Is it better to be undeclared or declare a popular major?

<p>Hi! I am wondering if it is better to major undeclared or declare a popular major? I want to do pre-med but if there is no pre-med major then probably biology or chemistry... but I heard if you choose a popular major, that can hurt your chances of admission. So I wonder is it even better than no major at all?</p>

<p>At many schools it is very difficult to transfer into an impacted major. Not sure how that will work out if you enter undeclared though.</p>

<p>Is it better to drink Pepsi or Coca Cola?</p>

<p>It depends on the university. At UC San Diego for example, it doesn’t hurt your chances at admission if you apply to an impacted major. If you don’t get into the major, you’ll just be undeclared. Either way though, I would still apply for the major you want to do because it may be hard to switch into it if you apply undeclared depending on your university.</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies! CheesePuffPoppin: My best friend says Coca Cola but I say Sierra Mist! xD</p>

<p>Biology and chemistry do not have good job and career prospects at the bachelor’s level, so they do little for backup options if you do not go to medical school. The popularity of majoring in biology probably has some impact here (lots of biology graduates relative to the number of good biology jobs, or even low end lab technician jobs).</p>

<p>Pre-med can be done with any major.</p>

<p>Whether specifying a major affects freshman admissions depends on the school. However, if that is the case, majors which are popular relative to the space available tend to be harder to get admitted to. In some schools, an enrolled student may have to apply to declare a popular major (selection based on GPA at the school, etc.).</p>