<p>Berkeley is one of my top choices for college, and one that I believe I'll be able to get into. However, one of my main qualms is that it's supposed to be really hard to transfer majors if they're between different colleges. I'm very, very indecisive, and I might spontaneously decide that I want to do Nuclear Engineering instead of Chemical Engineering (College of Chemistry to College of Engineering). Or I might decide that I want to do Environmental Science instead of Environmental/Civil Engineering (College of Engineering to College of Letters and Science). Basically, I'm indecisive.</p>
<p>How hard is it to switch colleges? I've heard it's really hard to find space in Engineering and Chemistry...</p>
<p>Switching between colleges is only difficult if the college your switching INTO is impacted for spots. In this case, the college of chemistry has many open spots, and is often under filled as a whole because many people switch out after the first year (weed outs). The college of natural resources is also not too crowded for spots and should not be selectively difficult to get into.</p>
<p>However, it is extremely difficult to switch into the College of Engineering, for any of their majors. This is because the CoE admits a much smaller pool of applicants at the time of freshmen applications than the college of Letters and Science or any of the other colleges. Also, the CoE does NOT keep open any spots specifically for people whom wish to switch into the college in pursuit of an engineering major. The only spots that are granted to those who wish to switch over are spots from people who have switched out of the college of engineering, or have left for Berkeley for a multitude of reasons( transferring to another school, medical leave, dropping out). Also, it is very important to note that UC Berkeley does not use alternate or second choice majors in the application process. This means that if you were to apply to the college of engineering under a specific major and be rejected, you cannot be considered for admission to any other college or major at the time of your current application.</p>
<p>What I would do if I were you is first pick whether your intended major is within the college of engineering or not. If your goal is a definite to be an engineering major within the CoE, you should do everything you can to be successfully admitted there. I would not count on the possibility of being able to switch into the CoE after admission to another college, because the opportunity to do so is based on more factors than your academic performance which I mentioned above.</p>
<p>Thanks! The main majors I’m looking into right now are Environmental Engineering Science, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Econ/Policy (although I’ll probably minor in the latter).</p>