Does choosing specific majors increase your chances of getting into UC schools (and USC)

Applying to College
1

I read that choosing majors (in the application process) that are not heavily impacted (like psychology or biology) at UCLA increases your chances of being accepted, is this true? I’m a science kind of person and I want to be involved in the medical field but I also know that biological sciences is a heavily impacted major at UCLA - is there any advantage in trying to major in a subject that is less popular? Also, is there a significant difference between choosing an unimpacted major vs. going undecided? THANK YOU!

2

Depends on the school. If it divided into divisions like Letters and Science, Engineering, etc., then choice of division likely matters. Within a division, it may or may not matter. Check if frosh are admitted to majors, or if all come in undeclared. Check if changing major is hard.

3

If you want to get into med school, you can major in anything (Philosophy or Classics or Economics…) So, check if at the UCs* you can get into the premed core science classes even if you major in something non science-y.
Premed core classes are: 1 year each of English, Calculus, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry + 1 semester each of psychology, sociology, + (VERY recommended) biochemistry + (not mandatory but nice to have) neuroscience or another approach to science, a foreign language that is spoken by an immigrant community (Somali, Soso, Hmong, Creole French, Korean, Arabic, etc.) If you major, say, in Philosophy, you should have no trouble getting into most of these, so the question mark is for Physics, Bio, Chem.

  • I STRONGLY recommend you apply to some private universities and CSUs since UCs have become increasingly selective. Stats from 3-5 years ago are absolutely not representative anymore and this year in particular was a bloodbath. Suggestions for West Coast universities that should serve your needs and cover the range of reaches, matches, and safeties: Oxy, Pitzer, Whitman, Lewis&Clark, UPortland, Chapman, URedlands, St Mary's of CA. If you can look outside of these states, colleges such as Davidson, Emory, Tulane, St Olaf, Illinois Wesleyan, Lawrence, Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Goucher, Lehigh, would all be various possibilities on the East Coast, South, and Midwest. Universities such as Temple and UAlabama Honors should be explored for their merit scholarship possibilities.