<p>I live in Oklahoma, and I've been told that helps me slightly with admission to highly competitive universities. Is this accurate? Why or why not?</p>
<p>It can help . . . slightly. The elite universities and colleges are concentrated in certain parts of the country, and they will always prefer students who can contribute to the campus’ diversity in one way or another. It will not compensate for inadequacies in your application, but it can give you a “hook” that, say, a student from the northeast might not have at Yale or Harvard. </p>
<p>I’ve been told the same thing, since I am from Idaho.</p>
<p>I found this article with a Dartmouth admissions officer that makes me think there might be a slight edge. The quote that makes me think that it might help me stand out as a white applicant is the quote, “As for white kids, there are a lot in the possible category. Most white applicants will be from wealthy suburbs of the Mid-Atlantic or New England, pretty well-off, from strong schools, so even if the kid is a 7 academically that might not mean much in their personal context.” Because I am a white applicant not from New England or the Mid-Atlantic, I think it may help.</p>
<p><a href=“Secrets of Dartmouth Admissions Office”>Secrets of Dartmouth Admissions Office;
<p>If all else is equal, schools like to be able to claim geographic diversity. Having students from all 50 states is better in their brochures than another student from New York. It won’t make a big difference, but if all else is equal, it could tip the scales in your favor.</p>
<p>Just remember they aren’t going to take someone academically unqualified just so they can have someone from your state. Being the only applicant from State X will get you nowhere, and for truly elite schools, I’m sure they have more than enough high-quality applicants from everywhere to not worry about the geographic diversity problem. Any advantage will generally be for admission to schools that are elite but not well known in your region, like many of the LACs outside the Top 5.</p>
<p>Being from an under-represented state geographically can be a nudge, not a push, for applications.</p>
<p>LOL…D and I did several college visits in a row and were laughing because the info session leaders almost always said “we have students from X countries and X states”, where “x states” was 48…a couple even told us which were missing - N and S Dakota in more than one case! I was joking with D that we should move there for her senior year.</p>
<p>Whether or not you live OOS for where you are applying will matter most if the college is public or a state school, since they will have quotas to fill of in state students. Other than that, being from an underrepresented area of the country could possibly help you.</p>