<p>Recently, a friend of mine got accepted to UCSB, UCI and UCSD... but got rejected from UCLA. He's been feeling pretty bummed because of it and I've exhausted all means (known to me) to alleviate whatever he is going through right now.</p>
<p>The whole "if I don't get into UCLA/Cal I will be a failure in life!" thing seems to have percolated into his brain DEEPLY. </p>
<p>He basically refuses to accept the truth that's right in front his eyes. So the question is simple: how do I help him break from the aura of obstinacy that he refuses to let go of? How do you guys all cope with rejection? Is it just a phase?</p>
<p>(He's an Econ major with a 3.4ish GPA but no EC's.)</p>
<p>Maybe remind him that less than one percent of the human population ever get a chance to attend post secondary education. Really. He needs to grow up and get some perspective.</p>
<p>The fact that he can lie down on a bed and get up for a clean glass of water is a luxury for many people...</p>
<p>He got into great schools. UCLA is quirky, but the chance of his getting in with that GPA was minimal, so he was not realistic to expect a better result. If he had somehow gotten in, it might have been hard to do as well as he would have liked, for purposes of getting into graduate schools or professional schools -- it is pretty cut-throat. He should start dreaming about the schools he got into. UCSB is a much more pleasant place to live and go to school and is half the size -- and is not a commuter school. It has a great faculty. And a beach. Start dreaming.</p>
<p>I have heard some stats of the applicant pool to Cal: Over 5000 applicants had perfect 2400 SATs--not all were accepted-- and 4 out of 10 applicants for 4.0 unweighted GPA were rejected....he is in with an impressive crowd of people</p>