My son want to apply to Isenberg School of Management, his stats are in the range but is it safer to apply undecided? One advisor said to apply to Isenberg if he doesn’t get into that major he can still get into Umass, is this accurate?
Thanks in advance!
bump
Not really. If Isenberg is his top choice, he should state it on his Common App. If he doesn’t get into Isenberg directly, then he’ll be considered for the exploratory business-track program. If he doesn’t get into that, then, if he’s still up to UMass’s standards, he’ll probably be admitted as an undecided. But if I remember correctly, you can choose up to 3 areas of study on the common app, so I’d recommend to just choose business and then put undecided in either the 2nd or 3rd slot.
Students who enroll at UMass and then want to change into a business major need to earn a 3.5 college GPA in pre-major courses and overall in order to apply to the competitive admission process to get into the major.
https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/undergraduate/on-campus/admissions/current-umass-students/bba
In other words, it really is better to try for direct admission as a frosh applicant, if that is available. If he is admitted to the school but not to a business major, then he needs to consider whether an alternate major that is not restricted or capacity-limited is acceptable to him if he is unable to get into a business major.