@MYOS1634 I did apply to Hamilton, but they’re rate of acceptance is even lower than Colgate. I’ll keep all the gap year tips in mind, currently writing some possible plans down.
@undercoverhail I have a cousin who very much wanted to go to Wesleyan. He ended up at Ithaca and absolutely loves it. You aren’t going to be visiting your parents every week in college (and certainly shouldn’t be). Seriously consider Ithaca if the others don’t work out. Good luck - you are not alone - most students are dealing with the same issues that you are.
There’s nothing to feel bad about. What you’re seeing is a record breaking year of students applying to college. Ivy league standards 20 years ago are he new normal today.
I will give you two pieces of advice I rarely give. You can take it or leave it but the situations that require these two advice have come up again and again. First, wait till all facts are in before you start to worry. Often, we humans are conditioned to worry before all facts are in. Therefore wait for all results to come in before you start wasting your energy. This is something you have to be able to control if you don’t want to self destruct. People self destruct not because of bad happenings but because they create more problems by over-reacting and going bonkers when faced with problems.
Second, having one decent option is just as good as having 4 options. In fact, often it’s worse. Do not envy people who have 4 choices of wonderful men or women as their boyfriends or spouses. Also, it ain’t over till fat lady sings. Let facts come in and still your heart. If you cannot do this on your own, go to church and pray. I say this even though I am an agnostic.
This is not easy to do but sooner you learn and discipline yourself to be able to do this, better chance you will have to succeed in any endeavor.
You can pay a lot of money to learn how to succeed but these are free lessons I am giving you.
@stemmmm I want to go to Ithaca much more than any of my other schools but I’m not sure if I’ll end up being able to afford it.
@coolguy40 thank you c:
@websensation I’ll try not to freak out anymore, but as my choices lessen, the harder it gets.
Any other news?
Have you been able to arrange for overnight visits to Ithaca and Wheaton?
Willing to throw in a couple more apps?
What about the NACAC list, will you consider that if the college where you deposit ultimately doesn’t work?
I feel you. I applied to 20 colleges with 99th percentile sat scores and top 10 percentile in my class of 500 and have been rejected from 8 and waitlisted from 2. No acceptances unless you count Wheaton ma but its not giving me enough aid.I worked five years towards this goal and at this point i’d be grateful for any college which gave me enough aid. Plus I’ve heard the student population in ithaca is very happy with their lives so I’d recommend that out of all your acceptances
You can feel like a Greek hero going to Ithaca to fight Cornellians.
“It doesn’t matter where you go. It matters what you do when you get there” 
In the 21st century, it really DOESN’T matter. Just because it’s selective, doesn’t make it a better school. Quite the opposite. As we’ve had record numbers of students applying to college, admission slots have stayed stagnant with these schools. It actually makes the school look better by taking only the “brightest” and “best” students, which leads to more research grants. In reality they’re getting paid money for doing literally nothing. The result is actually these schools turning mediocre.
In fact, the real growth and innovation have been the regional universities. They’re the ones who have been more than happy to expand their capacity to take these students. UTSA, for instance, which was a no-name commuter school 15 years ago has doubled in size because UT-Austin is only 75 miles away. As UT became more snobbish, students have flocked to the “little brother” college and turned it into a powerhouse.
As the economy grows, higher paying jobs are more locally accessible. The regional universities respond by tailoring their degree programs to the needs of employers in the area. Since nearly three quarters of jobs are provided by smaller to medium size companies, it’s a lot more cost effective and less risky to hire talent locally than recruit them out of state.
It think it’d be great to have a thread titled ‘whzt is your regional university known for’ - UTSA is known for cybersecurity, for instance. No flagships allowed. 
Rejection stings and it’s hard to not take personality. Remember, a GREAT baseball player has a .300 batting average. That still means he fails 70% of the time!! I’m confident you’ll find your spot, hang in there!!
@Suphi30 I got into Wheaton too and can’t afford it. I’m sorry that the college admissions process has been so rough to you as well. Your credentials are a lot better than mine.
@websensation hahahaha
@kat906 thank you for the wise words
@coolguy40 I’ve been more worried about the connections a really good school can give me and how good it would look on my resumes… sounds snobbish, but I knew it would be helpful
99.5% of the workforce run the American economy without ever seeing an ivy league. This includes moderate to high paying jobs. Elite colleges have connections to a few Fortune 500 companies, or Wall Street firms. They only represent 7% of the jobs anyway, and speaking from experience, they’re just another entry level job. Nearly 3/4 of the jobs in the country are from small to medium size companies. Those companies typically recruit locally and regionally because it’s more cost effective that way. That’s where you’re going to find connections.
Maine is wonderful. Don’t stick your nose up! Consider UNE or St. Joseph or some of the other schools in Maine. The United of Southern Maine provides a really good education if you put in the time. USM offers many opportunities like nice size with one campus by the water and the other in pretty Gorham. Was faculty there for a decade, It seemed to me to be a hidden jewel despite it lack of a fancy reputation. Of, Portland kept roads even side streets nicely plowed.
Rejected everywhere but my 2 safeties (still one to hear back from) I know this year was really competitive but I still feel terrible. Looks like I’ll be going to university of victoria. I just want to share with everyone else that we should not feel so much shame and pressure for not getting into a competitive school