<p>I know a couple people who applied to really tough schools as a German major (they actually take German, mind you, but are NOT planning on majoring in it) as a way to boost their acceptance chances, and are planning on switching over into politics/engineering (respectively) later. So few people put down German, and so MANY people put down engineering, that they think it will give them an edge at schools they normally probably wouldn't get in. </p>
<p>What are your thoughts on this? A good method, or...?</p>
<p>admissions at a place like Cornell is good at seeing who is actually interested in something. This is where EC's come in play ... for somebody who is intersted in german but who is a member of this engineering club, and that business association but has never taken a german class before, it sticks out like a sore thumb. They will not be admitted. </p>
<p>It's not an easy way to gain admission into a selective college.</p>
<p>1) Majors usually don't play a big role in admissions. Adcoms know many people will change their majors, so it's not a very reliable way of filling the freshman class!</p>
<p>2) You need ecs to back it up. Saying you're a classics major when you're involved in Science Olympiad and volunteering at a hospital is fishy. </p>
<p>3) You can't guess what colleges are looking for.</p>
<p>4) If you feel your chances would be hurt by putting down a major, put down "undecided."</p>
<p>In addition, the elite colleges for which you're probably considering lying about your major are also the ones that do interviews. What exactly do you plan to say when you're asked in the interview about your interest in that obscure field? </p>
<p>"Um, it sounds cool" isn't going to do anything for you except cause the adcom or alum interviewer to doubt your veracity. If you select a major -- any major -- adcoms or alum interviewers will expect that you'll be able to state clearly why you're interested, and you'll also give some strong examples about how you've pursued that interest. Presumably if you've picked a major out of a hat, you'll have nothing to say, and you'll look like an idiot in the interview.</p>
<p>Even if you apply to a college that doesn't intereview, they'd still expect that if you have some exotic interest in a major, it would be demonstrated by your ECs, essays, recommendations, coursework, etc.