Hi I have been admitted to Northeastern a few days ago, and although I have not submitted my deposit, northeastern is my top choice as of now. However, I want to change my major from Psychology to Economics. I submitted a major request, but as I decide between northeastern and other colleges, my major would play a big factor. Do you think this change will be an easy/likely change? Additionally, how long should I expect to wait before I hear back?
Also, how will I be contacted/know if the change goes through?
Thanks!
Switching majors is really easy at NEU - it’s likely you could be fully switched by the time you get to campus in the fall. At orientation you talk with an advisor and make your first-semester schedule. At the worst, you would be fully switched by your second semester.
Not sure on the wait time / contact details, but it will be right around orientation at the latest. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it will be before May 1st, but I would assume your major to be economics. My friend changed from undeclared to Biology between admission / orientation and was taking bio classes as a Bio major in the Fall - he then switched to Business starting his second semester and was fully business by the start of his second year.
My son was admitted for BioChem in Fall 2014 but had a “woops not so sure about that” moment prior to deciding between NEU and USC which in the end were the top choices in his mind. In fact when it came down to it, he was not so sure about anything even though he was a science guy in HS but also had other interests and the whole declaring thing he found he just wasn’t ready for after the acceptances were in. USC in their deliciously Californian way did a much better job at making it seem like not knowing what you wanted to study was cool and embraced. Northeastern came off as more aggressive about wanting you to have a plan coming in. I knew it wasn’t real and there was flexibility and room to explore built into the program.
So at my urging, he checked with NEU the ability to change majors (in his case to undeclared) before deciding where to attend and was assured by NEU he could change prior to starting (and he did). He entered in the fall of 2014 as undeclared and is now finishing up his sophomore year as a business major with a CS minor. Neither of these major/minors were what he started out thinking about so go figure. Well he didn’t… I’m not really all that surprised that this is what he gravitated to in the end but what do I know. Just the parent. 
@halflokum - Northeastern’s attitude I would say falls into that category of creating a plan, but letting you change that plan. It’s kind of nice, making you think things through but letting you change as you learn more about yourself (especially, in a lot of cases, after going on a co-op). Glad things have worked out well for your son!
@nanotechnology attitude of “creating a plan but letting you change that plan” is spot on. But feeling like one needed to have a plan vs. not having a real plan but feeling the fit otherwise ALMOST made my son dodge NEU. Kid you not. Went back for a second look after the acceptance and he was very welcomed and joined Biochem classes etc. but came away from a day of it it FREAKING out that he would not have the chance to explore other options in case he was barking up the wrong tree. We had flown across country for the revisit so I forced his reluctant butt to go in and talk to both the advisors in biochem and to the people in undeclared to figure out if someone, like him who thought they knew what they wanted but wasn’t entirely sure could be accommodated. Thankfully and probably randomly, the people sitting at the desks in both advisories were very reassuring that NO … you can not have a plan and can find one and NEU has a way to make it work.
Fast forward. Son goes from biochem to undeclared. Does a dialogue immediately after freshman year freshman year for 8 credits towards a business major. Then is still undeclared first part of sophomore year but sort of knows the track and there is a path for non majors to get business classes (and other classes) to keep up with major requirements. And blah blah blah and son is now in the major, not behind and has added a CS minor and will stay for summer 1 this year and then go on co op.
This school is cool…
I love this school, i was able to get a major change that same day, no problem smooth and simple
I changed my major twice before arriving on campus, and it literally was no problem at all.