If you live in PA, do you have advantages applying for top in state private Unv such as CMU?
I know for public colleges it does make a difference but what about privates ones like CMU, etc?
It doesn’t help. In fact, if lots of in state kids apply, you could find yourself at a disadvantage if the school cares about geographic diversity.
Public colleges give preference to in state applicants because those schools receive significant support from the state. In exchange for being supported by state residents’ tax dollars, a major part of the mission of those schools is to provide a college education for state residents.
Private colleges have no such special relationship.
The more competitive the private school, the more likely it is to be looking for a student body that comes from across the country and across the world.
I swear that Brown does give preference to some RI students as a local good will gesture. I think that sometimes it can help. If you are from Illinois and trying to get into CS at UIUC, you have an advantage.
@gearmom But UIUC is a public University tho, my first choice right now is CMU cuz I am in PA and it is the best CS (technically) university. My Backup choice would be UIUC. But I think I have disadvantages cuz I don’t live in Illinois
UIUC is public university BUT they are tier 1 for CS (top 8 in the country) and highly impacted with an acceptance rate of about 10% and an average ACT of 34+. For UIUC, they say that they hold 100 of the 400 available spots in CS for Illinois residents, so an advantage for them. What are your stats?
@gearmom I am in my junior year… I have not taken SAT year, gonna take it in december. (I am expecting a score from 1500-1600) I have already taken SAT MATH II with 800, SAT CHEM 700 (planning to retake after AP Chem). Currently have 7 APs (1 in sophomore year, 6 this year). GPA unweighted is 3.8, weighted is 4.1(not including this junior year). My GPA should end up around 3.9 for unweighted and 4.4 weighted. (I got 2 B in freshmen year but now I got all As)
@Linusky , I think you are on track to have a good shot at CMU. It is, of course, very competitive, but you are likely to clear the bar to get into serious consideration.
@Linusky Your stats are good. You might get a tiny edge being local if they have to choose between two qualified candidates. I think that they sometimes do this. Do you have good ECs? CMU and UIUC will be swamped with qualified candidates and it will be other things that help put you over the finish line.
@gearmom Speaking of EC… it is not that impressive… I do JV Tennis (My school is extremely competitive, I do not think I can make Varsity in my high school career). I do couple clubs, I have over 50+ hours so far devoted in volunteering at local hospital. Preside of Computer club in my sophomore year. TSA state 3rd place in Coding. Nothing else really… Do I need more awards, or volunteering or more leadership? (Looking over the “Chance me” section, everyone has all these impressive EC, it is making me feel not so confident)
Some private schools do give preference to instate or in-region kids. Harvard gives one to students from Boston Latin. GCs at local schools may also have a good relationship with the admissions officers, and the local prep schools may be well known to the admissions office so a 3.7 gpa may mean more coming from that local school than a 3.8 from another.
Locals definitely have an advantage. Look at how many northeasterners in the Ivys, how many southerners in Duke and Vanderbilt, how many Texans in Rice, how many Californians in Stanford and USC … If nothing else, it’s for yield protection. Locals are more likely to attend than the guys/gals that are thousands of miles away, not familiar with the local environment, and haven’t visited campus yet (or visited for a day, but what can a day tell you vs. living there for 18 years?)
The yield protection is not wrong. Last year a couple local high schoolers were accepted by Cornell, but they ended up choosing our state flagship on other side of the town.
[QUOTE=""]
Locals definitely have an advantage. Look at how many northeasterners in the Ivys, how many southerners in Duke and Vanderbilt, how many Texans in Rice, how many Californians in Stanford and USC
[/QUOTE]
How do you know it’s not a reflection of the applicant pool?
The Boston Latin advantage at Harvard isn’t about Harvard giving a preference to Massachusetts residents or even to Boston residents. It’s about Boston Latin being a very prestigious and competitive school with a history as a Harvard feeder that is literally hundreds of years old.
It is true that as a good will gesture to the community, schools sometimes give a preference or have special programs for local applicants, particularly low income ones. For instance,
https://enrollment.rochester.edu/promise/
https://www.uchicago.edu/features/uchicago_promise_eases_path_to_college/
It was easy for me to find the info about the programs at Rochester and Chicago. A similarly quick look for programs for PA or Pittsburgh residents, while not dispositive, yielded nothing.
Also, a particular local school being a feeder isn’t the same thing as giving a preference to local or in-state residents. Lots of Boston Latin students at Harvard or lots of Stuyvesant students at Columbia doesn’t indicate any kind of preference for in-state students generally.
If private schools of that caliber have a preference for in-state students they are oddly silent about it, in contrast to the clearly stated preferences for legacies, recruited athletes, URM’s, etc.