<p>^UVAorBust, I just wanted to say I absolutely and sincerely hope you get into UVA. I’m also applying there, and I’ve seen your posts around here, and I’m not quite sure if anyone else wants to go to UVA as much as you sincerely want to. The best best of luck to you.</p>
<p>And to the OP, I can definitely feel what you’re saying. And even though everyone’s advice is all good, I know if I were you, I wouldn’t be caring enough to read it. Need some time to heal, regather, and then I’m sure you’ll make the right decisions and this will be one more learning experience. I’m pretty sure I’m going to get all rejection letters come march/april and I’m already very sad about it. All wonderful, beautiful, competitive schools I applied to that I’m sure are just out of my reach. But I’ll hold on to a spark of hope until the letters arrive. Please oh please oh please, fingers crossed.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for your disappointment. The mistake was not that your gpa was not a perfect 4.0 or that your SAT was 2300 instead of 2400. The mistake was that you let Penn convince you that they had something to offer that only they could possibly provide.</p>
<p>You will realize soon enough what utter nonsense that is.</p>
<p>Hopefully other students reading CC will realize that it is a huge mistake to “fall in love” with any super selective school. They hold all the cards. Save yourself a lot of grief and work on finding the positives about a selection of schools, a couple of which you have a very good, if not guaranteed, chance of getting admitted to, and being able to pay for. None of you young people are so narrow, so rigid, so inflexible that ONLY ONE of the many U.S. universities can be a great place for you.</p>
<p>The worst mistake is falling in love with one school, only.</p>
<p>There are nearly 3000 schools in the country. Just because one said no, doesn’t mean that the others aren’t great, too.</p>
<p>It’s devastating and frustrating, but in your life, there will be likely many other rejections that may be painful. It’s how we deal with these setbacks that help define us as adults.</p>
<p>I remember facing the same kind of heartbreak from my first choice college when I was 17. I didn’t think anything else could compare to this school I ended up at another college, changed majors and transferred to a fantastic school. And I mean fantastic, way better than the college that rejected me. Then I did my grad program at the school that told me no for undergrad.</p>
<p>All is not lost. Grieve for your loss, but move on. Other schools may be absolutely wonderful. Just open up your mind to the possibilities that exist, elsewhere.</p>
<p>When I read posts like this I get SO sad!! I just don’t understand the reasoning behind falling in love with one school. There are so many great schools out there at ALL levels of selectivity. My DS is a Junior and I was adamant about taking him to visit school that were pretty likely for him FIRST, and then if he wanted to see some more schools at higher selectivity he could. So far it seems to have worked like a charm. He actually has more schools he likes that are safeties than reaches.</p>
<p>OTOH, my friends S has only visited Ivy’s… OF COURSE he has fallen in love with most of them… he has tried to visit a few other schools, like NYU and Tufts, but the ‘VIBE’ just isn’t there… hmmmm REALLY??? He has already made the drastic mistake of falling in love with the “must cure cancer to be admitted” schools, and he is going have a LONG Spring next year I’m afraid. He also has top GPA and test scores… but NO hook and a white Jewish male( yawn). I mean if he can’t get the right “vibe” at NYU, Tufts, JHU etc… what is he going to do?This type of kid also turns their nose up at the state schools… “the horror of having to go to the state school” … which is in all likelihood where he will be going…</p>
<p>Ohh thank you nattilee. I hope all your college goals work out as you desire. </p>
<p>I have to say, visiting a school is a danger in itself. Advice to anyone interested in UVA - DON’T VISIT. I mean visit after you’ve been accepted. Otherwise you put yourself at extreme risk of immediately falling in love with the school. I made the mistake and visited the school in 8th grade :D. Sigh, look at me know.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the replies, advice, and even criticisms. Sorry for the late reply - I’m not on CC that much (or so I would like to believe). I really just needed to get all the feelings I bottled up for three months out of my system and I finally can sort of breath, which is nice. I truly believe you are all correct in what you say - especially “don’t fall in love with a school”. (Though loving a school does make the interview much easier…)</p>
<p>“Think of the whole college search as an arranged marriage rather than a love match.”
I love that analogy, it’s perfect. </p>
<p>To meteman, everyone’s special in their own way.</p>
<p>UVAorBust, I give my sincerest apologies that UVA announced their EA for next year rather than this one, and I wish you all the best for April decisions! I have friends who have gotten into their first choice and it’s so beautiful to watch.</p>
<p>vinceh, Thank you for the push in the back I have heard much of the former argument (from supportive friends, indeed) and it’s refreshing to hear the latter.</p>
<p>And to everyone else, no, I won’t ever know why I was rejected, but I do believe every high school kid should be working their tushes off for the highest grade possible and if it’s a difference between a 3.0 and a 4.0 on your report, ask away, nothing terrible could come out of it (unless you partake in this too often, that is). </p>
<p>Thank you to the parents who have replied, good luck to all the seniors in March/April…and the rest of you kids, boy I feel terrible you guys have a long way to go before graduation.</p>
<p>UVAorBust, I also hope your dreams come true! I’m a W&M girl myself. But, just to contradict your post #28, I visited UVA and it didn’t click at all. Both my parents went there too I guess everyone has a dream school that seems to be the perfect utopia, but rejection or acceptance, everything works out in the end.</p>
<p>to man, the end of the world . . . to the buddha, a butterfly</p>
<p>You can’t see why this may be perfect. Imagine that some angel up there knows your own true love will be attending the school where you will end up and you would never have met him at Penn? Life is not about control, but about serendipity. Self-effort is important, but you also have to allow for grace.</p>
But I’ll hold on to a spark of hope until the letters arrive. Please oh please oh please, fingers crossed.</p>
I have heard much of the former argument (from supportive friends, indeed) and it’s refreshing to hear the latter.</p>
I guess everyone has a dream school that seems to be the perfect utopia, but rejection or acceptance, everything works out in the end.</p>