<p>Hi, I am a senior in high school, have not applied to any colleges yet, and won't give my stats because they are irrelevant to my question. Comparing apples to apples (i.e. all the factors that are weighed in transfer applications such as grades, quality of current school, additional work such as EC's, research projects/publications, etc. are the same), would being accepted as a freshman by a top-tier school (ivies, Stanford, MIT etc.) increase my chances of transferring into that school as a junior versus being turned down as a freshman or not applying? Thanks for reading and please offer your input.</p>
<p>I think it goes something like this: transfer who was originally accepted as a freshman > transfer who hasn’t applied before > transfer who was rejected.</p>
<p>But again, depends on the school.</p>
<p>I really don’t think that it matters. A lot of different variables factor in during the two admissions processes. For example, UNC has a limit for how many OOS they can admit during the freshmen cycle, but in transfer admissions state residency does not matter. So someone who was OOS and applied as a senior in HS may be rejected, but may be accepted as a transfer. What I’m getting at is that the two processes are totally separate and thus an acceptance or rejection during one cycle does not warrant the same result in the other. Perhaps if you are rejected and apply again, you’re transfer app may be evaluated in the light of all the improvements that you have made. Admissions may look at your dedication and willingness to succeed as a strength. </p>
<p>In short, apply to the schools to where you would like to attend and don’t worry about whether or not it will help a transfer app. Worry about that if or when you get there. Good luck!</p>