I saw there were some threads about what constitutes strong state ties but my questions are a bit different as those threads all seemed to be about specific examples. There are a few public schools to which I want to apply, and I know my ties aren't strong to their respective states, but I was curious about more general strategy regarding this.
1. Does every secondary, or at least all of the public school ones, have somewhere to talk about state ties? Or only some schools that care more about state residency?
2. Is it better to include something if I can think of some weak ties or better to leave it blank when asked for ties to a state?
I will share some examples below. I know they are all weak, with varying levels of weakness. Curious if any of them would be worth including if given the opportunity.
Examples:
- I'm planning on applying to Iowa. My mom went to Iowa for undergrad so I grew up a big Hawkeyes fan. I also know several people that went to Iowa including many friends and my brother's fiancee.
- Also planning to apply to Michigan. One of my closest friends went there and I visited several times and Ann Arbor is one of my favorite places I've been. Also been rooting for them in sports the last few years.
- Last one. Applying to Ohio St. No real ties at all. Big football fan, though, so I could say it would be cool to have a reason to be an Ohio St. fan. Super weak but better than nothing or detrimental to include?
Obviously if I lived in one of those states for a long time or had immediate family in one of them or something along those lines I would be sure to mention it. But if anyone has any knowledge/experience about the pros and cons of including less obvious ties or very weak ties I would love to hear. Obviously feel free to propose other examples and maybe we can hash out exactly where the threshold is.
Sorry for the long post. New to SDN. Any help is much appreciated!
1. Does every secondary, or at least all of the public school ones, have somewhere to talk about state ties? Or only some schools that care more about state residency?
2. Is it better to include something if I can think of some weak ties or better to leave it blank when asked for ties to a state?
I will share some examples below. I know they are all weak, with varying levels of weakness. Curious if any of them would be worth including if given the opportunity.
Examples:
- I'm planning on applying to Iowa. My mom went to Iowa for undergrad so I grew up a big Hawkeyes fan. I also know several people that went to Iowa including many friends and my brother's fiancee.
- Also planning to apply to Michigan. One of my closest friends went there and I visited several times and Ann Arbor is one of my favorite places I've been. Also been rooting for them in sports the last few years.
- Last one. Applying to Ohio St. No real ties at all. Big football fan, though, so I could say it would be cool to have a reason to be an Ohio St. fan. Super weak but better than nothing or detrimental to include?
Obviously if I lived in one of those states for a long time or had immediate family in one of them or something along those lines I would be sure to mention it. But if anyone has any knowledge/experience about the pros and cons of including less obvious ties or very weak ties I would love to hear. Obviously feel free to propose other examples and maybe we can hash out exactly where the threshold is.
Sorry for the long post. New to SDN. Any help is much appreciated!
