Does selecting a major affect the chances of getting into a college? If a certain school is competitive in a specific major, will it be harder to get into it if you express interest in that major through your application?
It depends upon the college.
Yeah, I applied to NC State (a college I was sure to get into) but was deferred so I thought that might be the reason.
First, don’t try to game the system, by putting a major that you don’t want. It can lead to sadness afterwhile.
Second, it depends. Many Universities admit by college.Your major would determine to what college you are applying. Some schools also have specific majors that have enrollment caps by major and admit directly into the major (CS, Nursing). You may be able to move colleges and or majors after you start college, but if they are capacity controlled, it may be difficult/impossible.
Third, don’t try to game the system.
Here is the freshman profile for UIUC. It shows the breakdown by college. You can see that the bottom 25th percentile in ACT scores for the School of Social Work is much lower (22) than it is for The College of Engineering (31). Thinking that you are going to apply to Social Work and then transfer to Engineering may result in you graduating with a degree in Social Work. https://admissions.illinois.edu/Apply/Freshman/profile
Thank you for your response Eeyore. I will wait for the regular decision and hope everything will go well!