Up until this past year, I always thought I was going to do engineering in college. However, as I’ve become involved in computer science classes, I changed my mind, and decided I’d rather major in comp sci. Most of my extracurriculars point toward engineering, and there is nothing that mentions computer science, except for one small role coding in robotics.
I’m afraid I’m sabotaging my own applications by choosing my expected major as computer science. People seem to advise that you choose whatever you’re going to want to do, which I’ve gone along with so far. However, I’m applying to top schools where other computer science majors have a ton of ECs to back them up. In addition, my major is being factored into my application, but most times it’s just for an acceptance into a particular school, one that I’d be in even if I wrote I was interested in another major. And for those that do have their own comp sci school, they are all easy to transfer into (with one exception).
I don’t want my college application’s success to be impeded by a change in heart over the past few months, versus years of work. I expect many people change their ideas about what they want to do in college as well. Should I still continue writing that I want to major in computer science on my application, as it doesn’t make a difference (even to top 20 schools)? Or am I hurting my application by doing so?
I can’t see where your CS interest would impede your application. Also, you may be a good candidate for a Computer science and electrical engineering major. But even if not, many people interested in one are also in interested in the other. You may simply have had less exposure to CS. As long as you have a decent math history you should be ok. Perhaps you could also explain how your interest in CS emerged, etc. There is considerable overlap between the two majors in terms of what you are expected to have already mastered. If you suggested your background was entirely in theatre/music and now you want CS, well that would be different.
Thanks for the response! I tried weaving in how my interest in computer science came up again. The overlapping of extracurriculars was something I was hoping would suffice, like you described. Also, I have a strong math history and an 800 on the subject test, so I should be good in that regard.
The majority of my DD’s EC’s were music related. She didn’t develop an interest in the healthcare field until she took chemistry at the end of her sophomore year. She had a couple of EC’s that were healthcare related, but nothing like some applicants. In her essay she wrote about how music had always been a part of her life, but after taking chemistry she decided to pursue a career in medicine. She talked about her new-found passion for medicine and how she was taking steps to expand her healthcare experiences. The essay helped her EC’s & application make sense. Looking at her application alone one might think she was a music major. She was accepted to the 4 colleges she applied to with merit.
I don’t think that you should worry about it. As long as you participated in ECs that you liked and you did well, they don’t have to be specifically tailored to your major.
Personally I was a math major. My ECs were sailing, skiing, and chess. It is pretty difficult to explain any relationship at all between the first two and math. However, this did not hurt my chances and I still got in everywhere that I applied (including at least one very selective school).