"Is It Better To Apply To a Less Popular Major?"

Earlier this week, a client reached out to me to ask a question that I get often, but it’s a question that seems to be bubbling up more frequently with each passing (competitive) year. It’s some iteration of the following: “Johnny’s interest is in engineering [or another notoriously competitive major], and he’s a natural—always tinkering, building, and creating. That said, should he apply to college as a [insert major here] instead to help him get in?” 

Said differently: “Is it better to apply to a less popular major to get in?”

In this case, it was philosophy, last week it was Spanish, and two weeks ago it was history. This is such a great question and one that many families struggle with. And while there are nuances to every student’s unique situation, there are nevertheless consistent considerations that every student must mull over.

Extracurricular Activities + Transcript

It’s a fact that a student’s extracurricular activities and transcript must support his or her major choice. If a student is applying as a nursing major, activities might include patient-care experiences, volunteering at a hospital, or delivering meals to older adults. Classes would include AP Chemistry or Anatomy. If a student is applying as a physics major, we’d want to see a rigorous physics curriculum—maybe AP Physics C—and some time tutoring science at an after-school program. You can understand, then, why it might look strange when a student whose entire high school career has been devoted to computer-science-related activities and classes turns left rudder and applies to college as an anthropology major. 

Remember that your application tells a story, and that story is articulated through, in part, how you’ve chosen to spend your time both inside and outside the classroom.

Essays

Speaking of stories, essays comprise another significant component of your applications. In supplemental essays, among other things, colleges are looking for evidence of your interests and for insight into how your experiences have impacted your passions. Often, you’ll get questions asking you to catalog how you’ve explored your intended major over time and even how you plan to use their resources to help you reach your academic goals. A student who served as the president of the Engineering Club and head of the Robotics Team might have a difficult time writing essays about his surprising major selection of French. 

Changing Majors is Not Always An Option

Particularly with regard to nursing, engineering, computer science, architecture, and business, it is either very difficult or impossible to switch into these majors. That is, if you are not admitted into these majors as an incoming freshman, it is either very challenging or, often, not possible to major in them. Every school’s admission practices are different, but by and large, this is the case. It follows then, that the plan to be admitted into one major and then later switch into the more competitive major is, more often than not, likely to fail. 

At the end of the day, the goal is a fulfilling college experience. Finding the right fit school where a student can study what lights her up is what the college admission process is all about.