"Ties to the State" Question

[futuredoctor1995]

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Hello!

On some of my secondaries, it states that "Do you have strong ties to the state/school?" and you are usually given about 500 words. How do you go about such a question if you don't have any ties? Do you describe other things about the state that you look forward to or do you answer it with a "NO"? Thank you so much!!

 

[hat]

What counts as strong ties? Is having been there and liked it enough? Or do you have to have family members there?

 

[ChymeofPassion]

Would living there for 7 years (Age 7-14) count as strong ties? Many good friends still there. Always wondered this.

 

[aldol16]

Strong ties is subjective, within reasonable grounds. If you've visited the state once and loved its national parks, that's not a strong tie. If your in-laws live in the state and you visit them a lot and/or have frequent business in the state, then that could be a strong tie. Schools just want to know if you would realistically come to the school if admitted and if there are people around to support you. It might also explain a weird situation like if you're from New York but are applying to the state school of Wyoming because your fiance lives there and you want to move there with him/her.

 

[cactusman]

Would living there for 7 years (Age 7-14) count as strong ties? Many good friends still there. Always wondered this.

I think so, you were young from most of it but from what I've seen in previous threads that's a significant enough chunk of your childhood to count as strong ties.

 

[Catalystik]

On some of my secondaries, it states that "Do you have strong ties to the state/school?" and you are usually given about 500 words. How do you go about such a question if you don't have any ties? Do you describe other things about the state that you look forward to or do you answer it with a "NO"? Thank you so much!!

After answering the question in the negative, I've seen it work when an applicant describes ties to the region (like, say, midwest) due to nearby relatives or recurring vacations. I've also seen it not work when someone went to school most of their life in that state, but then left due to parental job change.

 

[Goro]

What counts as strong ties? Is having been there and liked it enough? Or do you have to have family members there?

Lived in the state for a significant period of time
Went to college there.
Gramma living there does NOT count.

 

[cactusman]

Lived in the state for a significant period of time
Went to college there.
Gramma living there does NOT count.

What about one year of college in the state before transferring? NH resident thinking about UConn, which I know is supposed to be OOS-friendly and especially New England-friendly.

 

[Goro]

What about one year of college in the state before transferring? NH resident thinking about UConn, which I know is supposed to be OOS-friendly and especially New England-friendly.

If I were an Adcom at a state school, I wouldn't be impressed.

 

[cactusman]

If I were an Adcom at a state school, I wouldn't be impressed.

Thanks, makes sense since I can't really argue that I was there for any reason other than education.