Dealing with Rejection Letters?

Applying to College
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<p>@thebanker: I agree!! How hard do you think UPenn is going to be?
Do you reccomend doing ED at UPenn (14%-15% acceptance rate…should have a fair chance, right? I heard its like 33% for ED), wait for their response, and then revamp my app if need be BEFORE I apply Regular freshman at the other places?</p>

<p>Incase you’re all curious ( :smiley: ):
Columbia, Harvard, UPenn-Wharton, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, NYU-Stern, MIT, Cornell, University of Toronto, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, Dartmouth, UChicago, University of Virginia-McIntire</p>

<p>So theres actually 4 places that I have to send completely different apps to (MIT, UToronto, Berkeley, UCLA…right?) :D</p>

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<p>konig, I’m not sure if you took our advice about adding some targets and safeties to your list (and hopefully subtracting a couple reaches as well).
Please take this advice. We understand that you want to aim high, but you also don’t want to be ashamed of the entire college process when you receive the letters in the mail.</p>

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<p>@Annikasorrensen:
1)My grades for 9th and 10th are percentage marks. The school Im currently attending is a GPA/percent mark structure, currently 4/4. Spoke with the counselor and he said they will adjust it (???) when they calculate my average</p>

<p>2)No honors at this school, no weighted marks, no APs
3)coming in 2 days, my first sitting. If I didnt do so well (below 2100) I have one final chance to do it in November in time for UPenn ED.
4) International (Saudi Arabia)</p>

<p>@Schee410 & TheQueen: Sorry, haha I had an English final the next morning and all of this admissions talk was buzzing in my head!
Columbia, Harvard, UPenn-Wharton, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, NYU-Stern, MIT, Cornell, University of Toronto, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, Dartmouth, UChicago, University of Virginia-McIntire</p>

<p>I understand your advice and am really thankful for everyone of you who contributed their wisdom and experience, I really am. I need to speak with the counselor regarding my CGPA and how it’ll be calculated, SATs are coming in 2 days. I’ll reappear once more in 2 days and then maybe we can discuss my list of safeties, matches, and reaches?</p>

<p>A close family friend is a Harvard PhD law grad…loves my achievements and always thinks “youre gonna be something big one day”(lol irrelevant) haha I love that guy!..can he put in a word for me or am I just dreaming too much?</p>

<p>@mom4: One man’s burden is another’s dream!!</p>

<p>@herecomesthesun: The only Ivies I REALLY REALLY want to go to are UPenn, Yale, Columbia, and the H-bomb. Yes I know this list may sound slightly unrealistic especially if you bring up acceptance rates, but im trying to cast a pretty damn big net…I calculated the average app fee…yes, it might be costly (and most likely not worth all the rejections :S)</p>

<p>@Bluewatermelon: are you kidding me? I have nightmares about thin envelopes in the mail…sheesh! so yes, I am constantly considering my chances of rejection and even thinking of not applying at all the the tippy top(well…maybe one to just see) why would I waste all the money?? the only ivy im seriously considering is UPenn (the others I want to attend…but not as much as UPenn…but chances are against me for them)…even then with a bit of doubt (ED of course)</p>

<p>@Mommusic: There have never been any APs at any of the schools that I ever attended for HS. I took the only available Honors class at my Senior highschool(was in alberta for 9 and 10, 9 is still junior high), preadmitted due to my high grade 9 science grade, into science 10 honours. They let me into grade 11 chemistry the next semester. so yes, i am challenging myself, and I dont think it is my fault at all if the schools that I attended don’t have such luxuries (even though Im paying through the nose right now!! approx. $20k USD, it isnt a lot for a private school, but it is a lot for one with no AP or honors courses). The only school in my city right now that has APs is exclusively for foreigners!</p>

<p>Im also seeing a lot of posters talking about the atmosphere and community there. How can I research it and know more about it? I only know 2 people that went to the above dream list, one is a geology phd student at MIT and one was the harvard law phd grad i mentioned above. Not very applicable information for the undergrad community. how can I know more?? I cant visit their campuses, dont have time this summer. I also dont think its worth travelling all the way there unless I have 5 or 6 acceptances and need to make a decision with viewable factors.</p>

<p>Any clue about the university of Toronto?</p>

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<p>just a general reminder incase it isnt clear above:
I took the hardest classes offered to me (grade 10. Grade 9 everybody was forced to take the same core courses {math,science,english,social,phys.ed} and choose 2 electives. In my current school, I dont have the option of choosing my own courses. Its a fixed schedule, like elementary!</p>

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<p>If you did your list properly, a rejection from a top school shouldn’t hurt because the list should almost guarantee that you do get into a college that you will love to attend.</p>

<p>I applied to six colleges (MIT, UC Berkeley, CalTech, Harvard, UCLA, and Colorado School of Mines) and got into three (UC Berkeley, UCLA, Colorado School of Mines). I was going to apply to two other safeties (namely, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine), but was accepted into CSM on rolling admissions before any my regular decision apps were due. As you can see, I had a very wide range of different-caliber schools. However, note moreso that especially with the safeties, they were all schools that I’d be happy at. Namely, CSM was my dream college that I thought I couldn’t get into before I strongly raised my ambitions circa sophomore year of high school.</p>

<p>Let’s just say, when I received my three rejection letters, they didn’t really hurt. Reading MIT’s rejection letter felt like what you’d feel like when you realize that you’re not a billionaire, but “just” a multi-millionaire. CalTech’s rejection letter mainly offended me, but that’s due to their rather untactful envelope selection in having one that said “There’s Only One CalTech.” As for Harvard, I applied only at my parent’s insistence and the rejection was expected ever since I hit that submit button with no enthusiasm.</p>

<p>The idea is - be realistic, man up, and fbe a bit more confident about yourself. There’s going to be a lot of tough things in life, and you shouldn’t take them personally. I currently make money on the side as a freelance web developer, and when I have to search for projects, bid acceptance rates are <10%. Some people don’t understand how I could emotionally handle it, as even 50% sounds bad, but there are just some things where the numbers work like that, and once you get past looking at rejections and focus on the acceptances instead, everything is dandy. :)</p>

46

<p>I applied to 5 schools - 2 matches (Brandeis, McGill), a sort-of-reach (UVA) and 2 reaches (Harvard and Columbia)</p>

<p>When I got into McGill (rolling admissions) I was SO EXCITED by the prospect of actually being able to go to college, even though it wasn’t my first choice school.</p>

<p>When I got into Brandeis, I was SO STOKED about going there</p>

<p>When I got into UVA, I was THRILLED because it was basically my 1st choice</p>

<p>When I got rejected from Harvard and Columbia, I was SO HAPPY because it meant I got to go to UVA, a school that I loved</p>

<p>The trick, IMO, is to apply to schools which you would LOVE to attend, so that when you get rejected from some (which probably will happen), you are actually pleased and relieved, because you get to go to that other amazing school.</p>

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<p>No, you can’t appeal. You deal with it by not thinking about rejections.</p>

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</p>

<p>Dude, Konig, that is NOT the end of it. Most top schools using the common app require a SUPPLEMENTAL application, online, that requires a separate essay. 16 schools probably means at least 12 different essays! A few schools might not require their own essay (in addition to the common app essay) or might ask a general question that can be duplicated for another school. But the top schools will ask a separate, very specific Supplemental essay question.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and filling out a common app doesn’t mean you pay one application fee to cover all the common app schools. You have to pony up $50 - $70 PER SCHOOL.</p>

49

<p>And no, your friend who is a Harvard PhD law grad can’t put in a good word for you! Everybody knows “somebody” and even professors or members of the Board of Trustees can’t tell the admissions committee what to do.</p>

50

<p>you see ladies and gentlemen, I live in a part of the world where the name is everything. If I got Harvard on my resume and ONE connection, I could land a manager-level job at a bank straight outta college. Thats why Im going hysterical over this… nevermind the pressure Im getting from my parents, especially my father.</p>

<p>He was ranked the 3rd best student in the entire province (most populated), according to the Ministry of Ed. . He applied to all the Ivies, MIT, and a bunch of others…they all accepted him. Yet his father wouldn’t let him go since he didn’t want to “endanger” his son’s life by sending him out.</p>

<p>Im getting the reverse end of a whiplash effect…Im being annoyed to study abroad (not that I want to) ! </p>

<p>just sharing a little piece of how life can be cruelly Ironic…you have all acceptances…your dad has the money…but you aren’t going… <em>sigh</em></p>

<p>@Plainsman: Thats exactly what Im considering…all the time spent writing so many additional essays to places that I might not get into :S and yes, it comes to about 850-950 if you factor in the Courriers for the Sec. School Reports! a tad bit too much for a bunch of reach schools, right?</p>

<p>@mommusic: I see. And if I, by a stroke of luck, happen to be selected for an interview…and he shows up… :smiley: how much weight do they put on such Alumni interviews?</p>

51

<p>One thing I think is important for all seniors to understand about admissions is that many qualified students are not accepted into top schools because they can only take so many applicants a year. In other words, if you receive a rejection, don’t let it think less of yourself. If a school is truly a reach, well you tried and you should be proud of yourself for trying. If the school feels like a match and you are not accepted understand that there are probably many applicants as qualified as you are who were not accepted. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

52

<p>It’s very possible to be an outstanding student and to be rejected by all of the top schools that you apply to. The competition to get into top schools in the U.S. is fierce. It’s even harder for international students who apply here than for U.S. students. </p>

<p>If you apply only to reach schools, it’s highly likely that even if you apply to dozens, you will get only rejections. If that happens, you still can have a good and successful life. </p>

<p>Not all stellar athletes make the Olympics. Not all stellar academic performers can get into places like Ivies. That doesn’t mean their lives are ruined.</p>

<p>Check out this thread about a stellar student who applied to only reaches and was rejected everywhere:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/47867-were-picking-up-pieces-but-what-went-wrong.html?highlight=picking+pieces[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/47867-were-picking-up-pieces-but-what-went-wrong.html?highlight=picking+pieces&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And no, you can’t appeal. The top schools reject many outstanding students. What the top schools are doing via admissions is creating an active, well rounded class with “well rounded” referring to students from a variety of countries, religions, ethnicities and academic and extracurricular interests. Doing that means that the school will reject many outstanding applicants. Admissions to top schools here isn’t a matter of picking those who have the best test scores, but of selecting those who will create the most vibrant student body. </p>

<p>For the very top schools, the great majority of applicants would have the ability to graduate from the college if admitted. Most applicants have high test scores and grades. The admissions officers select from that pool of outstanding applicants those who’ll contribute to creating a diverse, active, well rounded student body.</p>

<p>Consequently, in most cases, getting rejected by such a school does not one lacked the academic qualifications. Instead of selecting you, the admissions officers may have selected someone who seemed headed to major in an underserved academic area or who came from a part of the world that had little representation at the college.</p>

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<p>The attitude that we’ve taken with both of our Daughters is that they’ll get accepted by schools they belong at. I’ve seen students at our school do everything in the world to better their chances of being accepted at a certain school only to really struggle when they get there. If you are sitting in classes where the average students SAT is 150-200 pts higher than yours & most professors teach to the norm, you are going to struggle. My youngest is applying Ed decision at Cornell. I’d love for her to get in but at the same time must keep telling myself that I must have faith that if she doesn’t, it means that she would have been in over her head there.</p>

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<p>Agree. EC’s are only important if </p>

<p>1) You do something that will bring money/prestige to a university (i.e. sports)
2) They show an underlying ambition in an area.</p>

<p>Colleges are aware that most people pad their applications with activities that they have no interest in continuing when they are accepted to college.</p>

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<p>" if you, say, have a 4.0 cumulative and a 2300 SAT and no ECs, you will likely get in over someone with a bunch of ECs and a 3.6 and a 2100, unless that person is a major award winner or a recruited athlete or a desired minority."</p>

<p>When it comes to the very top colleges, someone whose application reflects only that they “have a 4.0 cumulative and a 2300 SAT and no ECs” isn’t likely to get in. Period. The top colleges have plenty of applicants who have more to offer</p>

<p>Those include people with “a bunch of ECs and a 3.6 and a 2100” who also are: from underrepresented regions of the U.S. and the world; have overcome major challenges; appear headed for a major or career that attracts few students; are members of an unusual religion; are likely (as reflected by their actions in high school) to participate in clubs, sports, etc. that have difficulty attracting students on campus, etc.</p>

<p>It’s very easy for top colleges to find applicants with sky high stats. It’s much more difficult for top colleges to find students who’ll major in the humanities, music or will participate on the school’s football team (most stellar football players lack the stats for top colleges and would prefer to go to a sports-oriented school) or who are aspiring school teachers, ministers or social workers.</p>

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<p><em>sigh</em>…no love for a muslim saudi Econ major-to-be? :S never knew there were this many factors! man oh man!</p>

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<p>“muslim saudi Econ major-to-be”</p>

<p>There are an overabundance of economics majors at top colleges. I suspect that due to there are an overabundance of Muslim Saudis who apply to top colleges here, too.</p>

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<p>If you were a non-Muslim Saudi, then you would be very rare. :slight_smile:
See how silly this starts to get?</p>

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<p>I would not completely rule out appealing IF there is something outstanding that recently happened or that you did not include in your original app for some reason.</p>

<p>A friend of mine with excellent stats was rejected from UCLA as a dance major (in-state school for us) and heartbroken. However, she appealed and they told her that there was nothing wrong with her application, just that they simply had too many qualified applicants. She then went to the dance administrator and they reviewed her audition (or she auditioned again, or something of that sort, I cannot remember exactly, as she had a broken ankle at the first round of the auditions) and she was accepted to UCLA on appeal and will be attending this fall.</p>

<p>It all seems very ambiguous, but I guess in rare cases, appeals can go through and perserverance pays off.</p>

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<p>The best way to deal with rejection is to take advice from those who’ve gone through the process: YOU WILL BE FINE.</p>

<p>As long as you apply to schools you’ll enjoy being at, and you get into at least one – regardless of whether or not it’s a reach or a match – you’ll be happy. If you’re a smart student who just got shafted in the crapshoot of college admissions, don’t despair: You’ll still be ahead of the game when you graduate.</p>

<p>This may all sound like BS (and, believe me, I felt the same way when I was a prefrosh), but what I am saying is totally true and I guarantee you that others my age will agree with me.</p>