4.0 2400 Valedictorian Rejected/Waitlisted from All Top Choices

[Fearless1333]

Since this thread blew up again a month later I thought I would post with some of my thoughts now.

To people saying I came off a bit entitled, I see where you’re coming from after reading my post again, but I hope it’s understandable since I was still a bit emotional after seeing my acceptances. A large reason for making this post was, like others mentioned, to warn others that being the top 1% (like a 3.8 or 3.9 and a 2300) is practically going to be no different and to realize that there are too many students like this so a lot of it comes down to chance. Now, after visiting Dartmouth for Dimensions, I’m feeling much better and am glad to have gotten into Dartmouth.

@SaphireNY

I think it was very difficult for me, who was applying to similar schools and had somewhat similar results, with slighly lower stats, but excellent ECs for my school, to see people (without obvious hooks) posting on April 5 with

“Trying to decide between free merit ride at Rice, Stanford, special progam at Penn and Cornell Presidential Scholar and Princeton. Please HELP!” I wanted to throw up on my laptop. Or Help cannot choose between Princeton and Yale but only WL at Harvard. I am not even exaggerating. I was very happy when those threads were FINALLY moved to another forum.

So I agree with the OP and I still cannot understand how some people WITHOUT OBVIOUS HOOKS, got into 4 or 5 really top colleges and others like the OP got into good colleges (I would have loved to get into Dartmouth). The fact that others did not get into CMU and he did means nothing, somewhere there is someone who is upset over being rejected from the University of Hartford. It is not a question of entitlement. The OP delayed gratification because the adults in his world said that if he studied hard etc he would graduate first in his class and there would be opportunities that would come from that. Meanwhile he now sees that he has no greater opportunites than a 3.8/2250 does (sorry OP I do not know if that is really true, guessing). So he could have gone to the dance he missed because he needed to get his global essay better, gone to the beach or the baseball game, taken long lunches instead of working as a TA for the physics class or whatever.

Also, I do not agree that the white or OMR 4.0 is viewed the same as a white/OMR 3.8 or 3.9. My average was not prefect and I do think the occassional A- hurt me (was WL in many places). I might have counteracted that with a 36 but I just could not take it again. My point is that the OP should have had an advantage over the 3.9 34 or 2250. Just by the sake of rarity. Although I am sure by now he has his roomate at Dartmouth picked out and is fine with his options as I am

If I were the OP I would go back and look at your applications and see if anything jumps out at you now. It may be something you can correct in a letter of interest to your WL. Not because of the obsession. One of my WL commented to my GC that I seemed too X for them (the opposite of what they were looking for but would have been fine elsewhere). I thought that was odd as I am not very X. When I went back and read what I wrote in their essay I realized I had not mentioned Y (something that I thought everyone said about them and I was trying to stand out, oops, they need to see you like Y). So in the letter of interest I discussed how much I like Y (which I do) and was accepted.

This post could not have worded my feelings more perfectly. Part of the reason I was so upset after seeing my admissions results was my mind immediately thought of all the things I had given up on - I remembered countless times I said no to friends or stayed in my room all night while others were out.

Thanks to everyone who gave words of support and also those who said I was being entitled because it made me evaluate myself more critically and realize that I should feel lucky :).

EDIT: Since some have pm’d me asking, I have not gotten into any of the schools I have been waitlisted at as of 5/9. I’ve sent letters and gotten some additional info/recs so I’m going to hope for the best, but I’m pretty happy with Dartmouth now.