<p>so before this whole process, I prepared myself for the worst. I was convinced I would be rejected from everywhere and would wind up at my safety. And honestly, I was 100% happy about that. Once the decision letters started coming in, I experienced some success at first and was very happy. But the main schools I was dreamed about (HYPC) all waitlisted me. I was still content because I knew how hard it was to get into those schools. I had heard so many stories about all of the STS semifinals and USAMO guys that I knew everyone that got in was smarter than me. But then I started hearing about (directly, not from unreliable sources) that so many absolutely normal kids, who had not accomplished as much as I had in those 4 years (in terms of grades, sats, awards, leadership positions, focus, etc.), who had no hooks, and who were not URMs or recruited athletes or legacies,etc. getting in. This happened in numerous cases. That is when I started feeling not shorted, or angry, or frustated but uncertain , wondering what do I have to do to not fail again. I began nitpicking every little thing I've done in high school. Also, there is a feeling of apathy now. I'm posting this because I'm just wondering if anyone else experienced this and is feeling this way and what is going on in your heads.</p>
<p>Who are you to say that certain ppl are not worthy of admission???
You have NO standing whatsoever........
It is arrogant to believe that you have been robbed of admission
I hate it when ppl start these threads like they are the hottest thing out there or like they are better than other ppl</p>
<p>Maybe your overconfidence showed in the language of your essays...... who knows?</p>
<p>Who made you the judge???</p>
<p>ouch king, that was a bit arrogant in itself. yeah.... nice name... king... arrogant... yea...</p>
<p>algorithm - are you happy with your college?</p>
<p>I like ponies. :)</p>
<p>sorry algorithm... where are u going to college?</p>
<p>I'm with ivyboy on this one...</p>
<p>Yeah ponies. Once i had one...wait no i didnt.
Honestly, think about it like this...
do you think Ivies want people who just study and stay inside all day? no, they look for cool, downtoearth chill people with incredible talent.
Maybe you just didnt show that side of yourself, and made yourself booksmart.</p>
<p>But to reiterate your first comment,
I am one of those retards who got in.
Just a 4.8 gpa, 1600 800 800 780, varsity ball and golf, president, dating the gorgeous prom queen, damn. now im KING! muahahaha. </p>
<p>(jk)</p>
<p>Algorithm, I am sure that you have a great college you will be attending next year and they will be lucky to have you. If you apply
yourself and are as successful there as you have been in high school
you will have so many great options ahead of you. Admissions is a crap
shoot and it is a given that the most deserving people don't all get in.
Its not a personal afront just a mathematical certainty that lots of great applicants like yourself will have to be turned away. Admission to a top school is also not a ticket to success in life. I can tell you personally that some of the most successful people I know did not
attend a top school. On the flip side an applicant who gets admitted to a top school who is not academically up to the standard will have
a real wakeup call when they have to compete with the best and the brightest. What an exciting four years you have ahead of you! Good luck!!</p>
<p>King, A little insecure, aren't we?? I have a feeling you will find out
for yourself next year just how bright and accomplished your classmates
are! Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>you're going to penn algorithm? i would be happy with that and not just consider it a "safety school". i thikn thats a bit arrogant</p>
<p>i understand algorithm's sentiment, but the logic is all wrong. i was admitted to princeton, but rejected from harvard, yale, and stanford. ive been down on myself, wondering WHY princeton decided to accept me, hoping its not just because of connections i have there. but you cant just say someone with lower stats got in, so then you should have too. i place blame on my essays. my HYS essays sucked, and while i sent the same essays to princeton, princeton had a few more essays and that "favorites" section. to bad i did the apps i was excited about before i did the others. cuz the later essays came out much better.</p>
<p>the ESSAYS make a huge difference. you cant quantify them.</p>
<p>Nobody's insecure</p>
<p>The problem with some ppl on this site is that they are too sure of their abilities beyond the point of being confident.</p>
<p>everybody's insecure.</p>
<p>with something.</p>
<p>I wanted to go to Princeton and Harvard too. I thought I was more qualified than all of the people I know who got in(higher sat scores, more ecs, blah blah). But like you, I'll be attending Penn next year. Penn really is not a bad place, and to be quite honest, I liked the people, teachers, and the atmpsphere there alot better than at Harvard and P-town(No offense, I know this is a princeton forum, and I am sorry). But anyways, Penn is a great place, the kids there are just as intelligent and as fun to get to know as anyone you will meet at the other schools you listed. In the long run, a degree from Penn vs. Priceton is going to make absolutely no difference in you future endevors, so instead of having second thoughts about the whole admissions process, just be happy that you are going to a great place like Penn-just remember that there are many who would be elated to be in your situation.</p>
<p>OOO...I LIKE PONIES TOO!</p>
<p>Anyway, I really have to say, that in the long run, everything will turn out all right. You won't be screwed in life with a Penn degree. I know two people who got rejected from every college they applied to except for MIT. They were seriously crying for days afterwards, thinking that they'd be screwed because they'd be stuck at a boring engineering school with nerds, and they were bitter because people with "lesser stats" got into the schools they wanted. But you know what? It all worked out. They both loved MIT.</p>
<p>Ya, but that's because they got into MIT. At the end of the day, it's much easier to console yourself with MIT than with other schools.</p>
<p>True, but algorithm is going to Penn, so it is almost the same situation.</p>
<p>algorithm- I was a Princeton EDer, but I got deferred and rejected. I was also rejected from Stanford and Berkeley EECS. Am I disappointed? A little bit, but guess what? I get to go to Penn! I always wanted to get into the best school for me, and guess what, I think Penn just might be that school.</p>
<p>The fact is, Penn is one of the best schools in the country, a school that rejects really stellar applicants all the time, including 1600 vals, so you should feel proud to be able to attend.</p>
<p>A friend of mine had a 1540 SAT, a bunch of 790s/800s SAT IIs, ranked 3/more than 600, a ton of APs, a lot of ECs, both his parents went to Stanford, and so did 2-3 other relatives. He loved Stanford, and applied EA. Did I mention that his parents gave money to Stanford for many years? Guess what, despite the fact that he is a genius and a double legacy, he was deferred and rejected from Stanford, and had to "settle" for CalTech. He loves it there.</p>
<p>what school in penn?</p>