Is there any source of data for departments at a school might be actively seeking major candidates? For example, if my child was deciding between, say, biology and neuroscience and we knew that School X had too many applicants in biology, but was looking for more in neuroscience, it seems like it would advantageous to choose to major in neuroscience. Is this a factor in decisions? Is it worth spending any time trying to figure out.
Some colleges are transparent about it. For example:
http://www.sjsu.edu/admissions/impaction/index.html
But others are not transparent about it, or even whether intended major is a consideration.
However, getting admitted to an easier-admissions major is not helpful if it means that you will have to apply competitively to get into your actual desired major after enrolling.
The main use of this information is so that you can make better reach/match/safety estimates. For example, a prospective CS major may need an application list that is generally lower on the selectivity scale than an applicant for most other majors, since CS is a more selective major at many colleges.
Students, as you did presumably, choose the major that best met students’ interests, skills and career choices. Statistics is often an area with fewer students than most majors. Would you have chosen statistics as your major, especially want something else. Some majors such as education or nursing may have more applicants than can be accommodated by either the program or the job market. Should a school train people who really want to major in a field that there are few employment opportunities in many of places graduates want to work! Life is too short to major in…