<p>So I got rejected from Stanford this year. It was my first choice, so I was extra disappointed when it came out early (I had been rejected by several other universities earlier in the day).</p>
<p>I got into some top universities (as they are called on these boards anyway), though, and I was wondering if there is any advice to be had on getting into Stanford through transfers (I know this is a difficult process so please keep the comments constructive).</p>
<p>My first question is if Stanford favors transfer applicants who are residents of California as it does with freshman admission? The reason I asked is because the amount of students who get in through transfers is statistically insignificant, so factors such as geography may not come into play as much.</p>
<p>Any help that can be given would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>I guess I can’t really help you out, but I can say that I might be doing this next year as well. I don’t want to go to Stanford for prestige or anything, there’s just something in my gut that tells me its the place for me (obviously the admissions committee didn’t have the same feeling, haha). </p>
<p>Remember, though, to go to whatever school you’re attending with an open mind. Give that school all you have and give it a chance. The worst thing you could do is go in with your mind set on transferring and overlook all of the great opportunities at your own school.</p>
<p>*My first question is if Stanford favors transfer applicants who are residents of California as it does with freshman admission? *</p>
<p>This is false. Stanford does not favor California residents. It has no reason to. It’s not public an thus has no “obligation” towards instaters. If anything, Stanford values geographical diversity and would rather admit out of state students.</p>
<p>While this is purely anecdotal, I’ve found that similarly qualified applicants from California or adjacent states typically have done better than those from the Eastern seaboard. For example, my best friend got into Princeton and Yale, waitlisted at Harvard, but rejected from Stanford. At the level of Stanford, this is conceivable, but from their class profiles and what I’ve seen personally it looks like Stanford trusts West Coasters to enroll moreso than East Coasters and therefore favors them, perhaps fearing a yield struggle with HYP in the Northeast. I believe 45% of Stanford’s undergrads are in-state. That means that certainly more than 50% are from west of the Continental divide, although three quarters of America’s population is to the east and the highest concentration of highly educated and wealthy individuals (who like it or not are the plurality of people attending universities like Stanford) are in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic.</p>
<p>While it may seem hard to believe when you have children intelligent and independent enough to get into those schools, parents still impose their wills upon them, and that often means “GO TO THE IVY” instead of “go to California and never see us again.”</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for the responses. Congrats to everyone who got in this year, and hopefully I’ll see you in a year or two if I can find my way in.</p>
<p>^^ only about a third are in-state (it’s been steadily going down and was 40% a few years ago).</p>