Will Applying To A College As An Undecided Major Hurt My Chances?Answered
Hello!
I am currently an incoming sophomore who knows very little about the college application process and what they would like to pursue career wise. I still have two years left, but if I were to apply as an undecided major, would this hurt my chances? Would it be better to apply as a major that reflects my extracurriculars and then change it later on if my interests change? Is that even possible?
Thank you!
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2 answers
Great question! As others have said, most people don’t know what they want to study when they’re first applying to college. I personally changed my major twice between the time I applied and the end of my sophomore year. All this to say, no college expects you to have certainty about your plans for the future. So no worries if you don’t yet know what you want to study in college!
That said, you have plenty of time to figure it out before you start your applications, so I would encourage you to keep an open mind and see if there is something you can envision yourself pursuing. Even if you are undecided, there are likely things you are more interested in than others — this is what I would focus on in answering these kinds of questions. You can acknowledge that you aren’t certain of your path, but you should have at least some ideas concerning potential majors. Explaining where those interests come from and what you hope to do with them isn’t a promise to stick with them, so let yourself write about something that genuinely interests you.
Another thing to consider is something you’ve already touched on; your intended major should reflect your identity. Your extracurriculars, course schedule, etc. should support your stated interests — if all your activities are related to engineering and you claim you want to be an English major, it may come across as inauthentic. The same goes for just choosing a major because it sounds impressive; you’re bound to come across as disingenuous. It’s best to focus on something that actually interests you, regardless of what that is!
Best of luck navigating this process!
Applying as an undecided major won't hurt your chance of getting accepted. In fact, most students after going to college select their major after attending multiple class which interest them.
And suppose if you have strong ECAs which are focused on a particular side then you can add that as you major as it would reflect you have much passion for studying that subject.
Example:- You was your major as CS and you have large chunks of ECAs relating to that. Then I would suggest to chose CS as major preference.
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