<p>i was waitlisted at northwestern and brown as a freshman applicant but didn't get off the waitlist for either....while i'm happy with the school i'm going to this fall, it wasn't quite the place i was looking for (it's a big city school). i'm going to give it a shot though, and see how i like it. out of curiousity, are the admit rates for a transfer student higher when they've been waitlisted before as a freshman applicant?
and before you say something about how i shouldn't be thinking about transferring already, i'm not. the school i'm going to now has a really good program for what i want to major in and it's a great school with lot's to offer.....it's just not where i pictured myself i guess.
so i guess what i'm asking is has anyone here had an experience where they were waitlisted and than accepted as a transfer?</p>
<p>I'd like to know about this as well.</p>
<p>Mini-bump.</p>
<p>I would think it may help a little if on the app. they ask you if you have applied before, and you answer yes.... Otherwise why would they ask?
If they do not ask, maybe you could include it in one of your personal statements/essays. I would think it could give you a slight edge.</p>
<p>thanks for replying! in the letter i got from northwestern at least, they said that there was a higher admit rate for waitlisted people who then applied as transfers but i was wondering if there was any truth to that
anyone else have any ideas?</p>
<p>I was rejected from Northwestern and then accepted as a transfer the next year... if that's the kind of situation you wanted to know about.</p>
<p>I was waitlisted for wash u but accepted next year as a transfer (although I didn't get enough financial aid). So i think not only is this a sign of interest, but if you do well your first year, you tend to have a pretty good shot at getting in as a transfer.</p>
<p>People who are waitlisted/rejected are put in that situation for a reason...and many times it is b/c of their preparedness...and the fact that they dont match up in that way compared to others in the incoming class or the school norm. However, if you go to college and prove to be prepared and ready for the academic challenge there is a better argument for admission. There is a reason why someone is waitlisted/rejected and it can both help and hurt. First, it hurts b/c you got rejected and that just plain sucks LOL...and that also means they saw something that warranted rejection. However, it helps b/c the same people are NOT making the situations this time around. They may see something different or they may find out why you were rejected and see that you fixed the problem. For example, if you have a lower GPA than they would like b/c you slacked off one year in high school and then go and achieve a good/great GPA at college you are basically answering their question with a salvo across the deck of their ship. It does help, but familiarity is not always great either. It really depends on the situation. But, in the cases of successful transfer students who were rejected/waitlisted the first go around, its simply b/c they answered the call and proved the previous decision wrong...and that is very difficult to argue with.</p>
<p>I agree with Jman21. When I was a senior in high school, I was on 6 waitlists. It was clear that I was "qualified," but something must have been holding me back. This year, as a transfer student, 3 of the schools that had me on the waitlist accepted me. It is all conjecture, but coming out of a "feeder" private school, I had a lot of classmates who may have "outshined" me for one reason or another. Perhaps this year, after a semester of good performance, the same universities saw me in a different light. I'm not legacy at any of these schools, so perhaps my high school classmates had that edge on me as well. We'll never know for sure, but I'm happy for the way it worked out.</p>
<p>thanks to everyone for replying, i really do appreciate it! your advice def helped (i feel a lot better)
...and yeah it sucks to get waitlisted/rejected but i guess it all happens for a reason
so i guess the best thing to do is to see how it goes next year and get the best GPA i can, although i think the problem with my application were my test scores- i had a 3.95 UW/ 4.4 W GPA in hs but only a 2150 SAT
missfiskeguide- that's exactly the kind of background i'm coming from, since i went to a private school that sends a lot of kids to competitive schools due either to lacrosse or legacies or academics.</p>
<p>missfiskeguide- thanks for sharing your story. I really wanted to go to Boston College and was waitlisted. Everyone I know just assumed I would be accepted. However, so many of the kids who applied there and got in from my school were legacies. I can't help but think that may have affected my decision. However I am considering possibly transferring there for my sophomore year and am glad to hear from someone who succeeded in that situation!</p>
<p>Happy to share! To both dancintherain and redsoxgirl, I suggest that you start off your freshman year with an open mind. You both seem to have come out of competitive high schools, so it is most likely that you will not have trouble adjusting academically. Try your best to adapt socially with activities and keep transferring in the back of your mind, just keep yourself motivated to do well in your classes and be sure to make yourself known to TA's and professors. If by winter break you still want to apply for transfer, go for it!</p>
<p>The issue with transferring is that you do lose a whole year of contact with prof's that you are going to want to write you recommendations. And to a small degree that's ok...give your current school a shot b4 you think about transferring. You shouldn't go to a school PLANNING to transfer elsewhere...b/c that can cause problems. Just go and see if you like it or not. If you like it then stay there. If not then think about transferring, but go in with an open mind.</p>