YesLetter: Applications: Choosing A Major: Articles

Why it Pays to Know What You Want
(or at Least Think You Do)

Some studies suggest that as many as 40% of college applicants are undecided about their majors and career goals. With this statistic in mind, picture yourself as the director of admissions at a major university. You need to make sure that you let in enough applicants to fill up all the schools and programs that your school offers. If 40% of the people that you let in are undecided, you’re running a major risk. What happens if they all decide to declare the same major? Four years down the road, you’ll be left with one overloaded department among a slew of neglected ones.

Of course, there will certainly be those undecided applicants who stand out from the crowd. Students with exceptional test scores and great writing skills can certainly get away with saying that they’d like to sample several different departments before they make a decision on a major. For the most part, admissions committees will “hedge” by letting in at least a few students who they feel will be loyal to each department, along with the best of the undecideds. Students applying as undecided can, of course, still be selected. However, they won’t get the benefit of consideration for those “loyalty” spots.

So, if you feel as though you may be a borderline candidate to a school, demonstrating strong interest in a specific subject could be beneficial to your chances of admission. Selecting a major other than “undecided” when you apply (and a closely-related “second choice” major, if asked) demonstrates that you have done two things:

First and foremost, it shows that you’ve taken a personal inventory of your skills and desires. Being emphatic about a course of study shows that you know yourself well enough to understand what you’ll do best in at college. This is a very desirable trait, as colleges and university like nothing better than students who succeed both inside their classrooms and after they’ve graduated.

Secondly, specifying a major shows that you’ve done at least some research on the school to which you are applying. When applying, you’ll most likely have to write some kind of essay or at least answer a short question on “Why This School is Right for Me.” With a major in mind, you’ve now got some serious fodder for this essay and can better demonstrate your genuine interest in the school.

So, this leaves one small problem: what if you’re not sure what you want to major in, but don’t want to list “undecided” as your major? Go ahead and take that personal inventory. Look at the classes you took in high school and how you performed in them. Did you excel at Math? Science? English? Most college majors are strongly rooted in the general subjects that you took in high school.

Remember that the admissions committee is going to do the same exact thing you’re doing now. They may say, “So, this applicant wants to be a mechanical engineer… lets take a look at the science and math track he/she was on in high school… how did he/she perform in these classes? What SAT II tests did he/she take?” Put yourself in their shoes and see if your scores and transcript provide satisfactory answers to these types of questions. Then, work backwards, and decide which major will cause them to ask the questions you most want to answer.

There will most likely be a group of majors in which your high school performance predicts success. When you find it, you’re in the right department… literally. By the time you’ve completed this process, you may have even found a major that you’re genuinely interested in pursuing.

If you still feel undecided, you’ll at least know which major you “fit into” best at the school you’re applying to. Listing as your first choice will add a mark of maturity and personal understanding to your application. If you get there and don’t like it, you can almost always switch out.

One last warning: when you choose a major, whether you’re serious about sticking with it or not, be sure to have a good idea of what it’s all about. Talking about how well you fit into a school’s specific program is hugely beneficial for you—but saying something untrue about that program in the process could completely destroy your message. The image you’re going for here is “intelligent and informed.” It’s easy to uphold by knowing some basic facts about yourself, the school, and the major. Don’t trip yourself up by saying something untrue just because it sounds good. Be accurate and smart, and your decision to list a major will put you one step closer to earning a spot at that top-choice school!