I applied before and got rejected. Does it affect me this time around

<p>i applied to a bunch of highly selective schools and got rejected to most of them. i want to try taking a second crack at them again this time around as a transfer. some apps ask if i apply before. if i check that i applied before will they look down on me cause i got rejected last year? is it better if i just not check the question to "have you previously applied before"</p>

<p>i know some people argue that it shows persistence, but i sort of want to have a fresh clean shot at this, without my high school stuff interfering (besides my test scores and trasncripts which are requirements). is it a bad idea to not check "have you previously applied before" as if im just a new applicant to their schools</p>

<p>Bad idea, I wouldn’t misrepresent the situation.</p>

<p>Colleges won’t certainly look down on re-applicants. In fact it shows persistence and they would love to see improvements. You should be honest and check that you have applied before. I believe they would still have your record in their file anyway.</p>

<p>If you have a good college GPA and 30+ credits then don’t worry about your high school record or SAT scores. Some colleges don’t even look at them.</p>

<p>^ I thought colleges get rid of old applications files… Don’t they?</p>

<p>some colleges do get rid of old applications, some colleges don’t. I would DEFINITELY check the box saying that you’ve applied before, because it actually shows that you’re interested in the university and are determined to go there.</p>