<p>CLIFF'S NOTES VERSION</p>
<p>*Older, non-traditional student trying to transfer into the best university possible
*Was waitlisted last year at Stanford in sophomore-level transfer attempt
*Considering applying (via the Common App) to a large number of very competitive schools
*Will casting a wide net damage desirability as a candidate?</p>
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<p>FULL VERSION</p>
<p>OK so here's the deal: I'm a non-traditional student in my 20's who is trying to transfer for this fall. After my first 2 semesters I tried to transfer for sophomore year just to see what would happen, and I was waitlisted casualty of the brutally small Stanford transfer class of 2007. I flew out to San Francisco to discuss this with the appropriate parties and they apologized for the numbers crunch and said that during a more typical year that I would have been admitted. </p>
<p>This year I'm back at the drawing board. As I am a slightly older student, my approach to undergrad is like the approach most take towards grad school, i.e. I'm basically trying to get in to the best school that I can since public service has put me behind the powercurve. I'm not really fixated on getting in anywhere specific (although I happen to think Stanford is a fantastic fit for who I am and what I want for the next period of my life) as I realize that long-term success has much more to do with who you are, and not with where you get your bachelors degree. Admissions is certainly a crapshoot these days. The bottom line is that I want to get into the best school that I can- but more importantly, I want to be somewhere that I'm valued- top 25 or not.</p>
<p>So here is the dilemma: with the advent of the common app, applying to a handful of the Ivy's (all of which I have visited and enjoyed) and other top schools like Stanford, WashU and Vanderbilt is very doable. I have a good resume, excellent grades, and I write well... But I wasn't sure how competitive I was as a candidate until last year, and now I feel like I have a decent shot at being admitted to a very good school or two. But in all honesty, I have no idea how this will all turn out. </p>
<p>SO... Assuming all of these schools will be able to see where else I am applying, would I be damaging my potential as a candidate by submitting 10+ applications? I really AM honestly about to go fishing, because I have no idea who will bite. Is it a bad, bad idea? I simply don't have too many schools that stand head and shoulders above any of the rest, other than Stanford, which is a clear favorite. Other than respectability, all I care about in a school is the ability to double major across two different schools and get good financial assistance.</p>