Q: (Initially posted July 6, 2004) FROM STUDENT MEMBER DEBORAH K. IN CA
I have decided biology as my major for a long period of time, and I am planning to choose that major when I write for my college applications. I want to know how the colleges choose the students based on their choices of majors. For example, for students applying for colleges under interest of biology major, do colleges pay attention to the grades that students have received in bio-related courses more, or still overall transcript (extracurricular activities). I just want to have the knowledge of college admission process based on students' choice of their major especially regarding biology major.

July 7, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN RI
The answer will vary from college to college. In many cases, certain
departments are concerned about getting enough potential majors in
the incoming class and faculty will take part in the admission
decisions. The physical sciences and engineering faculty are more
likely to do this than the biologists, because biology is a more
popular field - but at different universities the relative popularity
may be different. Even without the participation of faculty,
however, admission committees will look at your grades in your chosen
field as well as at your overall GPA. If you've done better in
science than in humanities courses in high school, that might even
imply that you're more likely to stay in science and might make you
attractive to science departments. Conversely, if you say you want
to be an engineer, knowing that women engineers are in short supply
and hoping to increase your chances of admission, but you'd done C
and D work in math and physics in high school, a high overall GPA
from the humanities courses would not convince people that you were
likely to succeed in engineering.

You're looking for the right "fit" - a college that can give you the
education you want and that values you for wanting it. So do make
your interest in biology clear. Letters from your biology teachers
can reinforce your own essay and grades. Having a clear focus for
good reasons is a sign of maturity, and that's attractive.
********************
A: FROM GUEST MENTOR STEPHEN PULTZ, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS, UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO, CA
Like most things, it really depends on the college. At some schools,
individual programs are extremely popular, and may have tougher admissions
criteria than other programs. However, at most schools that would describe
themselves as Liberal Arts, the admissions office is looking at an overall
record of success, and looking to admit the student more to the institution
than to a particular program. It would certainly help if you were
interested in Biology and took a course in high school and did well.

The best advice to present the most well rounded academic record you can,
and ask each college you might apply to how they look at their applicants -
whether or not the intended major counts in the process.