<p>Say that I have great ECs relating to politics. Say I started a Young Democrats and Young Republicans club last year and am in my second year as President of the Young Dems. Also say that by the time I send off my apps I will have hundreds of hours of volunteer work on various political campaigns. Also say that I plan on self-studying one or both of the AP Gov exams. etc. etc.</p>
<p>Now, say that I put "Political Science" as my intended major on apps. I don't know if that particular field is considered at all, but if it is, I would guess that all of the above activities would help my chances in admissions by showing my passion.</p>
<p>But here's the thing: I have absolutely no intention of majoring in Political Science. I love politics and think it's tremendously interesting, but I just don't see a career for me there. Maybe as a minor, or something.</p>
<p>Like I said above, I really don't know if "intended major" has any impact on admissions. And I also don't know what sort of trouble I could possibly get in if I went through with this (hypothetical) plan. I guess I'm more curious about if strong ECs in your intended major has any impact on admissions.</p>
<p>I don't think its frowned upon. If you think it will help you get into your dream college then do it. I don't support it for personaly reasons. For my school, major plays little to no role in your admission.</p>
<p>i have a plan who, in hs, was mr chemistry, had all sorts of chem awards, applied to college as a chem major and htne the second he got in switched to poli sci</p>
<p>I know a good friend like Tzar09's "mr chemistry" except instead of switching from chem to poli sci, he switched to Operations Research. He's now at a top 5 university. You can do it, but it won't particularly help you in the admissions process. I don't think colleges really care your major of choice and for those that do they make you bound to the major or at least the college within the major is in. So, if this were Penn for instance and you applied saying you wanted to major in Poli Sci, you can't do an about face and say you want to major in business at Wharton. There's no problem saying you are interested in poli sci if you're not, but I doubt any real advantage will be conferred considering colleges know most students change their choice of major.</p>
<p>Your ECs don't have to reflect your intended major. One can be very interesed in politics, for instance, while still being a doctor, social worker, teacher, etc. Adults don't spend all of their waking hours including their time with hobbies doing things related to their jobs. Colleges don't expect you to do that with your major. The relatively few colleges that factor ECs into admission -- and those tend to be places like HPYS -- just want to create student bodies filled with a diverse group of students who are contributing to the life of the campus and surrounding community.</p>
<p>College admissions officers know that most students switch their majors at least twice in college, so it would be silly for admissions officers to make decisions based on whether students' ECs match their majors.</p>
<p>The exceptions to this are very competitive, focused program like 6 year MD programs.</p>
<p>Agree with NSMom. My son's ECs were all in theater and music but he is majoring in bio and math and indicated this on his applications. It won't be an issue. If you don't know what you want to major in, put undecided.</p>
<p>A lot of my activities are in music and writing, while I plan on majoring in operations research. When I grow up, I still plan on continuing playing piano and writing. People have different interests and colleges understand that.</p>