It’s surprising how much of a good place you don’t realize you’re in, especially with the UVA acceptance. I know kids who were accepted to MIT, UChicago, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Middlebury, Duke, UPenn (just to name a few of my close friends here) and chose UVA – some of them were in-state, and the choice was obvious, given the cost, but others were out of state. UVA is one of the top institutions in the country, and has some aspects that many of your other schools don’t have: top-notch research facilities and professors, but also an amazing college town, sports scene, beautiful campus and rich tradition and a thriving social life that’s large enough to be diverse and include people who go out five times a week and people who don’t drink, but also not be so overwhelming as a large school like OSU.
Your other choices are stellar as well. It sounds like you’re getting down on UVA because, as an in-state student, many people from your high school probably go there. Know that OOS students would KILL to be in your shoes, even if it meant pay OOS tuition (and many in-state students as well) – hell, I know people who got into Ivies but denied by UVA – because UVA offers not just an top-tier education, but embodies the college experience in every sense of the word. You’re lucky that you got that offer, and that you get to pay it at in-state price.
Looking back at your original list, I would say, of the places that waitlisted you, only Williams is clearly above the places that accepted you. Most of the schools that rejected you are a reach for almost everyone – a real lottery shot. For instance, Kenyon has been trendy recently, but if you go back not too far, it had test scores far below those of W&M and UVA. And its endowment is a tenth that of the University of Richmond, a school that is only slightly larger. I’m not denigrating Kenyon, I’m just saying this because the grass does appear greener on the other side sometimes.
Congratulations! I haven’t read every post in this thread yet, but wanted to add for future readers that it sounds as if you did EXACTLY the right thing and built a list with a solid range that left you, at the end, with four excellent choices. THAT is the goal and you did it! I hear great stuff about U of Richmond – enjoy!
We were just talking in our home about how the common ap has made it more difficult to get into college. Back in the day, we had to actually fill out applications by hand, write a check, mail them and all in all it was a very cumbersome process. Now people can just hit “click” and the application is off and credit card charged. This has created a huge amount of applicants for all schools. So, something that made it easier for students to apply, has also made it more difficult to get in by increasing competition. We also live in a time where diversity is the buzz word of the day and schools are looking to diversify. You are white and didn’t really bring anything to the table to check off that box for them. Not right for sure.
I think you are very justified in your feelings and hope that you will continue to be proud of everything you’ve accomplished. I think the take away from this is that students must make sure they are doing what they want because they love it. They must live in the moment achieving for the right now and not what college admission it might bring them.
I agree with some of the previous posters who said to let yourself grieve. Definitely an important part of your process. I don’t know if you are a person of faith but I happen to believe that the right thing has worked out for you and will. Have faith that where you are headed is the perfect fit for you and that this is going to put the right people in your life both personally and professionally.