<p>I guess I'm pretty competitive so I always assumed admission into UC's like UCSD, UCB, etc.</p>
<p>But in all honesty... I'm starting to worry. Like college apps are seriously starting to get to me and now I'm not even sure if I'm "good enough" for some of these colleges. All I hear is, "yeah they're like so competitive nowadays, it's crazy" and no doubt, it's probably true.</p>
<p>So now, all I do is think about my personal statement and how I'm going to address the prompts. In my dreams, when I'm working, all the time. I mean, it's really not easy being able to think of something absolutely spectacular and life-changing that's happened to me.</p>
<p>Either way. I know I'll figure it all out eventually and that I'm going to WIN. hahah.</p>
<p>Do you guys already have everything planned?</p>
<p>I’ve been feeling that lately… and I get really depressed. Like all my high school life I’ve though about being good enough to get into UCLA and UCB for sure but now I’m having doubt and because it’s ACTUALLY so close (the application process) I’m just getting nervous. I think it happens to everyone.</p>
<p>Have you ever had to do a presentation, etc, and you were very prepared and you felt really confident and ready but when maybe the night before and when you are in class waiting for your turn you get all nervous again?</p>
<p>Same way I feel. Now, I’m almost unconfident in where I wanna even end up applying, even though I thought I had this all sorted out in May. Now that the apps are actually in front of me it just seems so much more intimidating.</p>
<p>I have the same feel. College is for me, absolutely. But in the midst of all the CC’s doing their own research and internships compared to me and my small town-life, I worry about being way in over my head in applying to Ivies. </p>
<p>I’ve gotta shake it off though. I can do this. We all can.</p>
<p>That’s why I’ve taken 3 of my reaches off of my college list. I don’t want a lot of rejection letters :/</p>
<p>Yeah, I know what you mean about the essay. I’ve had a lot of life-changing events (significant experience) in my life (multiple deaths in the family, my mom is a 3 time cancer survivor, severe depression, eating disorder; both of the mental things I’ve overcome) but I don’t particularly want to write about those so I don’t know. I thought I had my essay written but I don’t really like the topic I chose and I don’t want to write an essay that is about any of my life-changing events because they’re depressing. I could make the essays not depressing, but I don’t know</p>
<p>Ugh Ive felt like that ever since Ive joined this site, honestly.
Lol, Ive always been a “good student”; kept my grades up, did ECs, got what I assumed was a decent SAT score…but after reading about people who have won contests and awards Ive never even heard about, Ive started to get less confident…
On the flipside though, its inspired me to work even harder, knowing who Im up against.</p>
<p>I’m thinking about applying to the same schools as OP… But I do have some doubt now~~I wouldn’t if I had straight A’s in English and better than my in the 500s for English portions of the SAT. It’s just hard to weigh myself against others-- I excel in math, science, and social science but am at the same time bad at English (and this includes personal statements), I really don’t meet many people who intend on going to a “good school” who are in the same situation.</p>
<p>@pinkbubbletea, don’t worry, lots of people on CC are freaks of nature (don’t be offended, we all know it’s true :P) and are definitely not a good sample of fellow applicants to compare yourself to!</p>
<p>As for OP (and the rest of you with the same concerns), it definitely does happen to everyone. Obviously it’s not good to be overconfident and not work hard on your apps, but there’s no need to be so hard on yourself. I went through the same thing last year and I know I probably won’t stop you from worrying, but hopefully you’ll at least see that your worrying is illogical (and then you’ll continue to do it anyway haha).
I applied to my state school (ranked in the 50s) as a safety and then applied to 4 top-25ish schools, a few of which were FAR reaches considering my less-than-stellar grades. By the time I hit my peak of worrying, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t going to get into my state school, let alone any of the others, but I ended up getting into all but the Ivy and MIT. Looking back, it really was silly of me to be so concerned. Of course, this won’t stop any of you from being concerned, but at least you know that as soon as the college application and decision process is over, you’ll quickly move on and it’ll be like it never happened. …And then you’ll take every opportunity to make fun of all your younger friends when they’re stressing over apps (it’s surprisingly entertaining!).
Good luck to all of you! Let me know if I can help you with anything!</p>
<p>Same! I actually had a few Ivy League’s on my list for a while, but then my SAT score made me even wonder if I can get into good state schools. I just want to get into somewhere–preferably one of my top four schools (and with good financial aid :p), but I just don’t want to get rejected from everywhere and have to go to community college and then transfer (I’m being such a pessimist)</p>
<p>I was ridiculously nervous last year, and I had the exact same worries too. I always assumed UCB and UCLA would accept me all my high school career, but during the wait for college decisions, I started to become anxious and worry that just maybe I wouldn’t be good enough. But in the end, everything turned out okay for me, and it really was silly for me to worry. (:</p>
<p>Just some advice from seeing others who’ve been unlucky in the college app process: don’t forget to have a good number of target schools. Reaches are reaches, and you really don’t want to end up at a safety if those don’t turn out well. (Of course you should pick safeties you would like to go to, but nevertheless.)</p>
<p>Good luck though! I hope all of you end up with happy news. (:</p>
<p>I definitely feel the same way. I’m worried I won’t get into any of my match schools let alone my reaches and I’m worried about whether my safeties are actually safeties. @riadapaki95 you’re not the only dreaming about it either. I’ve had dreams of getting rejected to college too.
I’m just not going to compare myself to people on CC anymore. Doing that will make me feel bad. As long as I know I’ve done the best that I can then I’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Everyone, I feel like, maybe we should just try to calm down first. I guess we’re just gonna have to be confident and actually show that in our essays. </p>
<p>For the people who thought all their life that they were good enough for UCB, UCLA, you probably are! Guys, we can’t doubt ourselves. By knowing that there are hundreds of other people in the same boat as us, at least we can comfort ourselves.</p>
<p>We’re just gonna have to make our college apps shine :)</p>
<p>Dear god yes. I suddenly feel tiny compared to all these stats I see on this website and it keeps making me more and more depressed. People with AMAZING EC’s, courses, SAT scores, etc, not making it into colleges I want to go to? Insane. It makes me wonder what I’m doing even trying. I feel like I’m in way over my head especially with this type of competition.</p>
<p>I’m a rising senior as well, but I’m starting to doubt the veracity of these “It’s getting WAY more competitive” claims. Most likely it’s merely an exaggeration. Sure, because each generation tends to have a higher population, there will be a tendency for things to be more competitive as the years go by, but these claims that seem to imply that you have to be, say, an IMO Gold Medalist to get into your reach schools are probably because College Confidential tends to attract the best and brightest. Being surrounded by the best and brightest on a message board where people can communicate very quickly distorts peoples’ sense of “How impressive is this achievement?”</p>
<p>I’m willing to bet that most CCers will get into at least one of their reach schools. Victory is in the nature of those willing to take initiative.</p>
<p>I’ve always seen myself as someone who’s a sure shot at a top college, but honestly, everyone around me is SO far ahead of me, and it’s all coming crashing down because I’m officially so, so, so nervous. </p>
<p>I feel like I’ll be rejected everywhere and that my dreams of Ivies are just so far fetched at this point, which they probably are.</p>
<p>@Progressivism: When I talk about people telling me how college competition is increasing, I’m not talking about CCers but rather, people who go to my school and other quite a few other schools, who’ve had decent statistics, who’ve gotten rejected from colleges like Davis.</p>
<p>I feel exactly like you do. Its overwhelming. I was so confident and now that the time is here I’m doubting myself. I have absolutely no idea of where to go or what would be the right fit for me.</p>
<p>I feel like all of us are wanting to at least apply to Ivies but CC is stopping us. I want to apply but my ego is getting in the way, I don’t want to look stupid in telling people I applied and got rejected lol.</p>
<p>@ iz: Do it. You won’t look stupid. If really don’t know if this will make you feel better (it goes both ways) but some of the smartest people who should’ve had very close chances at Ivies last year got rejected from every single one. They ended up going to UCB.</p>
Well, better start self-studying APs and applying for internships lol.</p>