A bit of friendly advice from a survivor of last year's ED... :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
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<p>Hey, guys!</p>

<p>The other day I was putting off four essays (ahhh, university life) and somehow ended up browsing through the CC forums I used to obsessively post in - most notably the ED Results thread with its horrible, anxious, palpitation-inducing countdown. Just reading it made me tense up and my heart was pounding at about triple the healthy rate because I remember the stress of last year all too well.</p>

<p>I was about as obsessed with Brown as a person can get. I was so overwhelmed with joy and a sense of belonging when I visited campus that I was actually moved almost to tears. (Super emo, right?!) Brown was all I thought about - I wore my Brown hoodie daily, refused to drink tea out of anything but my Brown mug, used only Brown pens and wrote in Brown notebooks, and had Brown memorabilia all over my walls - even the plastic bag from the bookstore went up there. Basically, I nerded out in a big way over the school, and I know most of you are doing the same thing right now. At the time, I was convinced that Brown was the only place quirky, and fun, and passionate, and intelligent to really allow me to flourish. I could justify this for hours - I had list upon list of reasons why Brown was better than any other university. </p>

<p>So when my ED application got rejected, I was crushed. I stayed in bed for days, crying into my pillow, and felt as though my entire world had crumbled. My life as I had planned it was over - or, at least, that’s what I thought. Somehow, I scraped myself out of bed and pumped out more applications - something ridiculous like 11 or 12. To add insult to injury, they all rejected me. How does that even happen…? I had solid grades - not amazing, but As and Bs, good AP and SAT scores, a resume that included several strong passions, and a very interesting life-story which highlighted the difficulties I’d overcome. I had amazing recommendations and fabulous interviews. I was recruited for equestrian teams. But still - I got in a total of zero schools. Life really WAS over, I thought.</p>

<p>But then I took a leap of faith. One more application, I thought. Just one more - and then I’d be done. I decided to apply to a university in the United Kingdom, but only one. From St. Andrews in Scotland, King’s in London, and Kent in Canterbury, I chose Kent - for it’s proximity to the continent, amazing city, and the chance to major in European Culture & Thought - a very Kent degree. So I applied, and a multitude of things went wrong. It was nearing the end of the summer at this point and I considered myself royally effed as first of all, my application was lost, then retrieved and accidentally rejected, then finally re-checked and accepted - but then, the German embassy (I was born in the UK, have a German passport, and have been in the States for 8 years) wouldn’t renew my passport, three days before I was due to fly out. Turns out bawling your eyes out at them helps. Even with my plane ticket in hand, I wasn’t convinced I would end up at university. </p>

<p>But somehow, somehow I did - and now, halfway through my first term at the University of Kent, I am so completely thankful that I was rejected by Brown. Brown IS an incredible school, and those of you who end up there will have a blast. But Kent is the place for me - I’ve honestly never been happier in my life, I love the area, I’ve made the best friends a girl could ask for, potentially met my soulmate (hehe!) and to top it all off, Paris is an hour and a half away! Score!</p>

<p>So my point here is not to stress too much - as trite as it is, you will end up where you’re meant to. And however bad it seems, it could be worse - you could find yourself in August, rejected from 12 schools with not a clue as to what you’re doing - but it will still work out. I never thought I’d survive my breakup with Brown, but I did - and I’m better for it. You are all incredibly bright, creative people with fabulous taste to have chosen Brown, but remember that the school you go to does not define you. The Ivy League title really doesn’t matter, and the high school twerps you’re worried will judge you don’t care where you go anyway. You won’t believe me until you’re at university, but it’s true - so in the meantime, switch off CC for a bit, indulge yourself in some guilty-pleasure movies, and just chill. You’ll be fine. You’ll be more than fine - you’ll have the best time of your life. Look forward to it, and enjoy the ride. </p>

<p>x love from England. :)</p>

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<p>Thank you for posting this. I remember you from last year, how much you loved Brown and how disappointed you were when you didn’t get accepted. I didn’t realize that the rejections continued, though – I am sorry to hear that. But I am glad to hear that you are happy now. Your story shows that there is more than one pathway to happiness and success.</p>

<p>You might want to consider posting this story on either (or both) the Parents Forum and College Admissions, so more people can learn from it. Also, out of curiosity, did you apply to any safeties, or did your safeties turn you down, too? Just wondering if another lesson from your story is the need to have a balanced list.</p>

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<p>fireandrain, I knew you’d see this and remember me, haha! I was definitely quite the fanatic. As far as safeties go - mine were Tulane and Skidmore, both with acceptance rates hovering near 30% - not so safe. But I refused to apply to schools in my home state (Maine) as I absolutely HATE Maine. I think my case was an extreme one - not many people get turned down by that many schools, especially since my application really wasn’t bad! But college applications are more competitive than ever, so it’s important to have a Plan B…and C…and D. I was without a Plan B, and it was terribly stressful - which makes me even more glad that I’m so, so blissfully happy with my life now :)</p>

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<p>Ivy - that is a great story. Of course it is only great because it has such a happy ending. I remember you as well. I am shocked you got turned down by some of the schools you were applying to, including Tulane and Skidmore. For Tulane, anyway, maybe your app was towards the end of the cycle and they already could see they were going to have too big a class (they had 1680 accept and 1630 after summer melt, and they only wanted 1500). Anyway, doesn’t matter now. Congrats on such a wonderful outcome. Are you still able to ride there?</p>

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<p>I was definitely a fanatic last year as well!! I applied ED, got deferred, cried, did 11 more apps, and then got rejected by Brown in April. But I was really stupid when I was deciding where to apply - I applied to all private universities and when I got financial aid packages back, there was no way my family could have afforded it without getting into a MOUNTAIN of debt. So, I looked for an alternative because I absolutely refused to attend community college and I ended up doing something I always wanted to do: travel! I used savings from my part time jobs during high school and am living and working in Spain right now. I am actually traveling to England next spring - we should meet up!!! Discuss the college insanity! </p>

<p>But yeah, taking a gap year also did give me the opportunity to apply once more to Brown…I gave it another shot. Looking back now, my app was super un-reflective and boring last year - I probably would have rejected me also. I laughed out loud at some of things I wrote in last years essay. Bahaha. But my rejection from brown was also the greatest thing that happened to me last spring as well! It totally opened me up to taking a gap year and pursuing some of my strongest interests, and it has only benefited me! And my best friend decided to do the same program as I had signed up for this summer after she lost her mother to cancer…so this was meant to happen. I have had the opportunity to really be a friend to her and help her through losing her mom. Seriously, what’s meant to happen will happen. Rejection is definitely not the end of the world. And I have a much better attitude about Brown this year; it is still by far my first choice and I love it, but the world is so much larger than 4 years at a college. If I don’t get into Brown, I will probably attend a community college the first two years in my area, and I am okay with that. I would have a cried at the prospect of that last year though. But I feel I really tried my hardest this year…and I just finished my skype interview about a half hour ago…so now, I will just leave it and see what happens.</p>

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<p>Here’s my blog where I am writing about my gap year if anyone wants to check it out: <a href=“http://jennafrerichs.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/[/url]”>http://jennafrerichs.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Otherwise, a gap year has seriously been a wonderful experience and has really defined my goals for college, too! I seriously would encourage everyone to consider it if its an option for you, regardless of whether you get into your first choice school…you can always defer!</p>

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<p>If you guys were to give a summary of what your stats were, it would help us to understand the context of your posts. Was it really heartbreak or were you just delusional in the first place?</p>

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<p>I would have to say they were both overly optimistic for Brown. You can find their stats easily by looking at their past posts.</p>

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<p>heartbreak doesn’t care about stats.</p>

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<p>Good read. Luckily I have already come up with alternative plans if the unspeakable happens.</p>

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<p>^^ Exactly, mgcsinc.</p>

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<p>I’m happy to post my stats if people would like to see them, but the point of this thread isn’t to have another person to obsessively compare yourself to but rather to let everyone know that whatever happens, it’ll be okay!
fallenchemist, I’m on my uni’s equestrian team - and the format of competition over here is actually remarkably similar to back in the States, so that was a nice surprise. Theatre and Musical Theatre are absolutely massive at Kent, so I’m really having a ton of fun with that.
JFV - great story! I agree that gap years are an amazing invention - and using them to travel is just perfect! Definitely swing by Canterbury - or at least London - when you’re in England and we’ll grab a cuppa and discuss our post-Brown lives!! I, too, would recommend taking a year off - my gap year helped me get to know myself in a way that I never thought I would, and I’m so much more confident and happy for it.</p>

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<p>Ivy - good stuff! Glad you are able to pursue all your passions (and I am including that possible soul mate). Very mature advice to everyone not to obsess over any school.</p>

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<p>Haha, yes - the soulmate - one of the major benefits of studying in the UK is the prevalence of cute boys with brilliant accents. Hellooooo, Irish lads :wink: ha!
Anyway, because one blog link has already been posted, I’ll post mine too - it’s [A</a> Canterbury Tale](<a href=“http://acanterburytale.■■■■■■■■■■■■■%5DA”>http://acanterburytale.■■■■■■■■■■■■■) and it’s basically just about my adventures over here. Check it out!</p>

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<p>I just want to pop in a say this is an amazing (and MUCH needed) thread. I’m a community college graduate currently on a gap year, which began with a rejection from Tulane University and an acceptance to the University of New Orleans. After being rejected, I got so caught up in worrying about getting into a ‘good’ school, and felt UNO wasn’t good enough. Fed up with everything, I told (or, rather cried) to my parents about a gap year and told them I was certain I would go back to school after one (and only one) year. After searching and reading what feels like almost every college publication out there, I’ve come to just realize that I’ll be happy wherever I end up, even if I do end up pursuing my degree at UNO.</p>

<p>For the record, I went and visited Tulane this summer when I went to make a final decision about college, and I must say I hated the school and realized that their rejection was the best thing that ever happened to me. So far on my gap year, I’ve realized my dream of becoming a professional fire performer (and saying it never gets old) and working at a PR firm. </p>

<p>Why am I rambling on in a thread that’s in the Brown forum? Well, I have one dream school on my list of transfer schools, and Brown is it. Hopefully they’ll accept a crazy, fire breathing, press release writing girl from the northwest.</p>

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<p>This is such a good story, Last year, I realized after I was accepted how overly obsessed with Brown I was and was basically going to be depressed if I didn’t get accepted. Over obsessing is not good for anyone! :(</p>

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<p>And yet… accepted… haha. Just kidding swim. </p>

<p>I think a quote from a college-admissions life-changer book is in order. This is from Julianna Bentes, Yale graduate, in “The Gate-Keepers,” by far my favorite admissions book.</p>

<p>“As much as I admire the moxie and determination of the actors who work at Starbucks or Jerry’s Famous Deli, I also have seen many like them come and go, and many who stayed much longer than they meant to. From the glow on their faces as they speak of their performances, I have seen the importance of dreaming; from their chill when they find that the winds of reality blow cold, I have learned the value of practicality. I have big dreams, but I also have contingency plans. In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou’s mother advised her to “hope for the best, be prepared for the worst, and you’ll be ready for everything in between.” While she wasn’t the first mother to say that—or the last—the advice is sound…But life lessons are often best learned through life, and advice or no, dreams die hard. Sometimes though, impossible dreams do come true.”</p>

<p>Let’s hope she’s right.</p>

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<p>thanks, this is really helpful and encouraging!</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve gone through so much pain and stress in the past few months and everyone has been telling me exactly what you said. However, I really feel that you articulated it well. Honestly, though I don’t believe it just yet, you may be right about it turning out all right. I sit down at home every day and think to myself, “What will everyone say if I don’t get in or go somewhere lower than where I belong?” But at the end of the day, all that really matters is that you end up in a place you want to be. Odds are, those people that you are worrying about will probably forget you come the next high school reunion. Even though I’m just saying this stuff but not just feeling it yet, hopefully everything’ll be alright. Thanks once again for posting this!</p>

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<p>Wow, thanks so much for this! Great story and glad it had the happy ending. It gave me the feeling that no matter where I get into or end up going, I’ll go where I was destined to go to :)</p>