My daughter was deferred yesterday. She applied to CBS with CLA as her backup. We knew CBS was a long shot but felt hood about her chances for CLA. At the time she applied she was torn between a Genetics major and a Fashion Merchandising major. I pushed her towards genetics and I regret it as she has really settled on Merchandising. Is it possible to ask Admissions to consider her for Design instead before they make their final decision in March? She would have a much better shot at getting in there. UMN has been her number one choice for over a year and she is crushed.
Yes - definitely call them and ask if she can be switched to CDes. Good luck to her!
I will have her call first thing Monday! Thank you! She had wanted to change majors a month or two ago and her high school counselor advised her against it. I wish we hadn’t listened.
How do I switch my major? When I was filling out my application I wrote undecided, but now I’m sure what I want to do
Just to clarify - you don’t apply to a major at UMN. You apply to a colllege. Once in the college, you can major in whatever the college offers provided you satisfy pre-req and, if applicable, GPA thresholds.
@livviegracesmom - the GC might have advised that because it’s very hard to switch “up” to a more selective college once you are admitted to a less selective one. CLA is harder to get into than CDes so the GC was protecting your D’s options (you can always switch “down” once you get in). Now that your D is deferred altogether, it’s time to consider re-optimizing in order to maximize her chances of getting into her #1. Betting the GC will be on board (assuming he/she is intelligent).
@home - which college did you apply to?
@JBStillFlying I switched into Carlson school of management undecided. I feel like I want to go into Food and agricultural science. But once I get in, can I switch like my sophomore year if I change my mind
@home: CFANS is less selective than Carlson, and Carlson is easier to get into as a freshman than as an inter-college transfer. Just for reference, when my D17 applied last year the admit rate was reported to be 28% for class of 2020. Therefore, the transfer admit rate will be lower (probably significantly lower) than 28%. Did you get into Carlson or are you deferred? Also, what was your 2nd choice college?
@JBStillFlying I got deferred for Carlson school of management undecided. And My second choice are uc schools since I’m from California
So what major should I switch into for a higher chance
@home - I meant what UMN college was your second choice? Your first choice was Carlson but you were allowed to specify a 2nd choice - CLA, CFANS, etc. If you didn’t, you might wish to contact them unless you won’t come if you are not placed in Carlson.
Again, they don’t admit to MAJOR. They accept you for one of the admitting colleges. The admitting colleges are Carlson (CSOM), Liberal Arts (CLA), Engineering/Sciences (CSE), Forestry/Natural Sciences (CFANS), Ed/Human Development (CEHD), Design (CDes)
And what higher chance are you referring to - a higher chance for Carlson or a higher chance to UMN? The highest chance for Carlson is getting admitted as a high school senior. After that it gets more difficult because space is very limited and there are many who want to transfer in. Your highest chance for UMN is going to be specifying a 2nd choice (see above) such as CLA, CFANS, or CEHD because all of those are less selective than Carlson.
Good luck!
so if i want to add a second choice what do i do?
and which college should i pick for my second choice for a higher chance to get in?
@home - would advise you to be doing some research on this issue. Here are some stats to get you started.
https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/academics/profile.html
Make sure to know what kinds of majors are offered by each college - CFANS and CEHD, for instance, both offer a business option. While you are not committed to the major you specify within the college, articulating some course of study will help the admissions committee better understand whether UMN is the right fit for you.
Follow the directions on your deferral. If they don’t mention anything about changing colleges but you feel that you might want to specify a second choice to help your chances at UMN, then contact the Admissions Office to see if that option is available.
I called admissions about this today (son deferred for CBS). They said that they considered alternatives for him (CLA) even though we did not list CLA as a secondary. So, deferred is deferred, I guess.
My daughter spoke with an admissions rep yesterday about switching to CDes yesterday as her first choice. He forwarded her an email with the format she needs to use to formally request the change. We are submitting the request tonight. He was also very kind on reassuring that deferred does not mean denied and that she was still being considered. Even if she doesn’t get in at least she gave it her best shot.
Did they say if they actually wait until 3/31 to make those decisions?
The change in major paid off. Checked application tracker today and she’s been accepted to CDes.
@livviegracesmom Congrats, the wait finally paid off!
I called early last week and changed my choices from CLA/CBS to CEHD/CLA. My tracker changed to “Your application has recently been updated. We are currently reviewing it and will provide you with a decision as soon as possible.” and has said that for the past 5 days or so.
@darkknight15 hers changed to the same message too. Took about two weeks between contacting Admissions and receiving her decision. Good luck!
I am a professor in CDes. Welcome to your daughter. We will be glad to have her in our College.
To clarify a prior post by someone, CDes does admit to some majors and the admission targets vary some depending on the major selected. Most of our programs admit to a pre-major status and some are quite competitive.