I agree with @snorkelmom that applying to a few “real safeties” would be a good idea. My son applied to about half safety and half match/reach schools because we are hoping for merit scholarships. Even without that goal, I would recommend adding a few that are safeties to your list of matches/reaches.
Can yu list the schools you consider your safeties (both academically and financially)?
To be honest, I think my only safety is George Washington. I’m thinking nyu and bu are very good matches, but definitely not safeties. And I’ve been accepted to uga, a public school in georgia where I can go cheaply, but I really want to go to a better school.
Apparently tech’s acceptance rate for georgia residents for EA this year was 49%… i also found out I am the only person, literally, who got deferred from our school with 3.8+ and 1350+
Can a bad teacher’s rec. letter affect you a lot?
Are you met with your guidance counselor?
Gwu is not a safety due to not meeting need (they can admit/deny by not providing enough financial aid) and selectivity rate.
You need to find a few colleges where the NPC indicates you can afford it without parent loans, and where they admit at least 40% people (I’d suggest having one at 50%).
Uga is a great safety so if you want to attend another college, start looking now and apply by February 1st.
An unenthusiastic or downright negative recommendation can have a huge impact, yes. Are you thinking your teacher rec may have torpedoed your chances?
I am not blaming my teacher but I know one of the recommendations was unenthusiastic. She used “Mr.LASTNAME” instead of my first name… I just took a quick glimpse when she was submitting it because I waived my right to look at it, but it was a single paragraph that said something like I was polite, corteous, etc. And polite and courteous basically mean the same thing…
But can one recommendation letter really be a deciding factor?
Holistic review means holistic review; they’re looking for students who are well-rounded but also have that “certain something.” Lots of students have the grades and test scores. While a single lukewarm paragraph wouldn’t do it, if they found your essays uninspiring and your teacher didn’t have anything specific/enthusiastic to say about you… that could do it.
Honestly, Monday morning quarterbacking your decisions is going to make you nuts. I am really sorry you’re disappointed, but figuring out the “why” here doesn’t get you anything. Focus on what’s next. Write a letter of continued interest to Tech, letting them know why they are your top choice and what you think you’ll bring to campus. If you don’t have solid matches among your other applications, consider looking for some other schools to apply to. And know that you will find the right place! You really will. I know it probably doesn’t feel that way right now. You’re clearly bright and motivated. Your fit is out there.
@yankeeinGA thank you for your kind words 
I’m just very frustrated but I’ll get over it eventually. But yeah, even if I find out why, I can’t really do anything at this point, so I guess I’ll just have to pray hard for my regular decision schools O:-)
Well “polite and courteous” means “not smart but not a bother” so that was a bad start UNLESS she started with this then went on to explain you were also any one of …smart, analytical, involved, participating a lot, passionate.
(Some teachers start with basic personal qualities, then detail academic qualities, then end with other elements such as extracurricular involvement related to their subject).
Did you only have one recommender?
If one letter out of three was lukewarm, it’s not too bad; if your only letter is lukewarm, yes it is a deciding factor, because when you have twice as many applicants as spots, between one top student with top recommendations and one top student with just one recommendation that’s lukewarm, well of course you pick the former.
Ask for another letter of recommendation from another teacher, or perhaps two, one in the humanities/social sciences and one in the sciences; choose a teacher who you know writes well or speaks eloquently AND/OR where you’ve been very involved, participating a lot (Yes I know it’s late in the game but better late than sorry - if you apply to rolling admission or Feb 1 deadlines, it means your recommender would have about a month to upload a letter for you. When a recommender says yes come the next day with a nice Thank you card and a little box of chocolates to indicate you appreciate the favor and realize it’s unusual.) Apply to 3-4 more universities using BOTH the new one(s) and the former one, upload all possible recommendations or simply do not upload the first and upload the otherone(s).
It’s not time to freak out now, as this may well be a false alarm, BUT what’s the harm in sending a few more apps “just in case”?
Definitely apply to at least 3 from
Dickinson
WPI
Creighton
Lafayette
TCU
UMichigan (unless you’ve already applied/check NPC because you would likely not get any FA and it’s an expensive school)
UWisconsin (" ")
Possibilities to add:
Florida Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Gonzaga
NJIT
NYIT
Northwestern in Qatar (assuming you’re a boy)
St Mary’s of CA
Southwestern U
St Edward’s
SUNY Buffalo (NOTE: NOT SUNY Buffalo State)
@MYOS1634 wow, thanks! I actually have one more rec letter, which supposedly was very good according to my teacher. She said she “put her heart out” to that letter. So for GT and emory, I used both rec letters.
I am considering UMich if I dont get into uva!
I wouldn’t wait till you hear from UVA, and I wouldn’t just add UMichigan from the list above. I would seriously add 3-4 universities at least.
If it’s for naught, ey, no harm done; but if there’s a problem, then you’ll have real choices in March.
You have basically 10 days to get those 3-4 apps done, and you should ask today for the extra recommendation (ie., a potentially bad rec can be offset by good ones.)
Also, have you run the NPC’s? Shown the results to your parents? Can they afford to pay from savings and income? (Very few parents can pay for any college, so make sure you show them actual numbers. When we went to college, Harvard’s tuition was 14K a year.)
OP, I don’t think GW can be considered a safety. They can be quirky in admissions. My D’s friend with a 34 ACT and 3.9 GPA with course rigor and very good ECs was waitlisted there. I urge you to get some apps in at true safeties (so that means they are affordable too) while you still have time.
@suzy100 wow that is very unusual. Is GW need-aware?? @MYOS1634 i’ll take a look at the NPCs tonight
Yes, GW is need-aware.
Wow. Deifinitely not a safety anymore
My cousin went there. Does that help?
No. It doesn’t make you a legacy and it doesn’t offset the fact they’re need-aware.
I would seriously reconsider UGA. Is George Washington widely considered a better school than UGA? If you go to UGA you can get Zell Miller. Loads of majors, cool college town, ranked #18 USNWR state universities.