User blog comment:Adaneth Mirimë/Considerations for the College Search/@comment-26322120-20181014082933/@comment-33169548-20181014183258

In such a situation I would say that it would generally be better to declare a major when you apply. If you have a pretty good idea of what you'll want to major in, you would probably want to start taking the courses for that major as soon as you can. And if you declare a major when you apply, if you are accepted to the university and enroll at it, you will have an advisor from the start within the major that you declared. Having an advisor within your major is very helpful to have a better idea of what the major entails and what different options your university offers for students in that major to do research, study abroad, find internships, etc.

You certainly are not bound to remain within the major that you declare when you apply to a university, if you enter there; and changing a major generally is not too difficult, unless it would involve having to apply to a different school of your university. Also, if you have one principal major in mind but are still considering other options, there generally is room for electives in the first year of university. So, you can take some of the introductory courses for the other major(s) that you are considering as electives, and if you enjoy them more than the courses you are taking for your current major, you can always switch.

Sometimes, different departments or schools offer special scholarship opportunities to students entering with particular majors, so that is another very good reason not to apply undeclared. It is true that the students may only keep such scholarships if they remain within the major they apply to. However, such scholarships generally are not available to students who transfer into the major, so if you enter undeclared you will not have the opportunity at all.