<p>Harvardbound2013,
I can assure you that you won’t get anywhere far in life after you graduate from Harvard with that attitude.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>if you place all of your self worth in academics then of course you the rejection will rattle you to the brink of near death.</p>
<p>but if you are well rounded in other areas of your life like if you are good at other things other than academics then the rejection would not rattle you so hard.</p>
<p>My son got 4 Ivy League rejections (out of 4 applied to) online last night and waitlisted to Tufts. He had kind of a similar reaction in that it is one thing to say, “I know I’m a long-shot, but I’m going to give it a shot and apply” and another to receive the notices, “Sorry… we had record numbers of applicants… many talented students… cannot offer admission.”</p>
<p>I think feeling like a failure or being depressed for a bit is okay. Generally first choice schools are ones that you visited and part of you envisionned going there. You put a lot of effort into applying to a first choice school and when you get the “Thanks, but no thanks” it’s normal to feel depressed on some level. You are mourning the loss of one dream.</p>
<p>What’s important is to remember is that you can be very happy elsewhere. </p>
<p>I know, for my son, his writing skills would make it tough for him to compete with Ivy league students. Another college may offer him greater opportunities to develop areas that he needs improving in without it crushing his undergraduate GPA. We were warned that if he wanted to go for a graduate degree, that having a so-so GPA at an Ivy League school would put him behind a top of class at the state university. Basically it’s impossible to predict all of what might have happened if you got into your top choice and what can now happen going to your second choice.</p>
<p>It’s okay to feel down. Just make sure you don’t stay down. Focus on deciding where you will go. That’s what we’re doing. He’s got a couple very nice offers and we need to learn more about each of them to choose where he DOES want to go. Then when you are decided, focus on getting the most out of it… and then yes, one day you will be able to say, “I don’t care that I didn’t get into x… because I’m really happy I went to y.”</p>
<p>Good luck! </p>
<p>p.s. The short answer is… I think initially ‘yes’ there was some feeling of being a failure.</p>
<p>Dude</p>
<p>I don’t even care about ivies.
When u start going abroad people do know what Harvard is and all and what Yale is too but as one wise doctor told me once.</p>
<p>“It’s not about where u go, it’s about who u are and how u shine at your passion. You can be a doctor who graduated from Harvard but if u have a mediocre attitude, no passion, and think you’re “all that” then u will never succeed in this field. On the other hand, u can be someone who graduated from their state school, got into a small med school but if u have amazing attitude, passion, your vocation will shine and people will rather go to u than the Harvard grad”</p>
<p>I applied to 12 schools—3 state and 9 Ivy all over the country–for which I was at the 50% level or better based on CollegeBoard info. I was denied at 9–receiving 5 of the denials in one afternoon. I had a good resume of participation, and I even hired a writing coach who works with kids applications to guide me on the essays, and tailored them to each school (I scored well on the writing section of the ACT and SAT, so it’s not as if I am terrible at it…) I really can’t figure it out, unless my scores at 30 ACT and a GPA from a top HS of 3.75 just fell short of this tier. I did apply for financial aid—my parents thought we should try even though in the end I didn’t qualify and I wonder if that hurt me…many articles now saying with the economy there were so many financial aid considerations. My mom feels awful because she tried to help me and feels like she failed too. My options include UCSB (OOS), a Big Ten honors program, and ASU with a scholarship–hopefully Barrett Honors but I don’t know yet.<br>
None of these really has the small college atmosphere that I know I’d do best at, but maybe it will be ok within a smaller major department or the honors program. </p>
<p>I know it’s more important WHAT you do at college than where you do it, but I wish could find out what it was about my app that didn’t work. All the schools say there is no recourse or appeal, and they can’t give specifics.</p>
<p>Freshapp: I am so sorry for you. </p>
<p>I, too, applied to many schools and was surprised to get into so few. I was waitlisted at 6(including 2 ivies), rejected at 4 (including 2 ivies), and accepted at 3 (small LACs). Most of the schools I was waitlisted at were definitely “matches” or “safeties” for me; my application and credentials were fantastic according to my counselor/teachers/pretty much everyone - won’t go into too much detail here because this isn’t about my stats anymore…it’s about a “what the heck?!” situation. </p>
<p>everything you are saying about financial aid, the way you feel, the way your mom feels…really resonates with me. </p>
<p>Personally I was tempted to call up some of these schools and demand to ask how they evaluated my application (at least at the places I was waitlisted, not rejected, perhaps they would be willing to discuss my app) because something must have stuck out or looked “wrong” in order for things to turn out this way. </p>
<p>But I think the smart thing to do is let it go, and make the best of the options we do have. It sounds like you are moving in this direction. </p>
<p>You are right that WHAT you do in college is more important than WHERE you go to college… but I wasn’t planning on being a superstar in college like I was in high school, ya know? I have worked so hard in hs to be at the top of everything and it would be nice to relax a bit in college rather than trying to excel just so I can go to a good grad school. Oh, well. </p>
<p>and sorry for this long post, but it ended up being kinda therapeutic for me 
really just wanted to express my condolences and let you know that you’re not alone.</p>
<p>I rejected from my top choice early admission, which sucked soooooooo much.</p>
<p>And i didnt get into any of my private school either, which was probably because i completely bs’ed their applications because I was still so upset over getting rejected.:-(</p>
<p>I’m going to UCBerkeley now, which I’m not excited for. like at all. so I think that’s a bad thing.</p>
<p>And im already planning on going to graduate school to Columbia, even though they rejected me.
So like already I’m pressuring myself on getting the perfect GPA and perfect LSATs, and doing stuff for clubs, etc.</p>
<p>I dunno, I so wish I’d gotten in where I wanted, and I’m so not enjoying what’s to come.</p>
<p>I got into my first choice but couldn’t afford it. -_-… I don’t know what worse.</p>
<p>Well, I got acceptance letters from everyone BUT my top by march 17. I got in everywhere, and had early writes from two schools. So I completely thought I would get in to my last choice! I was wrong; I was waitlisted. I kind of flipped out. I was sick, and so getting waitlisted just made it worse. However, the next day I realized that I had gotten into amazing schools and I should be okay with wherever I ended up. </p>
<p>Oh well, right?</p>
<p>this thread really consoled me alot lol
despite the fact that i haven’t even applied to anywhere… 
My dream school is USC and i’m 110% i’ll get rejected but i’m gonna pply anyways because… who knows? lol
my parents should REALLY read this. danged asian parents =.=;;</p>
<p>haha what did i feel after getting rejected from my top-choice schools (USC, NYU)?</p>
<p>I felt bad for the school. losing out on an opportunity to have such a bright, promising student like me. Just wait 10 years and we’ll see if they regret it.</p>
<p>Im not being arrogant or sarcastic. Its the honest truth.</p>