I am currently a senior applying to college. My activities list and resume are mostly filled with robotics activities, business activities, and Boy Scouts. (However, my resume as a whole leans more towards engineering.)
Here’s my problem. My dream is to study engineering at Stanford, but I’ve heard that engineering is a much harder major to be accepted into, at most schools. Do you think that I would be better off applying to computer science (because it is known as an easier major to be accepted to), or do you think I should stick to engineering? If I was accepted into computer science, I would eventually switch the major once I am in the University. Any advice?
p.s sorry for any grammar errors. I’m trying to get an answer for this asap. Thank you all!!
Stanford does not admit by major. To the extent that it might group and compare students expressing STEM interest, I doubt if you indicated Comp Sci as your number 1 academic interest that it would put you in any better position than indicating one of the Engineering majors.
Keep in mind that applying as a less competitive major (as mentioned above) and then transferring to a major like computer science will only ever work out for a student if all of his/her extracurriculars display a pointed interest in said less competitive major. Otherwise, the tactic is transparent.
As for engineering vs. CS — I believe computer science is just as competitive of a major as engineering at Stanford.
Again, you don’t apply in a major at Stanford so the whole concept of switching majors once you get admitted is irrelevant. You don’t even declare a major until the end of sophomore year.
The Stanford application does ask for “areas of academic interest”; but merely as a means of getting a fuller picture of who the applicant is (and, perhaps, to try to identify future humanities majors which is the one choice that might give you an admissions edge, at least theoretically).
Sure, it’s true that you aren’t locked in to any one major at Stanford. However, it’s reasonable to believe that the major you indicate on your application does have an effect on your admissions chances.
A couple years ago, when Stanford students began requesting to read the comments on their applications in droves, I recall students reporting comments by admissions officers making note of “less-represented major interests” on applications. Certainly it would tip the scales in a student’s favor if there’s an institutional need or lack of interest in the area said student is interested in.
You’re sort of putting the cart before the horse. Stanford has about a 5% admissions rate, so you can’t depend on getting accepted there, even with a perfectly polished application. Spend some time applying to some affordable schools in your state just in case you don’t get in. One thing to remember, a real dream should always transcend any school you go to.
@stannystu22 Agreed, which is why I mentioned that an interest in humanities might well give you a small bump. Distinguishing between CS and engineering is a waste of time; and the game plan of “switching” majors after admission is meaningless at Stanford where no commitment is made until the second year anyway. It’s common at Stanford for students to end up in fields wildly different from where they started…
As an example, I applied indicating interest in the humanities and, after I matriculated, I saw the comments that admission officers made on my file. In the “rationale for admit” section, each admission officer cited my humanities interest as a reason for admitting me. But I’d be careful about faking interest in a particular area just to game the system because such attempts are usually obvious and result in rejection. In my case, I had a genuine interest in the humanities.
As for computer science vs. engineering it won’t make a difference as neither is underrepresented among undergraduates at Stanford. If I were you, then I would just select the one that most closely aligns with my interest.