<p>So decisions are approaching, and I'm scared.</p>
<p>According to statistics, I'm the kid nobody wants to admit. I had to apply as an international student even though I live in the United States because I'm not a citizen; I'm applying for financial aid, which shouldn't matter but means everything since I'm an international<a href="used%20as%20a%20noun,%20like%20%5Bi%5Dan%20untouchable%5B/i%5D">/i</a>; I'm white, female, not an athlete, intelligent but not particularly impressive, and only a legacy at schools in Europe where it doesn't matter. Right now it seems as if everyone in my grade has been accepted *somewhere, either early or rolling; I only applied to RD schools and haven't received any likely letters from the ones that send them (and I know most accepted students don't, but it still makes me feel as if they weren't at all impressed by my application, which is never a good sign).</p>
<p>I realize I'm being neurotic, but I'm honestly worried about not being accepted to any of the colleges I applied to. My family is moving back to Europe this summer, and if I don't get into college, my visa will expire and I'll have to go with them. I moved to the United States after elementary school never having spent more than two years at a single school or four years in a single country... to me, this is home, and I don't want to leave, but I'm so afraid I'll have to.</p>
<p>I don't really care if anyone responds to this or not considering I'm mostly venting, but can anyone relate at all?</p>
<p>Yeah I've felt this way but I don't have any special circumstances like you do for it. I'm sure deep down inside everybody has a voice whispering "what if this" or "what if that". But speculation won't help you and will only serve to torture you as you continue to wait. It's hard to not become fixated on the college admissions game especially when everyone around you is, but it's important to tune it out as best as possible. Read whatever book you've put off, dust off your instrument and play some tunes, learn that hobby you've always wanted to try, etc. Just relax and take things as they come. </p>
<p>You might think I'm being pretentious being that I'm not in the same situation as you, and I agree I might be as I have no idea what it's like to be you. But I do know that there's no use in worrying over what's no longer in your power.</p>
<p>In other words: yeah everyone feels this way. Just chill.</p>
<p>There are much worse reasons for colleges not to admit you besides being an international student. I've had to deal with these stigmas (real or perceived) my senior year in high school, and now I'm dealing with it again in transfer admissions. So, you are fine. Everyone worries about this. You will always have other options. ex. if you really do have to move back to Europe this summer, you can take a gap year there and reapply.</p>
<p>There is a warped perspective on these threads that everyone is getting likely letters. The reality is that a very very very tiny percentage, somewhere in the vicinity of 5% of those who are accepted who are non athletes are getting them to schools like Harvard and Yale ect. Even at schools like Duke, if you look through the threads you will see that many of them went to minorities who were invited for particular weekends. Other than under represented minorities,the likely letters typically go to the top of the top of the top of the accepted applicants. Everyone here on cc just wants to be accepted. We dont need to be the top of the top of the top of the accepted pool.
It is normal to worry about not getting in anywhere especially when you go to a school where many already know where they are going. A lot however depends on the school you go to. If you go to a school where many dont reach for the top tier schools, then yes, many got into their schools early action or rolling, and a few got into their top tier early choices. If however you go to a school where many applied to the ivy league and top tier, then half the class could be waiting until the spring.
Most who applied to top tier schools like HYP could not apply as you know to an early action school so if they did not apply rolling to somewhere like Michigan, and they did not get into their SCEA or ED choice, they are all in the same boat.
The reality is that if you are a strong candidate, and you apply to many ivy league and top tier schools, you should get into at least one or two of them. It is a crap shoot but the odds are that you will have one or two good choices.
What is scary is that for each of these schools one is competing with 20,000 applicants for about 1400 so or less of the spaces now that early applicants have already been accepted. It does seem impossible. However of those 20,000 applicants, 10,000 of them will not be contenders. They will be either appilcants who did not have the qualifications but threw in the application just to see as it was a common application, did not complete their application, or submitted a sloppy application ect. That leaves about 10,000 applicants competing for the 1,400 or so spots. Of that number, about 5,000 of them will have extremely high SAT scores and grades but perhaps no extra curricular involvement and unless they are under represented minorities or from geographic areas like North Dakota, will not stand out in the crowd. At schools like HYP having high scores and grades are not enough. So of the perhaps 6,000 who will remain including under represented minorities, about 1,400 will be selected. So if you can stand out in the group you have a chance.
The reality is that there is often no rhyme or reason why one ivy league school will take one applicant but not another. I have looked over the threads on cc where graduating seniors post where they were accepted and it is very interesting. I have seen applicants who were deferred from Yale early get accepted at Harvard and Princeton regular decision. I have seen applicants get accepted to Harvard but not Columbia. Yale but not Princeton. Princeton but not Cornell. These schools have so many applicants that they cannot take every compelling candidate, but at least one of them should take you.
Hopefully you have a long college list that includes many schools that are in the top tier you are hoping to attend</p>
<p>I am like you: International applying for aid to highly selective RD colleges. On top of that i have low ACT and low grades, so i am a sure reject at all the places. Honestly, i am not even thinking about being accepted any where. I'll have to go to a third grade Indian college if i got rejected and end up handling your calls as an Call center operator(Outsourcing jobs suck, in case you don't know)</p>
<p>Nonetheless, i am happy that i applied to the best universities in the world. I learned a lot during past 4 years and i am truly satisfied with it. I learnt how to write essays, I read great books in order to write great Essays(which would be impossible if i hadn't applied), I enjoyed the ECs i did(which again, would have been impossible if i hadn't applied).</p>
<p>Even if i don't get into the colleges i wouldn't be much disappointed, I will make my way on my own.</p>
<p>I would say that don't worry much. Most of the people(including me) on this board think that you have great chances of getting in.
Best of Luck</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied, and I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I was accepted to Bryn Mawr today :), so I suppose that means I was worrying unnecessarily... but at the same time, this can serve as a reminder to everyone of the importance of having a good safety school to fall back on. I didn't, and even though I thought I'd be able to deal with it, the uncertainty was a bit too much to handle. :eek:</p>
<p>I applied to my trusty state school -- got in, and happy I applied. Besides, I'm getting all these gifts from them (well, one) trying to get me to deposit.</p>
<p>Haha - thanks. Though I really wasn't too excited about applying to my state school, I am really glad I did, and I highly recommend that other prospectives apply to their state school as well. The very few dollars you spend for the peace of mind is very much worth it.</p>