Reply to Advantage to have undeclared major?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Doesn't matter much at the schools where you don't declare a major until end of Sophomore year except if there is separate admission to a particular school (nursing, architecture, some engineering programs).  Matters most at publics due to impacted majors[/quote]

Not true! 
A T25 admissions office reads your application with your first choice major in mind. Even private schools that do not admit by major. They’re reading the application with your stated major to see how compelling you are. How competitive you are. So listing the most competitive majors at the college would potentially be a distinct disadvantage if your application is not absolutely compelling in all respect.

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All true but there is more to it:
Top schools (ivies/stanford/duke /etc) do not admit by major or have caps or gatekeeping to be able to declare certain majors once there. 
To prevent everyone being finance (econ major) and premed types, they look at the essays describing academic interests and compare the stated interest to what the activities show. They are looking for authentic interest. Those with authentic interests that are NOT the current popular ones(stem, business/finance) will stand out in the application pool. Undecided is fine unless the activities reveal its another premed or IB gunner trying to hide their true interests. 
Also, because anyone can declare in anything once there, these schools look for breadth of coursework, rigor and success in all areas not just interest areas. Gone are the days when the proverbial english major could have significantly weaker stem background. 
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