<p>People have told me both things, that it doesn't matter at all or that it does because only a certain # of people can be in a major and you will be judged against people with the same intended major. I know all schools are different but in general, which one really is it? Does anybody have the facts?</p>
<p>There is no general answer.</p>
<p>You have to see how each school handles it.</p>
<p>It really does depend. Check for state schools if a major is impacted or not. In the UC system some majors are so desired that they are harder to get into, so you could get into the school and not the major. Typically, a major like engineering or computer science may have special programs that are harder to get into. If a school is really known for a specific field, chances are that major may be harder to get into. Research your schools and see if there’s a benefit/detriment for listing your major</p>
<p>Some universities - Notre Dame comes to mind - don’t even admit freshmen to a specific college, let alone major program of study. Everyone is admitted to the First Year Studies program and not even allowed to declare a major until the beginning of sophmore year.</p>
<p>At Penn State, its more difficult to get accepted into the business and engineering schools as a freshman. What many do is apply as undecided to get in and then switch to what they really wanted.</p>
<p>Re: #6</p>
<p>At schools where the frosh admission thresholds differ by major or division, switching into the impacted major or division after enrolling may require going through another competitive admission process (needing high GPA in college courses).</p>
<p>True, but not at PSU specifically anyway. In our DUS (undecided program) classes within majors are set aside for kids who are undecided, and if a DUS student meets the entrance to major requirements, the same as those who were admitted directly into said major, they are let in.</p>
<p>For the business school for instance though, if you’re not already in the business school or undecided, you’re not going to be able to switch into it due to high demand.</p>