@papaya37 no one has gotten in anywhere significant yet at my school so it hasn’t begun. In March, if I get in to some of the schools on my list, it probably will.
But think about it this way: at the end of the day, you’re going to caltech and will never see these people again. Where are they going? Not Caltech.
@papaya37
My own DD had this same issue last spring. It was horrible. Don’t let anyone steal your joy. Period. They want to snatch your joy away. Don’t allow it!!! It only gives them more power! When they can’t call you the(you know what word) they say that you got in because you are black/URM. They are infuriated because you accomplished something that they could not. So be it. Life goes on. Hold your head high/continue to carry yourself with grace & dignity. Align yourself with those who will honor & respect you! At least you know now where they stand!!! Avoid those who obviously think of you as inferior. Avoid them like the plague!! Be cordial and always keep is classy! It will show them that their words have no influence.
Congrats!!!
@papaya37 they’re just jealous and prejudice. Be proud of what you’ve accomplishmed and block out the haters.
@papaya37 unfortunately, this happens every year at my school. there are two possibilities:
as long as none of your true friends are saying these things, i wouldn’t worry about it. i know it has to be hurtful, but you should be proud of your accomplishments. vent when needed, scream/cry/freak out when needed, but don’t let their anger consume you. they’re just mad they could never do it, race be damned.
@papaya37 Congratulations! I got in too. Don’t worry about people saying that. Caltech does not care about race. If they did, they would have more than a 2% black student population. They only accept people that they know will be able to do the work. Your race did not help you get accepted. Stupid people might feel entitled to say that about other schools you get accepted to, but they cannot say anything about Caltech specifically.
I am not African American but was browsing CC when I came across this. @papaya37 like others have said, congratulations! You deserve it. I know people say some ignorant things, but I hope you understand that 90% of the time they don’t mean it. I remember when I got my first rejection; I instantly tried to come up with a reason and what came to mind was my recommenders. For hours, I just sat there, blaming my recommenders in my head because I was so sure they could have written better things about me that would have at least gotten me deferred. The next day, I felt terrible and guilty because my recommenders are the two nicest people on the planet and I am sincerely blessed to have had them write on my behalf. Now I am by no means defending the person who made that comment to you, but I just wanted to give some insight on how his/her comment may not be directly related to him/her beliefs. It was still very rude/ignorant of this person to act out on their frustrations. It was also very rude/ignorant of this person to demean your merit in the first place.
As an Asian Indian, I think we can relate a lot to your struggle in this area, but in an opposite context. Many times when I get some award or good score, people disregard it and say, “oh, it’s just because she’s Indian.” But when someone else achieves the same thing, suddenly the whole school is full of “congratulations” and “I’m so proud of you.” I feel like merit for any minority is always disregarded. For URMs, it’s that the person only achieved somehing because of his or her race. For Asians, it’s that the achievement is no big deal because of their race. It’s as if all the hard work and dedication we’ve put into being where we are is not even acknowledged because we are minorities. I know it’s not exactly the same thing for Asians and African Americans, but I hope you see where I’m getting at.
Okay, I’ll get off your thread now. I hope I didn’t come off as ignorant or offend anyone in this post.
I really appreciate everyone’s comments 
@papaya37 Congrats to you!!! My son, who is a sophomore, was accepted SCEA and is thriving at his school. While none of his friends/classmates said he got in because of his URM status, he did hear that from people who didn’t know him very well. First of all, the hubris required to make that statement to your face is unbelievable. Secondly, the people who truly love and care about you are the people who matter. They are the ones who know how accomplished you are and that you earned your spot. The rest is just white noise. IGNORE it!!
Congrats again!!!
Congrats @papaya37 !! And I’m just going to pretty much repeat what everyone else has been saying. Be proud of your accomplishments because only you know how hard you worked to get there. Don’t let the haters bring you down. So congrats once again and enjoy the rest of the school year with your real friends! (Btw, papaya is sort of ‘meh’ to me lol. Prefer cantaloupe much better )
Oh and @drblack thanks! (Haven’t been on since the 1st haha)
I am DONE with all of my applications!!! Best feeling ever!!!
I’m v late, but got into the University of Michigan!
Congrats! @Kelmoo
Thanks!
Ayyeee @KelMoo !! Long time no see! I didn’t know you were African American! Anyway, congrats!!
@emenya Haha, yup!! Thanks a ton!
I got in to the dean’s scholars program at UT!! I’m going to college! Wow I really thought I would be rejected. I’m so happy
@Jellybae Congratulations!
Congrats!! @Jellybae So did you also get your major?
Accepted to the Honors College at the University of Maryland College Park with a major in Community Health.
So far, I’ve been deferred from Stanford and accepted to UMD College Park, UMD Baltimore County, and the University of Michigan. I find out from UNC soon I think…
:-S
@Mathmaticious yep! My only dilemma is I think I want to change it lol