College Admissions Despair

@senior2022 It actually sounds to me that you are doing very well in the college application process. A few comments:

“I just got my Pitt acceptance (rolling) like sept. 20th, and was accepted to the honors college.”

You are in at a great school. IMHO it is time to stop worrying about university acceptances.

Some students who get into Harvard or Yale might think that they are in at a better school. The reality is that there is no guarantee that they will be happy where they go, and no guarantee that they will be happy where they end up 10 or 20 years from now.

Personally out of high school I went to the highest ranked and most prestigious university that I got into. I have felt for many years that it was a mistake. If I had gone to the other “also very good” university that I had been accepted to, then I probably would have ended up in the same place after graduation, but I would have had more fun on the way and still would have gotten a great education.

As an adult no one really cares about your undergraduate degree. Its your experience that matters. Go where you will be happy. If you will feel isolated don’t choose it. If you don’t feel safe do not choose it. If the student vibe is off go somewhere else. If you hate the idea of a 150 person class where you are surrounded by strangers look elsewhere. If you want Greek life don’t choose a school without frats and sororities. If you hate the weather look elsewhere. If you love sports choose a school with an active sports culture. There are countless variables to what makes you happy. An arbitrary rank will not make you happy.

@senior2022, I don’t think your post was whiny at all. It is good to reach out and good to share how you are feeling. Sending positive thoughts your way. Keep us posted!

I think that you are doing great.

Congrats on Pitt. Excellent school, excellent honors college, you should be done with worrying. You ARE going to a good college. Nothing will limit you.

As soon as you submit an application, blot it out from your mind. It doesn’t exists until you get accepted.

If you find yourself thinking about them, or other people, remind yourself that it isn’t helpful.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the college is not the prize.
YOU ARE THE PRIZE!

Only one lucky college will get you. The others will lose out!

Make sure you understand potential debt before you commit, evaluate its impact on your future when you are evaluating your financial aid packages and making a final decision in April. Below is a loan calculator from a very good website about student debt. The calculator even has a paragraph that explains the income you need to be able to repay the loan comfortably. The rates are much higher today than when I was in school, so make sure you find and use the correct interest rate for each type of loan.

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

Congratulations on Pitt! Best of Luck finding the perfect place for you.

“It’s not that I feel like I won’t be successful - I’ll work hard wherever I go. I just feel that this process is degrading my self worth.”

That’s exactly what the admissions process has been boiled down to for competitive schools. It hinges on the premise that there have to be winners and losers in this, that you need losers to make you feel good about yourself. It’s going to be tough, but try not to look at the world that way. The Bruni book mentioned above is an excellent recommendation.

Hey just checked back in today. Read through all of the replies. Thanks so much to everyone for the constructive advice! @DadTwoGirls and @ClassicRockerDad and @CaliDad2020 (haha so many dads on cc!) I think you are all right about Pitt. It’s probably important to look at all the merits of the options I already have. I’m highly considering Pitt, as my older brother goes to a university near there. Def a fantastic school.

@Goo1230 and @thelonliestmonk I’ve heard of that book! It was on a lot of news channels, and I considered reading it. I forgot about it for a while but now maybe I’ll try finding a copy and read through!

I’ve been re-reading some of the earlier replies too and they definitely help me calm down and keep things in perspective. I haven’t been able to find some of these answers from other people in my life because everyone is just so busy. This is a great outlet.

Haven’t read all the responses yet, but I see a lot of smart posters here so am sure you’re getting good advice. Rule #1 for CC though: STAY OFF THE CHANCE ME BOARDS. They’re toxic. Coming to CC for advice on coping? Great. Coming for advice on schools to consider or managing financial aid? Great. Chance Me stuff? Just a giant stress pool and not a good use of your time and mental energy. Trust us on this.

@Senior2022, don’t stress over comparing yourself to your classmates and their acceptances. My daughter did this last year, and we had a very dramatic month because she could not go to her 1st choice school (their financial aid package was nowhere close to where we needed it to be) and all her classmates were talking about going to their 1st choice schools, most of which were top schools as well. However, when April came around and all her friends/classmates were committing, most of them did not end up going to their 1st choice school or even a top school… Just because they get in, doesn’t mean they will be able to afford to go there.