Every college application asks you to “select a potential major” or to indicate an “area of concentration.” How should you answer this question? The answer depends on the individual. Approximately 50 percent of students applying to college answer that they are an “undecided major,” because they really have no idea what career path to choose and they don’t have a particular strength in one area, such as science. The other 50 percent of students have been able to focus on a particular area in high school. They may know people (especially parents, family members, or friends) in a certain field or they may have had a part-time job or an internship and have been able to narrow the list down to a field of study, such as business, and even more specifically, accounting. Others may have taken a career assessment, which indicates the types of job categories in which they would prefer to work. If you are in the group where you do have an area of interest, then there could be an advantage in applying to a particular major in a university.
The major you have selected could be an “under-represented” major, where there is a low volume of students and therefore a college may accept more students into this major. Also, sometimes colleges add new programs of study or they hire new faculty members to expand an existing major. If they are looking to accept students into this major and you can demonstrate an interest in these areas, you may have a slight advantage in being accepted.
The best advice is to be true to yourself and to remember that even if you do select a major, in most cases you can change your major when you arrive on campus or later on. Most colleges don’t require you to select a major until at least the second semester of your sophomore year. It is likely though that you will be assigned an academic advisor in the field that you designate as your major. My daughter applied to college as an anthropology major, and she has had the same advisor since freshman year. She has been able to forge a strong bond with him, which is a definite advantage.
TIP: I know two students who applied to a large pubic university. One applied as an "undecided" major and the other student applied as a math major. Their grades and standardized test scores were similar, but the student who listed math as her major was accepted, whereas the other student was not accepted. This example may be extreme, but it could happen.
Applying with a Stated Major versus an Undecided Major: Views from Our Admissions Counselors’ Panel
“A stated major is regarded only as a statement of preliminary interest. Being undecided is not a problem at all; at Grinnell, exploring new possibilities is expected. Interest in a major not offered raises questions about any potential match with the College and the applicant’s understanding of the College.”–Nancy J. Maly, Director of Admissions, Grinnell College
“Rensselaer operates ‘low walls’ between our academic units, and does not employ different admissions criteria among majors. Anyone who is admitted to Rensselaer is admitted, regardless of major, and can switch majors with ease. Ultimately, if a student is not sure which major they want, they should apply ‘undeclared’ and allow Rensselaer’s Advising and Learning Assistance Center to help them select a major once they have arrived.” –Raymond Lutzky, Director of Outreach, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
“Some students apply to Binghamton knowing what they want to major in. We encourage those students to apply to the appropriate professional school (i.e., engineering, nursing, business) because each has specific admissions requirements. However, some of our students do not apply to Binghamton with a stated major. That’s perfectly fine. After all, college is the chance to explore different studies, career paths and professional and personal interests.”–Cheryl Brown, Director of Admission, Binghamton University, State University of New York
“Every student is viewed based on the same standards, regardless of major. It doesn’t help or hinder a student to declare a major. If a student isn’t sure what he/she wants to major in, we offer ‘exploratory’ as an option on the application. Exploratory students can test the waters by taking classes in a wide variety of topics and won’t be required to declare a major until the end of sophomore year. Students who have decided on a major and list this on their application could be offered direct admission to their programs freshman year. We have seven different schools on campus offering direct admission to freshmen. Direct admission is competitive, and only about 10 percent of freshmen will be directly admitted to their intended program freshman year. The other 90 percent are offered general admission to IU and will need to apply to their school at the end of freshman year once they complete the necessary requirements. Students considering majors in the Jacobs School of Music [however] should list music on the application as their intended major. Direct admission to the Jacobs School is a two-tier process that will require a second application to the music school and an audition or interview for prospective students.” –Lauren Kay, Assistant Director of Admissions, Indiana University
Cliffsnotes Roadmap to College Copyright © 2009 by Karen Wolf. All Rights Reserved. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
