<p>A number of my friends have told me that they're going to apply as either "Undecided" or something that many people don't know major in like "Minorities Studies" because those majors are easier to get into than a hardcore science or math major. They plan to change majors once admitted. </p>
<p>In theory this sounds like a good plan but wouldn't a lot of kids be doing this and wouldn't colleges wise up to it? It sounds too good to be true, so what's the catch?</p>
<p>It really depends…MIT doesn’t consider potential major for admissions. Lots of people change majors anyways. I’m sure a lot of other schools do the same thing.</p>
<p>It does depend upon the school. At one university, everyone wants to get into the business school, so it is much easier to get admitted as a freshman for liberal arts. However, at that university, it is almost impossible to transfer into business later.</p>
<p>I don’t believe most universities make a distinction between applicants for individual majors. Instead, they admit based upon available capacity in each school (such as engineering). Later, they may limit how many students can take a certain type of engineering.</p>
<p>Most people recommend that you show an intellectual or career passion in your application. Checking undeclared may not look great, for that reason. However, it is perfectly understandable for a high school student to not know what their major will be.</p>
<p>If a university has different admission thresholds for different divisions or majors, it is very likely that switching into the more selective division or major after enrolling is difficult and requires a competitive admission process.</p>
<p>But note that “hardcore science and math” majors (other than biology) are not necessarily popular majors. However, it does depend on the popularity relative to the capacity at the specific university.</p>
<p>"A number of my friends have told me that they’re going to apply as either “Undecided” or something that many people don’t know major in like “Minorities Studies” because those majors are easier to get into than a hardcore science or math major. They plan to change majors once admitted. "</p>
<p>Good luck with that. Let us know how it works out.</p>
<p>The answer is simple. Your friends are mis-informed. If you search this site, there are probably 100s of posts asking the exact same question going back years … Big inside secret, right?</p>
<p>If an advantage is actually gained through selecting a less popular major, then it is likely more difficult to switch out of this major once accepted. This is clearly the case with Vanderbilt’s Peabody School of Education as one example.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if it is easy to change majors once accepted, then there is almost certainly no advantage to selecting it on your application.</p>
<p>And the big catch - do you really want to wonder for the rest of your life if the deciding factor in your admission was your intentional/strategic lie (misrepresentation) on your application?</p>