<p>When applying and filling out the space for "Intended Major," the answer one fills in is entirely non-binding, right? This is what I thought until I saw someone who wrote about how they thought it was better to "apply undeclared." I didn't think it was possible to apply as "declared" at all. Am I missing something?</p>
<p>First, your answer to “intended major” is completely unbinding. Most American students change major at least once before they graduate. Many change more than once.</p>
<p>Second, whether to put “undecided” or “my<em>major” is really a matter of choice. At some schools, admissions may track potential majors in disciplines that are traditionally over/under enrolled at the college or majors that attract better-than-average applicants. But at many colleges your answer won’t affect the admission decision, but it may affect who your assigned adviser. If you write “my</em>major” then most colleges will assign you an adviser in the department that offers “my_major.” If you’re pretty sure that you know what you want to study, that’s an advantage since you’ll get accurate academic advice about your major requirements right from the start of your college career. If you write “undecided” you may be assigned an advisor who specializes in helping undecided students choose appropriate courses to explore multiple majors. But at other colleges you may simply be assigned to a faculty member in a department that is not swamped with advisees and the advice you get may or may not be useful to you.</p>
<p>There is one other thing you need to know about the “intended major” question: If you are applying to a large university that is split into several schools—say Engineering, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Agriculture, Education, etc—you will likely be required to apply to a specific SCHOOL and thus your choice of majors will be limited to those in the particular SCHOOL you apply to. Additional paperwork (and time) may be needed if you want to switch from major<em>A in School</em>1 to major<em>B in School</em>2.</p>
<p>In addition to that last point, it may be difficult or impossible to switch between certain schools once you have gotten into one. Many universities (Georgia Tech and NYU come to mind) make these policies to prevent students from applying to less selective schools within the university with the intent of simply transferring to a more selective school after they get there.</p>
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<p>This is the only situation in which selecting a major locks you into anything. In most situations, the major you put down is 100% nonbinding. When people talk about the pros and cons of applying undecided versus marking their prospective major, they’re looking for admissions boosts–nothing more. It may be advantageous, for example, for a prospective classics major with a documented history of achievement related to classics to mark their major. It is a marginal boost but one that could push a qualified unhooked applicant into the accept pile at a hyper-competitive school. For the more common majors, like English or Government, an applicant may be better off marking undecided, as so many kids mark down these majors.</p>