said, apply to the major that you are the most interested in and for which you are the most qualified.
bump