Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week! In today’s post I want to talk about a little myth in the college admissions world.
It is a common misconception that schools like Harvard, Yale and Stanford only offer admissions to student who grew up and live far away from the school’s location. Many people think that if you live in CA you have a much better chance of getting into Harvard than if you live in MA and if you hail from the east coast you have a much better chance at getting into Stanford than a West Coast resident.
This notion is a definite myth. While Ivy League and other top ranked schools do admit students from all over the country, they are more local than you may think. Take Harvard for example; a new study from the University of Denver suggests that more than one in every three American freshman at Harvard grew up within 200 miles of Cambridge. Additionally, less than half of the school’s students were from more than 500 miles away. And Stanford? 40% of Stanford’s 2008 freshman class were from the state of CA. Finally, remember the quadruplets who were all accepted to Yale this year? They are right from the state of CT!
Don’t think that you can’t get into Columbia because you live in New York. Although these schools are looking for diversity in their population, they are also looking for the students with the best SAT scores, grades and other qualifications. So if the school next door is on the top of you college search, apply! You may be just what they are looking for.
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Is it true that nationally recognized universities do not admit local students?
The in state out of state debate has more to do about recruiting and financial aid than simply being admitted. Out of state colleges generally offer more funding assistance than in state colleges. They have plenty of local students applying which means they don’t have to offer local students as aggressive financial awards in order to recruit the top students. There are no black and white formulas of SAT and grades for admissions or financial awards. There are only guidelines. They want the students that are most likely to succeed and most likely to contribute back to the college after graduation. If you want to maximize your chances get professional help.
This is so true!
good info
Admissions girl,
Can you tell me more about how often people transfer to schools like Harvard and Columbia after they get their Bachelors degree?
Thank you!
-Rachella
Not something I had even thought about but nice info.
very intersting. i found myself very intersted in this article.
Great information and I also agree that it does not matter where you live, but your ACT/SAT scores and GPA that count.
I agree I think everyone has the same chance.They look for GPA’s and SAT scores and has nothing to do with where you live.
good, informational site!
Thanks for the tip, this was very helpful.
Thanks for the tip. This was very helpful.
I believe this to be true.
If you live in a certain state you are able to go to the colleges within that state. It costs way more for some one to go out of state. They may want diversity or students with high Act and SAT scores, but some of those students also come from within the state.
Nice write up on this subject!
Thanks
Wow i think this really helps alot.Because sometimes i feel like applying for a school but i just cant because i feel like it is far away from me so i wouldnt be admitted. But now i think i have a change of mind.
hmm, interesting! I never really thought about that before.
sorry, didn’t mean to post this here.
No that’s not true.
What score is required on the ACT to get a full ride to an HBCU?
Admissions girl, I know you’re right on target with this! My friend in a NY school applied to Stanford early decision, with all the qualifications, even number two in the class! unfortunately she was rejected
This just goes to show you that NY student doesn’t have any more of a chance than anyone else.
It’s good to know this information.
I think this is a really good thing to get cleared up because I know that it has always been one of my worries
That is not true. My friend from our town just got accepted into a nationally ranked university.
Interesting! I always thought that people who applied to top colleges also had less of a chance getting in because they lived in the area. It’s great to know that’s not so!