college admission about different departments?

Question

if i appl y to harvard, as an example, and majoring in engineering, do i get more chance of going to harvard? What i mean is that harvard has school of art, school of engineering, school of medical, school of whatever. And many people wants medical degree there. But let's say only 2/9 people of harvard are in school of engineering. Is this mean if i apply to harvard and major in engineering, do i get more chance of getting into harvard than people who applied to medical department?

Answer 1

There is a finite number of slots available in each area of study and there are always more applicants than matriculants. The number of matriculants is constant, but the number of applicants usually increases each year. Since Harvard carries a prestigious name in medicine there is a higher number of applicants to its medical school. But those numbers have no impact on the acceptance rate for the engineering school.

Answer 2

The department you apply to does have an effect on admissions. I can't speak for which departments are easier to get into at Harvard -- but I do know that at a school like the University of Pennsylvania, it is much harder to get into Wharton than it is to get into the College of Arts & Sciences. At MIT, it is easier to get admitted to the Business School than to one of the engineering departments.

This phenomenon is true even at state universities.