Counselor today told me that Rhetoric major is harder to get into than History because it has grown!

He said that it has blown up in recent years. Is this true? I don’t always trust counselors because I often hear conflicting information. I was going to apply as a Rhetoric major and then change to a History major when I got accepted. Has anyone else heard this?

If you’re applying to Letters & Science, the major you pick will not influence your admissions decisions. Admission Officers will first look over your entire application (aka holistic review) and other information you may be later requested to provide (teacher recs, etc.). If the AOs decide to admit you, you will then be placed into the appropriate college (in this case, Letters & Science) as an undeclared student. If you were applying for the College of Engineering or any other college at UC Berkeley with impacted majors, then your major would indeed have some bearing on whether you are admitted or not.