<p>I was wondering to what degree an applicant's intended major or intended field of study has an effect on their chances of getting admitted.</p>
<p>I know it's better to pick a major and change it later than to leave it blank, because it shows forethought and motivation. But suppose I genuinely have a very good idea of what to do with my college education and later life, and it's something sort of rare or unusual that colleges don't see on every other application... will that work in my favor?</p>
First off, colleges see thousands of kids that come in sure they want to be doctors, or engineers, etc. and within a year or two they are pursuing something completely different. So colleges don’t put a lot of faith in what a 17-year-old has decided is her/his life direction. What will work in your favor is if they see you have identified an interest and taken steps to pursue it; ECs, extra classes, etc. You might change your mind later, but they’ll be glad to see you’ve put effort into identifying an area and done something concrete with it.</p>
<p>As to your 1st question, the answer is “it depends”. Some colleges admit without regard to major, some care for specific programs (such as Fine Arts, Engineering, etc) and some care about your declared major no matter what. You’ll need to look at the admission websites of the schools you’re considering.</p>