<p>I just saw this article in my AOL news update. There's a lot of things I could say about this (why colleges are rejecting so much, and help answer why it's so hard to get in to where EVERYONE wants to go), but I thought I'd see what other CCers think:</p>
<p>[I'm not even sure this actually belongs in this particular forum, if a mod comes across it and it's not right, feel free to move it or tell me where it goes!]</p>
<p><em>bump</em> [this has got to alarm <em>somebody</em>... not me so much, I've been done with college admissions for three years now] @_@</p>
<p>this kinda makes me feel a little better, knowing that there are thousands of other people who were rejected too</p>
<p>Moral of the story is to "love thy safety". Students at our school have been shocked at the number of rejections this year. The admissions counselor at Cornell told us that 3 years ago they had 20,000 apllicants...this year it was 30,000 they only had a 19% acceptence rate. Hamilton's acceptence had an average SAT of 1,400 this year!!!!!</p>
<p>Good article, and a lesson to be learned by this year's Junior Class. Plus, another argument against proponents of the "application gluttony" theory!</p>
<p>I wasted close to $1000 on an SAT class. I'm going to my safety school.</p>
<p>What I think is more surprising at our school is how many were turned away and waitlisted at our state schools. Also, just a few even applied to some of the Ivy schools. More applied to schools further down the list and more LAC's.</p>
<p>Also, there were a great many families who have been through the process and more of them applied to the merit aid schools.</p>
<p>a77, Cheer up UMD-CP is an excellent school.</p>
<p>It's because everyones seems to apply to 20 colleges nowadays. What do you expect?</p>
<p>Those of you who were rejected: take heart, because you're definitely not alone. and it's NOT the end of the world!! It's just a circumstance of too many people applying to a few places. Branch out! There are <em>plenty</em> of good schools out there; stake out not-so-well-known-but-decent schools just like you fret about the Ivies. </p>
<p>And safties are nothing to look down upon. You go to pretty much the same classes, do the same work - you work just as hard, and you come out on top. That <em>matters</em>, no matter where you go. Though I know people who've done the $1000 test prep, a77, it's not "wasted" if you go to a safety. SAT scores matter to be accepted to honors programs and also help with getting merit funding. </p>
<p>I only applied to my VERY first choice [the reach], and 4 others - a second, third, and two "safeties". I actually ended up going to a safety, though I got accepted to all of them.
I didn't go to my reach mostly for financial reasons - and I am <em>so</em> glad I didn't. Not that I hate the place, but three years later, I'm in a completely different mindset - and on a totally different career path [related, but definitely NOT the same].</p>