<p>OH my god! I totally feel the same way! I feel sssooo awkward telling ppl I'm applying to Harvard. It's like they expect me to be perfect in every aspect. I get the exact same reactions as you do...as if we didn't know that's a really hard school to get into! And then they're like "oh...well how are you gonna pay for it...harvard is really expensive." Of course even after explaining to them how good Harvard's FA program is..they still insist they know more about the school than I do...or the Dean of FA for that matter.</p>
<p>It really ticks me off, but anyways...you're not alone! I live in New Mexico...everyone here goes to UNM..sooo...haha.</p>
<p>I didn't go to St. Grottlesex, and I had no problem telling people my reach schools. I thought that being coy about where I was applying would come off as even more smug and arrogant than just laying all my cards on the table. Also, it's going to be even more awkward if you get into Harvard or Princeton, and when you tell people that's where you're going, they say something like "Why didn't you tell me you applied there?". Get used to it now, and remember that, honestly, your college list really isn't all that important to the people you're worried about offending.</p>
<p>I applied to eight schools and it's a chore to list them all. Whenever people ask me where I apply, I simply state, "Harvard, Stanford, USC, Yale, and Berkeley." Sometimes when I don't say Berkeley, they look at me funny, as most of the people that I go to school with apply only to UCs or think of Berkeley and LA as impossible to get into and the Ivies and Stanford as even more impossible.</p>
<p>i haven't officially gotten in(i got a likely letter), but it was really weird at first telling people that i'm going to harvard next year. even though we don't rank, i KNOW i'm not in the top 10% at my school. having people that are probably smarter than me look at me like 'YOU'RE going to harvard?' kinda puts a target on your back - especially when some of those people have already been deferred/rejected from Yale and will probably get rejected/waitlisted at harvard. it was really annoying at first. if i said something stupid, i'd get the "how did you get into harvard?" comment. i did dumb stuff before i got into harvard, and i still do dumb stuff. it's kinda slowed down now though. if you get in, be ready for that.</p>
<p>yeah... it is satisfying for the time being.... but I regret telling some people because in the next few months, I know they'll be asking if I got accepted yet... which there's a huge, huge chance I won't</p>
<p>I know exactly what you mean! I always leave it out of the list of colleges that I tell people I've applied to. I've even tried not to mention it to my counselors, which of course is impossible because they have to send in my transcripts, recs, etc. Now Harvard just lost my teacher recs and it's really awkward because I don't want to ask my counselors to resend them only to get a glare that says, "Well, why are you even applying?"</p>
<p>I too have a hard time explaining my college choices. I was accepted to Stanford EA as a recruit, but I'm also being recruited by Harvard. So I tell people I got into Stanford, and am waiting to hear from a few places back east. It feels awkward for some reason to say "I got into Stanford, and I'm also being recruited by Harvard, oh, and I applied to Yale too." Mostly I think I'll wait to see where I get in and then explain the situation.</p>
<p>I think I made a mistake in telling people I applied. Now, when new acquaintances ask me where I've applied I just name the in state schools. The response I get if I say "Harvard" is "Oh wow, that is impressive! Do you think you'll get in?" LOL if I knew I wouldn't be as worried as I am now! I also do think a lot of people at school either think I will get in or think of me as a better-than-you type because they know I've applied there. Usually it's all i n good jest though, so I'm cool with it. I always always always tell people "I probably won't get in so I'm not keeping my hopes up." :]</p>
<p>When people ask, I say "I'm probably going to U of M." I don't live in a rich area, and most people assume that I might go somewhere else if I got a really good scholarship. They have no idea that 'probably' basically means if I don't go to Harvard/Yale/NU.
I have only told my very best friends that I applied to H/Y.</p>
<p>I get the weird looks about Northwestern too. Nobody knows how great of a school it is.</p>
<p>When you tell people you're applying to a place like Harvard, infuriatingly, many will say: "Oh, you're a shoe-in" just because they're completely ignorant as to how incredibly lottery-like the whole process is. When I am told something of the sort, I'll refute, saying my chances are virtually microscopic despite my fair credentials. But do they understand? No..
I'm probably one of the only people in my small school even remotely informed about all the competition. (I tell you, joining CC has opened my eyes. I know that the pool is not average, but still.) </p>
<p>So in short, no.
I try to avoid advertising my reachy schools.. for emotional security, really. You can't go around babbling about a school and forming an unhealthy premature attachment to it, or you run the risk of a harder fall. But maybe that's just me being neurotic.</p>
<p>Right, so I mentioned that I'm applying to Harvard and Princeton to my headmaster a while ago, and now just about everyone in the school now knows that fact. And he happened to mention that I'd been offered admission already...so yeah...just a bit of pressure to make it a reality eh? Just a bit. Not too much. You know, it's not as if it's impossible to get in, right?</p>
<p>As a mother of Jr.s- I was one of those horrible people who asked all the time!
If only I knew. So forgive the parents who have younger kids because we just didn't know!!! However, now that we are all the more wise- it is seen as completely taboo to ask. Only the most arrogant will reply with Ivy type schools. We have 3 state schools that are fabulous, and 1 that is a top public so most of the kids want to go there and when asked my kids always say "we're definately applying to state u". But- even friends don't really talk about it- it's a competitive school, but small and everyone just stays pretty mum about it. Too bad it can't be exciting instead of soo stressful!!! I do feel for you guys!! And believe me...I KNOW NOW.... never where...just how is it going?</p>
<p>I hate when people ask me where I'm applying and they've never heard of the schools or get them confused. None of my relatives had heard of Williams and when I mention Amherst people say, "Oh, my sister goes to Umass, maybe you'll see her there."</p>