Easier to transfer if you don't apply the year before?

Applying to College
1

What I mean is: if you know (for some reason) that your chances of being accepted to your #1 choice, college A, are low, are you better off

  1. not applying (and thus not getting a rejection) to college A and applying to transfer the next year to college A from a different college B? (after a stellar freshman year at college B, of course)

or

  1. applying, being rejected at college A, and applying as a transfer to college A the next year from college B?

In other words, are you better off NOT getting rejected the first time (by not even applying to A) and applying as a transfer with a “clean slate” so to speak?

2

<p>I don't have an absolute answer, but i've known several people, including my daughter, who were accepted as transfers to schools who'd rejected them the first time around. If it's where you want to go, then I feel you should give it a try.</p>

3

<p>You can apply, get rejected, but get accepted as a transfer student. However, if your desired school has a reputation for hard-grading, I'd recommend transferring so you could keep a nice GPA.</p>