Does Listing a Major on College Applications Help or Hurt?

Last Updated on February 15, 2022 by Jill Schwitzgebel

Does the major listed on college applications play a role in whether or not a student is accepted? If you answered, “yes,” you are correct! And too often, students don’t know that.

Many teens are not sure what to list as a major. In fact, sometimes, they’re overwhelmed by the possibilities when they check out a college’s list of majors. And, that’s perfectly normal.  It’s okay to list a major as “Undeclared” on a college application. BUT, it’s better if an applicant lists a major that aligns with the story that the rest of their application supports.

This sometimes causes major anxiety in teens. Don’t let it. The major listed on the college application is not binding. Most colleges don’t insist that a student officially declare a major until spring of their college sophomore year. In fact, 30% of students change their major during their first three years of college. 10% of students change their major twice.

How Listing a Major Can Help

When applying to a very competitive college, it is not uncommon for the school to require a supplemental essay about why a student is interested in a particular major. If a student can point to a variety of evidence that supports their interest in that major, it will only enhance the application.

Hopefully, a student who lists their desired major as “Chemistry” will have demonstrated that through a transcript that shows good grades in the most rigorous math and science courses available. Additionally, one of their teacher recommendations will come from their high school chemistry teacher or at least, another lab science teacher. Even better if the student also participated in science fairs, research or some other science-related activity.

Going in too many directions and talking about too many interests and options on a supplemental essay about a college major will not be helpful. Remember, those selective colleges are looking for depth.

When Listing a Major Can Hurt

So, you probably already figured out that if a student selects a major that doesn’t appear to align with their transcript or recommendations or extracurriculars, it will bring up questions for the admissions officer. It will hurt a student’s chances if they list a major in history and they don’t have the background to support that as an intended major. For example, if the student has a transcript full of 4s and 5s on various AP Math and Science tests, but has a 3 on their lone AP History test, it will cause an admissions officer to wonder if a student will be successful as a history major?

But, there are other ways that listing a certain major can hurt a student too.

Many highly selective colleges have a reputation for being exceptionally strong in a particular field. When that is the case, presume that getting accepted to a major in that field will be even more competitive than just getting into the college. For instance, if a college is famously strong in natural sciences, presume that the bar to get accepted as a biology major may be higher than it would be to get accepted as an international affairs major. So, if a student’s application is likely to put them in the bottom half of typical accepted students, applying as a biology major might make a rejection more likely. 

This is true of popular college majors, too. English, biology, and political science are just some examples of popular majors that could make an acceptance more difficult, since they’re commonly listed by high school students.

Final Thoughts

Be aware that most of the above only applies to some very competitive programs at selective colleges. Students should also assume that those majors could be difficult to transfer into later at some of those colleges. So, students need to be very honest with themselves about their goals. If a student really cannot see themselves majoring in something different, then that is the major that should be on their application.

However, I do urge students to look at a college’s list of majors, and explore the department’s website for their majors of interest. It is possible that they might discover that there are several other related options that they might not have heard of previously, that are of real interest to them. And sometimes, applying to one of those lesser known or less popular majors can give them an edge – if it makes sense.  Sometimes, students also need to consider whether they want to apply for a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree in their desired major.

Remember, the application helps the admissions department to learn about a student and what they can offer to the campus community as the college builds a class. Therefore, being strategic about what is on the application should never mean that a student is not being authentic.

For more about college majors, see Major Controversy and Pre-Med and Pre-Law Aren’t Really College Majors