<p>I've heard many stories of students with 3.8 GPAs with several AP credits and volunteer hours being rejected from UC schools and other higher tier colleges on the east coast because of the major they wanted. Many people online said that applying as undecided significantly increases chances at a more selective university. However, I'm afraid of doing this because I don't want my major of choice to run out of available seats when I enter college. </p>
<p>Would it be possible for me to apply as undecided to my school of choice and declare my major as soon as I get in?
I want to be a premed or biochemistry major at UCLA or USC but I fear that my B- grades in science classes will hold me back. I was not motivated at all during sophomore year and unfortunately that's when I decided to take biology, physics, and chem. I know I lack a strong background to jump into the science field but I want to do my best in college. </p>
<p>The main question I'm asking is: Does applying as undecided give me a better chance of getting in and is it worth the risk?</p>
<p>However, in many cases, if a major is more selective at frosh admission, then changing into it later requires another admission process. I.e. you won’t necessarily get a free lunch here by trying to game the system.</p>
<p>It depends on the school. I have mentioned this before on another thread, but once again.
There are three types of admissions policies when it comes to your major
You are admitted into a major or a college that houses your major
This is the policy used by many public schools (example: the UC system).
Every freshmen is admitted as undeclared and declares a major at the end of their sophomore year.
This is a policy used by many private universities and liberal arts colleges (example: Stanford).
Same as #2 except for certain majors/colleges
This is a policy used by many public or private universities with specific well regarded departments (example: Johns Hopkins BME). </p>
<p>Check with each school as to which admission policy they use. </p>
<p>A lot of times, applying undeclared may not be as tough as getting into the most selective major, but it can be more selective than the rest of the university because some schools like to have knowledge of what their students are going to be doing once they are there.</p>
<p>Although colleges ask about your “intended” major, Admissions Officers understand that 50% to 70% of students change their major at least once during their 4 years of college. So, colleges DO NOT and CANNOT use whatever you write down as your “intended” major as a recruiting tool, because the data doesn’t correlate to the major a student will eventually graduate with. So, it doesn’t matter if you write down “undecided” or specify whatever you are interested in. Colleges are asking the question to just gauge your interests. The exception to that rule is if you are applying to a specialized school, such as Wharten at UPenn or RISD etc – then your major must align with what the school is teaching.</p>
<p>Sometimes, different divisions within a school have different policies (e.g. one division may admit directly to the major, while another admits everyone undeclared). Berkeley is an example here.</p>
<p>Sometimes, applicants apply to a major, but only some admitted applicants are given the major; others are admitted undeclared and face a competitive admission process to declare the major later. Washington is an example here.</p>