My son is undecided between Kinesiology and AG: Forest and Fire Science (I know they are VERY different). He is an athlete and is applying at most schools for Kin (his resume/job/activities is heavy for this major but that seems irrelevant for the Cal State App anyway). He really liked the option of Forest/Fire at SLO as well when looking at majors there. Any input on his chances of acceptance between the two? I know it is difficult but not impossible to change majors once he gets there.
Based on the 2021-2022 projection targets for each major, Kinesiology is a much tougher admit than Forest and Fire science.
Kinesiology target projections shows 1419 applicants for 60 spots while Forestry and Natural Resources (now Forest and Fire Sciences) shows 334 applicants for 45 spots. What this data does not show the academic qualifications required for each specific major and the yield rate.
My input is that apply to the more competitive major and select the other major as an alternate. Much easier to switch out of a competitive major than switch into a competitive major.
SLO does consider hours of EC’s and jobs that are major related.
I think that depends on how strong the OP’s son is as a candidate, how badly they want to go to Cal Poly, how much they really like the Forest and Fire Sciences major, and how disappointed they’d be if they got locked out of Kinesiology.
As we both know, it’s far easier to swim downstream at Cal Poly for a change of major, making Kinesiology stronger option in that regard. It’s more likely though that they’ll get rejected outright if they choose Kinesiology. Since the Forestry major is projected at 40% give or take depending on yield, it’s unlikely they’ll have space for applicants who choose it as a second choice.
If it were me, I knew I’d be happy with the Forestry major, and I wanted an acceptance to Cal Poly, that’s the one I’d choose.
I agree that major choice will be dependent upon many factors with academic stats being very important.
@lenals Can you post your son’s stats to see how they compare to this years admitted class profile?
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Thanks for the SLO data on projected enrollment. My son is in the same boat. He is torn between General Engineering and Statistics (Data Science minor). Based on the data provided, he has a 13% chance at Gen Eng.; 18% chance at Statistics. Am I calculating that correctly?
Also, his CSU application says he has 23 years of A-G courses when only 15 years are required, and he has 5 years of math, including AP Cal AB and BC. However, his overall GPA is 4.08 and will be closer to 4.03 when he factors 9th grade. Does he have a chance at SLO?
I suggest you start your own discussion since based on CC etiquette, it is considered rude to hijack another posters discussion. All posts submitted should be related to OP’s original question.
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Yes he is a 4.03 GPA. He is heavy on ECs and work hours as he is a multi sport athlete and has had a job related to that (athletic training). We know Cal Poly is a reach school for him.
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Also thank you both SO MUCH for the insight and numbers. I just shared it all with him. 
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