I Have to Do What?! Declaring A Major And College Admissions
You'll most likely be asked to choose an intended major when applying to college. A blog post about this seems like it should take, at most, just a few words.
After all, there are probably a bunch of students who know (or think they know) what they want to study. You just say that. And, everybody else just says they’re “undecided”, right?
<sigh>
Unfortunately, even specifying your major has become complicated. Why? Mostly because some majors are just more in-demand than others, meaning there’s more competition. This in turn means that certain programs at certain schools have placed restrictions on when students can be admitted to the major. This in turn has impacted the college search and application process.
It all leads to the following:
Some colleges are very accepting of students who may not know (or may change their mind) about what they want to study. This provides the most freedom in choosing a major and is typically the best fit for those undecided on major. In these cases - which is the vast majority of cases - what major you specify has little to no bearing on your admission decision. We’ll call these ‘Colleges Best for Discovering Your Major’.
Some colleges are not. At some programs and at some schools students must declare their major at the time they’re applying to college and are admitted directly into their chosen program or school, or not admitted at all. There is limited (or no) ability to switch into these majors at a later date. In these cases, your intended major can greatly impact your admission decision. We’ll call these ‘Colleges Best for Focusing on Your Major’.
And some colleges are in the middle, providing a blending of the two. At these colleges students may enter a general major area early and then declare/specialise during subsequent years of college. We’ll call these ‘Colleges Best for When You Sort Of Know Your Major’.
Colleges Best For Discovering Your Major
At most colleges and universities, students don’t typically need to declare their major until the second semester of their sophomore year. This approach allows students ample time to explore different fields through general education courses before committing to a specific discipline.
Pros:
Flexibility to explore various subjects.
Less pressure to choose a major immediately.
Opportunity to discover new interests and strengths.
Cons:
May extend the time needed to graduate if you switch majors late.
Less structured, and perhaps interesting, for students who already know their desired major.
Ideal For:
Students unsure of their career path.
Those interested in multiple fields.
Learners who thrive in a less structured environment.
Examples of Schools:
Most liberal arts colleges, like Williams College and Amherst College. In my home state of Washington, Whitman College and University of Puget Sound would be good examples.
Most majors at most public universities.
Colleges Best for Focusing On Your Major
Common for highly competitive majors like computer science, business, and nursing, students must declare their major at the time they are applying to the college and are admitted directly into their chosen program or school. Such a path is called direct admission (often shortened to direct admit) - students are admitted directly into their chosen program or school. Classes towards their major often begin right away, e.g. during first semester of freshman year.
Entire colleges or universities can essentially be direct admit.
One example of this is specialty colleges. Babson College in Massachusetts only offers undergraduate business degrees. It probably doesn't make sense to go there if you're unsure about majoring in business :). There are similar colleges that focus mainly on health sciences and nursing, and others that offer degrees in design and the arts (e.g. Berklee College of Music or Rhode Island School of Design).
Other examples can be found in university systems outside of the USA. Students in the UK, for instance, apply to a very specific program of study within the overall university. Degree programs typically take 3 years to complete (instead of 4 years, which is more common in the USA system) because there are little to no general education requirements. A downside is that switching majors can be very difficult.
Pros:
Immediate immersion in your chosen field.
Structured and focused curriculum from day one.
Potentially faster path to graduation within your field.
Cons:
Limited to no flexibility to change into certain majors.
High pressure to decide on a career path early.
Changing majors may increase time to graduation.
Ideal For:
Students with a clear career goal.
Those pursuing specialized or competitive fields.
Individuals who thrive in a structured academic setting.
Examples of Schools:
Many competitive undergraduate business programs: University of Washington, Georgetown University, UC Irvine, etc…
Many competitive computer science programs: University of Washington, University of Maryland, University of Illinois UC, etc…
Many competitive nursing programs: e.g. University of Washington, Georgetown University, etc...
Colleges Best for When You Sort Of Know Your Major
These colleges and universities provide a hybrid offering that’s a middle ground, where you're admitted to a general field of study - such as engineering - and then declare a major later. This approach provides flexibility and structure, catering to a variety of student needs.
To give you an idea of how this works, take a look at Virginia Tech’s engineering program. All incoming students are admitted to general engineering. Then, after completing the first-year curriculum, students are eligible to declare any of the 15 offered undergraduate engineering majors (e.g. chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, etc…).
Pros:
Some flexibility to explore different degree areas and paths.
Opportunity to still enter certain programs directly.
Balanced approach catering to different levels of certainty about career paths.
Cons:
Can be confusing to navigate which programs require direct admission.
Can create pressure and stress freshman year (grades, course selection, competing for admission to certain majors).
Potential for ambiguity and disappointment, as colleges have different “guarantees” about whether or not you’ll be admitted to the major of your choice after you complete the pre-reqs.
Ideal For:
Students who want a mix of exploration and early commitment.
Those who are certain about some interests but open to discovering others.
Learners who appreciate flexibility with some structure.
Examples of Schools:
Virginia Tech and Purdue University engineering programs
Universities that have separate colleges based on major choice: e.g. Georgetown University, Boston College, University of Toronto, Santa Clara University, etc… In these schools you may be admitted to say the undergraduate business school and from there you later specify a major, e.g. finance, marketing, etc...
Your Major and Its Impact on Your Application Strategy
Understanding the different paths to declaring a major can influence your college application strategy. Whether you choose to wander and wonder, decide and dive in, or blend and build, each path offers unique opportunities and challenges. Reflect on your interests, strengths, and career goals to choose the path that best aligns with your future aspirations.
Oh, and one more thing I should mention… You will likely see a prompt to select your first (and sometimes second) choice major in the Common App when applying. You’ll see this even for liberal arts colleges that do not offer direct admit to major.
Why do colleges ask about your intended major if you don’t officially declare a major until your Sophomore year? Schools are interested in understanding and tracking what incoming students are intending to study. This not only helps colleges plan better (hire faculty, thinking about new majors to offer, etc…), it helps in attracting students (admissions is part marketing and advertising, after all).
A few closing thoughts…
DO:
Research the combination of 1/ the specific major you might be interested in + 2/ the school(s) you are interested in. You want to understand whether your major has specific admissions requirements, including direct admit.
Understand the guidelines for changing your major at the schools you are interested in. Some schools are very permissive, other schools are not. As an example, Georgia Tech allows only one unrestricted change of major.
Embrace not knowing. It’s OK, and perfectly normal, if you don’t yet know what you want to study. And it’s OK to be up-front about this in your college application. Look closely at schools that give you the most opportunities to explore different paths. Pro tip: these are not always the biggest schools. That is, many small liberal arts colleges offer more flexibility in choosing a major, not less.
DON’T:
Try to “game” admissions by purposefully declaring a less-competitive major. The flawed logic goes something like this… The major you want is very competitive so you hope that by specifying a less competitive major on your application you'll increase your chances of gaining admission to the college or university. Don’t do this! For one, most schools don’t factor intended major into admissions decisions because they know that switching majors is very common (the data shows this). For another, changing into the major you desire once you're enrolled may not be possible or may be more competitive than direct admit. Last, the context you provide in your application (what courses you took in high school, what grades you received, your extracurriculars, your personal statement) may not best support this other major, which could harm your admissions chances. The real fix is to broaden your college search so that you have a balanced list of more and less competitive colleges that offer your major.
