<p>Particularly UCLA, UCB, UCSD, and UCSB. </p>
<p>I put Poli Sci, which I think is one of the majors that frequently becomes impacted. I hope this doesn't come back and kicks me in the ass.</p>
<p>Well - if you don't really have a history of doing other things related to other majors, then poli sci is really all you could put down without putting down undecided... (and I'm not sure if that was a choice or not). Otherwise if you do have deep accomplishements in the arts, or in languages, it may be worthwhile to send them a letter saying you've changed your mind on majors...</p>
<p>fhimas is wrong. Read the FAQ on the admissions website of any UC. If you apply for a major in the college of Letters and Science then they do not take your major into account when considering you for admission. Poli Sci is in L&S. QED.</p>
<p>As for the OP, if Poli Sci is an impacted major then if you are accepted you will not be a Poli Sci major. Your record will list you as "pre Poli Sci", "pre Econ", or whatever. For an impacted major you are in the "pre" major until you satisfy the requirements of the dept for admission to the major (generally taking a prescribed list of courses and having a certain GPA). This is all explained in detail on the website for the majors at each of the UC schools.</p>
<p>Sure - well, that may be true for the UCs, but it is true everywhere else, even if the school denies it. Schools need to fill up their spots. This is according to Katherine Cohen... the one who charges 25K+ for college counseling... QED.</p>
<p>Katherine Cohen is correct for small schools, and even for mid-sized Unis. But, the UCs are so large they know that in the thousands of acceptance letters that go out, they'll easily find a tuba player, some cheerleaders, playrights, english lit majors, and, of course, thousands of premed, prelaw. Plus, they also know that the vast majority of kids change their major 2-3 times while in college. So, applicants to L&S can put down anything as long as the rest of the application package supports it. (Don't mark down math major if you only score 500+ on SAT-M.)</p>
<p>Where intended major DOES matter is for apps to the Engineering schools, since they are reveiwed separately.</p>
<p>What if you don't apply engineering and then later decide you want to go that route? Or what if you go in undeclared and figure out you like engineering? Is it still possible to get in?</p>
<p>nearly impossible to transfer into Engineering from L&S since the transfer slots are reserved for jucos. It can be done, but only rarely.</p>
<p>Transferring into the College of Engineering can be very difficult. Also, when applying for Engineering, the applications are reviewed by major. Impacted majors (such as Electrical Engineering) are more difficult to get into than some other engineering majors.</p>
<p>Yes, that is why if you are unsure of what you want to do, Engineering Undeclared, EECS, or Chemical Engineering are probably the best majors to apply for, and will give you the most flexibility (although it's still not simple to transfer out, either).</p>
<p>So my son is pretty sure he wants to go with engineering. He is leaning towards CE. Should he apply CE if he is not sure or do something else. Is CE one of the competetive schools at most UC's? He is thinking of Davis, SD, SC, SB and Irvine. (also Cal Poly SLO) I think he favors Davis and Cal Poly. I know at Cal Poly once you are in it is nearly impossible to change out. What about at Davis. Is it hard to switch within the engineering departments at Davis? Which engineering major would give him the best chances of being admitted?</p>
<p>collegemom16, EE is usually the major in most demand. I knew someone at a UC who was a ChemE and decided sophomore year what he really wanted was EE, but he didn't have the GPA to change majors. Sad thing was he didn't really know what he wanted when he applied and picked ChemE more or less at random; with his scores and GPA he could have been accepted as an EE.</p>
<p>Since the UC deadlines have long since passed, I assume your son is a HS junior. So I would also strongly recommend that he try to get some exposure to engineering to see if its right for him. A summer job at an engineering firm,a "day on the job" arranged thru his HS counselor, anything helps. The reason I say this is because most kids who start in engineering end up deciding it's not for them. According to one industry newspaper
[quote]
the majority of engineering undergrads drop out or flunk out of the curriculum within the first two years. With a few notable exceptions, U.S. engineering schools typically have attrition rates hovering between one-half and two-thirds.
<a href="http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=45200041%5B/url%5D%5B/quote%5D">http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=45200041
[/quote]
</a> See also <a href="http://www.eetimes.com/issue/fp/OEG20020712S0041%5B/url%5D">http://www.eetimes.com/issue/fp/OEG20020712S0041</a></p>
<p>mikemac thanks so much for the wonderful links. I found the information about the mindstorm products especially interesting as my son was absolutely obcessed with legos for years. Outside of sports and math computer games, legos were his favorite activity. We must have spent in excess of $1,000 on them! Your assumption that my son is a junior is correct. He took biology, chemistry, and physics all before his junior year. As a junior he is taking a physics B class at the local CC and he loves it. He is in calculus AB and math has always been his favorite subject. He has never been shy about taking science or math courses and has never earned lower than a B grade. (excluding english courses, though he does take honors) Additionally he loves anything to do with computers and always has. He is a mechanic on the Myers Briggs Index and so is very inclined towards engineering. My husband has two computer engineers he uses as consultants and my son has spent a little time with them picking their brains. Recently he took apart an old computer and has had fun studying its core. I really can't imagine him enjoying any other career track as much, but I know he is nervous about the competitive admissions process and choosing the right major. Thanks for the advice and helpful links. What sorts of jobs might he be able to acquire with local engineering firms in the summer? Do they really hire 17 year olds?</p>