<p>Does listing an alternate major on your app improve your chances in any way, for example if your intended major is highly competitive??
Say for example Mechanical Engineering, with an alternate of electrical or materials or something similar...
If not, what is this field on an application for anyway?</p>
<p>Depends on college but at many which require you to apply for a particular major, it means they will also consider you for the alternate major, meaning if they decide not to accept you for your first choice they will consider you for the alternate choice, so it does give another chance if you lose first choice and, at a number of colleges, unless you say on the app that you want to be considered for an alternate major, they won’t.</p>