NARROWING YOUR COLLEGE LIST

Some colleges don’t require you to apply within a major but do give you the option to say what you want to study. This gives you a choice: should you apply undecided, or indicate a potential major?

If you're leaning strongly toward an area of study and have the academic experience to back it up, it’s smart to go ahead and indicate that interest. This can help show colleges where to focus on your high school transcript.

For example, if you want to study biology and have excellent grades in natural science and math and have even done a little research, put own biology as a prospective major. Doing this will put your experience in context and show how interested you are in the subject.

That said, if you’re really not sure and simply want to explore academic subjects in college, there’s nothing wrong with applying undecided. Many universities expect undergraduates to browse a variety of fields and often require them to take classes in all major subjects.

Furthermore, switching your major is very common in college—at some colleges, more than half of undergraduates end up switching!

Just make sure that on your application, even if you don’t indicate a major, you demonstrate strong intellectual interests and aptitude, either through your essays or extracurricular activities.

CLICK HERE for more information on How to Choose a College Major

Even if you have the best grades in in your graduating class, getting accepted to schools such as Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, UChicago is never a given. If you are a top student, apply if those colleges appeal to you. But also apply to some backup schools with admission rates above 20 percent. 

Apply to colleges you believe will be affordable, either because their cost of attendance is manageable or because you expect your net price to be reasonable. Look for colleges where your grades and scores make you a highly desirable, above-average candidate—and thus more likely to get cost-reducing financial aid.