Don't be worried.

Applying to College
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<p>While I am relatively new to this sight, I've noticed all of the "chance me" threads, or "nervous senior, what should I do" threads. I'm directing this post mainly towards people who are interested in Ivies (just to clear things up). Anyway, my cousin who I am very close with, was accepted to Princeton in the class of 2013. Basically, he talked me through college admissions and told me to tell all of my friends (I consider you all my friends:) ) that this entire process is incredibly overrated. Let's remember, that the majority of people on here are all the best of the best students across the country, to even have the interest to be on this site. The number of students that use this website in comparison to the total number of people that apply to top schools is miniscule. Yes, most people on here are tremendously intelligent with GPAs off the chart and near perfect SAT scores. However, these students are only a handful of those who will apply and be accepted to top universities. Clearly, every accepted student at Yale was not a member on CC before attending. Clearly, there are many CCers who have been accepted to Yale flaunting their perfect stats. BUT once again, there are soooo many students who have and will be accepted to these top schools that aren't top notch academic achievers, as we find most commonly on here. Don't get down on yourself if you see other's stats on here that make you feel pathetic and that you may as well go to community college. DO NOT WORRY yourself! ---</p>

<p>Back to my cousin, he applied to Princeton RD and was accepted as a poli-sci major. Well, the importance here, is that nothing about his stats was too wonderful; his GPA was a slightly below average 3.5 and SATs only a little above 2000 (2060). The majority of CCers here, from what I've seen, have stats 10x better than his, and they panic panic panic and panic about getting into their dream Ivy school. Well, don't. Again, my cousin had those mediocre stats without any "hook" or extreme situation that made him shine. He claimed his essay was pretty good, but nothing too special, along with his recommendations. Yes, the people who have the top stats will be accepted, but so will those who do not. If Ivy league schools could only fill up their classes with people with 2400s and 4.0s, the freshmen classes would shrink to almost nothing throughout the league. These schools can't rely on 2400-ers to be their only students, they need people who have the average 3.5 gpa and 2000 on the SAT. My cousin had below par stats, average essays and recs, and I suppose some good ECs. He was Class President and a top member of the debate team, but that's not the point. He was himself, he applied with the stats he had, he didn't worry about applying, he didn't stalk CC chancing himself and comparing to other applicants... He filled out the application, and did just what every other applicant does. wait... And when the news came, sure, he was thrilled as would any other accepted student, but he wasn't shocked.. He knew he did his best, and he thought that his best was enough to get him in. And so he got in. I may be making it sound too simple, but I myself have panicked and I'm only a rising junior which is why I consulted my cousin. Just take a chance to breathe, relax, and go through the motions. An application is an application, if you're meant to be a Penn grad then so be it. If not, then don't get down on yourself. Just because you have the 2400 and the 4.0, you may not be meant to be a Penn Grad. Maybe the person with the 2100 and the 3.6 gpa is the mirror image of what the Penn adcom is looking for, regardless of stats. </p>

<p>I'm sure I'll be criticized for this, but I'm just taking advice from someone who has been through the process already. My family has all been to Ivy league schools, and I'm certainly going to feel like an underachiever if I don't make it , but big deal. If it's not meant, it's not meant. Just do your thing, be the best you can be, and turn a shoulder to a bad day in school, or a poor test grade, or a low SAT result and remember that any given person can be accepted to any given school on any given day, and that's the bottom line!</p>

<p>Enjoy and Good Luck, as we all could use some! :)</p>

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<p>I hope you don’t get criticized for this; it was inspiring and I think I’ll get off CC right now and go take a walk and just enjoy the last month of summer for a bit rather than stressing.</p>

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<p>This was a rather refreshing read; not something you’d expect to see on CC everyday.</p>

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<p>Exactly! Just stop worrying about the whole process, be yourself, and do your thing. You’ll end up where you belong whether that’s Harvard or your community college. (not that there’s anything wrong with that)</p>

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<p>I encourage all to read common data sets which contain facts rather than fall into thinking anecdotal posts are helpful.</p>

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<p>^Killjoy.</p>

<p>10char</p>

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<p>Common data sets can be read hours upon hours. Big deal, if common data sets always held the same, life would be boring and nothing would ever change. Open up a little bit, and look past the numbers. It’s really refreshing, and believe me, I come from a family where nearly everyone has graduated from an Ivy League school. They would all reitterate the information in this post if they could. I’m not sure where you are (redroses) in your academic career, but rest assured that I have had numerous people who are certainly further than you tell me NOT to look at the data sets. It’s really quite simple… Just open up…</p>

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<p>good post…keeps things in perspective</p>

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<p>Thanks, that made me feel better :)</p>

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<p>I’m glad! It’s important that we remember that if data sets were all that is importants, colleges would ask only for SATs and GPA… Obviously, this not the case:)!</p>

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<p>Look, there is no point in looking at data and fretting over stats. The truth is, the only way to know if you have a chance of getting in is to apply and see if you get in. Colleges look for diversity; they don’t want a stepford community. If everyone at Harvard was perfect, noone would learn anything. People learn by interacting with people different from them. College isn’t about where you have been; it’s about where you want to go.</p>

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<p>I was a college counselor for 20 years at a variety of schools from those sending over 30percent to ivies to inner city schools. What I saw is that the facts in CDSs are the reality that plays out for most. There are few miracles in college admissions and other than at the handful of schools accepting under 15%, they are actually very predictible.</p>

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<p>^I didn’t mean to offend you. I don’t know if i did, but if i did i apologize.</p>

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<p>Congratulations!! Your cousin was in the bottom 25% of applicants for both SATs and GPA and was selected! Frankly I find it hard to believe that an unhooked applicant who can’t run the 40 in sub 5 time would be selected with those stats. It’s easy to say you have a cousin… with no verification over the internet.</p>

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<p>People with worse stats have been admitted. The admissions game is a crapshoot.</p>

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<p>I wasn’t offeded and admissions is no crapshoot at 98% of schools. Even at the few where it is, it’s a crapshoot once you have the stats or something else the college wants.</p>

<p>Some lie with their anecdotes and others forget to mention their cousin is a black quarterback from South Dakota.</p>

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<p>"Frankly I find it hard to believe that an unhooked applicant who can’t run the 40 in sub 5 time would be selected "</p>

<p>I suspect that the OP’s cousin was lying about his stats and actually had higher stats than the OP realized. Or maybe the cousin lives in an underrepresented state like Mississippi or Wyoming.</p>

<p>This makes me think the OP’s cousin also was a legacy:</p>

<p>“My family has all been to Ivy league schools, and I’m certainly going to feel like an underachiever if I don’t make it , but big deal.”</p>

<p>"Yes, most people on here are tremendously intelligent with GPAs off the chart and near perfect SAT scores. However, these students are only a handful of those who will apply and be accepted to top universities. "</p>

<p>That’s true, but the majority of people accepted to top colleges have outstanding stats and ECs.</p>

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<p>At most schools it’s not. However, very qualified students get rejected in favor of students with less impressive stats at the top schools. It may be in less qualified students favor that, as Bev Taylor put it, Harvard likes to say that they reject 1100 students with 2400’s on the SAT a year. Also, even if his anecdote lacked veracity, his message was a good one. Students have a 0% chance of being accepted if they do not apply. The stress some students (myself included) put on themselves by constantly fretting over if they are “good enough” for one academic institution or another is ridiculous. It demonstrates a real societal depravity that we judge a child’s merit based on what college he or she can get into. All college applicants bring something unique that qualifies them for a spot at any college. Too many students are afraid to tell their stories. The ones who aren’t, however, end up being the miracle students who defy the odds and get in with lower numerical stats. Even Harvard adcoms acknowledge that if it were feasible to give every child in the world a Harvard education that doing so would be the right thing to do because it is one of the best educations one can hope for. However, as a matter of business and a matter of space only the “worthy few” get in. The thing is, numbers only matter if one wants to be seen as a number and not as a person. I apologize for the fact that this post is poorly written, unwarranted, that it seems to contradict itself, and fails to address the fact that the student in the anecdote was neither a person or a number, so to speak.</p>

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<p>Leave Britney alone :)</p>

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<p>Yes, Harvard rejects many 2400/4.0 students for 2370/3.9 ones who they find more interesting.</p>