Well, that’s the way it was when I went there. Sure, you could switch majors with approval. But there was no point where anyone was in a generic major.
Applying to Carnegie Mellon for a Major in Mechanical Engineering is not what you think. Prospective students must apply to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, or CIT, which houses all of the engineering departments, including Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical and Computer, Civil, and Materials Science Engineering. Once accepted into this college within Carnegie Mellon University, incoming freshmen will not declare their major until spring of their freshman year. In the meantime, students usually take CIT requirements and two introductory engineering courses and are introduced to all of the engineering disciplines via orientation courses their freshman year. This gives them a broad perspective of engineering and enables students to make more informed decisions when choosing their major. Before you apply, just remember you want to be accepted by CIT, the college, not the Mechanical Engineering Department. Good luck - we hope to see you soon!