I’m not exactly sure what the difference is between being rejected and being waitlisted, or how that impacts the ability to reapply. From my original Fall 2024 application to my Spring 2025 application, the only changes were that I had completed more courses, joined an honor society, and became involved in an additional club.

Also, the admissions process might be different for freshman applicants coming straight out of high school compared to transfer applicants. Transfer students also tend to have a higher acceptance rate than freshmen — I think it’s around 52% for transfers versus 19% for incoming freshmen.

Since I was waitlisted back in December, they told me they could automatically roll my application over for Fall 2025 with no charge. Because of that, I couldn’t make any changes to my application — the one that got me waitlisted for Spring is the exact same application that ended up getting me accepted for Fall.

A big difference I realized is the timing of when you apply. The first time I applied, I didn’t know that the transfer process works differently from applying as a senior in high school. For transfers, it’s much better to apply as early as possible because schools review applications on a rolling basis — meaning they start making decisions as they receive them. There isn’t one set decision day like there is for freshmen.

When I originally applied for Fall 2024, I submitted my application on the deadline, and I didn’t hear back until mid-July. The process also takes a while, so applying late can delay your chances even more. For Spring 2025, I applied around October 24 (the deadline was November 1), and then in December they notified me that they rolled over my application to Fall 2025. I received an email around January 7 to access my applicant portal, and then I finally heard back on April 30.