<p>Most colleges seem to ask about whether you have previously applied. This information may be used against students but I am not sure how. I'm not sure if it matters but I'm looking at transferring to Ivy League (and its peer) schools. </p>
<p>Which of the following is preferable?</p>
<p>Situation 1: Accepted for Freshman Admission but Turned down and Reapplying for Transfer as Sophomore.</p>
<p>Situation 2: Waitlisted for Freshman Admission and Reapplying for Transfer as Sophomore. </p>
<p>Situation 3: Rejected for Freshman Admission and Reapplying for Transfer as Sophomore.</p>
<p>It’s not so much a case of one scenario being preferable. Applying multiple times without being a competitive candidate and not showing improvement from one year to the next is of course not good, but they also sometimes want to know if you’ve applied before because they may have your old application on file. Most selective schools don’t care if you’ve shown interest previously by applying, although there are exceptions.</p>
<p>The first two situations indicate that the applicant was a competitive candidate as a fr and depending on what they’ve done in college and their reason for wanting to transfer, they are likely within range as a soph transfer.</p>
<p>The last situation indicates that the applicant might not have been a competitive candidate as a fr (this depends on the school as some colleges WL many and others few) and might have a very difficult time transferring as a soph since they will be assessed mainly on their HS record & test scores.</p>