<p>I may sound a little pessimistic here, but I've always been the one to prepare for the worst in anything I do. I've been pretty obsessed with my dream school (I'm not gonna mention it) which I have pretty much zero chance at. How obsessed am I? I'm reading about its student life and blogs almost every day. Ouch... I'm still applying though, since it'd feel MUCH worse to not apply at all.</p>
<p>Knowing my chance of facing rejection is INCREDIBLY high, I want to hear some stories from the CC fellows who've already had similar experience, and coped well with it. I hope this thread could compile many of such stories so whenever I, or anyone for that matter, feel like s*** about this admission process, I would visit here and feel relieved.</p>
<p>I know I may be touching on the painful spots for some of you, and you're of course free to ignore this thread. But your contributions will be very helpful for many users and visitors on this forum.</p>
<p>I think you should apply, because you never know. Even if you get rejected, I think you’ll feel better about it, because at least you’ll have tried. Besides, it’s not all about what school you go to; you can be happy at a wide range of schools if you find people and classes that resonate with you. Prestige exists for a reason, but it’s a little overrated.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I’m somewhat in the same boat as you; I’m applying to several Ivy League schools with a GPA noticeably below a 4.0, a less-than-stellar class rank, and no discernible hooks - but I’m trying to compensate by emphasizing my strengths: good test scores, unique ECs, and (hopefully) very good recommendations. Will I get into any given Ivy? Probably not. Will I get into at least one? Maybe. Is my future all about whether or not I do? No. Could I be happy anywhere else? For sure.</p>
<p>Oh, and it’s not hitting too close to home for me (though the same might not be true of others), because there are a lot of people in the same situation - more than you might think, even on CC.</p>
<p>Obviously you should apply, because it’s your dream, but start weaning off your obsession the second you send in that application. Start thinking more pragmatically. Why it is this school is your dream school. Is it the name? Is it the campus atmosphere? Ask yourself honestly, does this school have something that you really can’t find on any other campus?</p>
<p>The point about safety/match schools is not to apply to just any set of schools that will let you in, but rather to do just as much research as you would for finding a dream school. Meaning, if you want city life, don’t apply to the state school if it’s in the middle of nowhere. And if you want a rowdy campus, don’t apply to a small/quite school just because your stats match perfectly. </p>
<p>So while rejection is hard, in the end you shouldn’t be in a school you’re guaranteed to hate, but one you can love once everything is said and done.</p>
<p>The big mistake you already let yourself make is getting attached to a “dream school”. There have been threads in the past about students ending up at his/her first choice school and once there, realizing it is not the right place for him/her after all, sometimes due to rigor and sometimes due to the school’s culture.</p>
<p>Your list should consist of several schools you would be happy to attend as well as a safety that you will love to attend and be able to afford. Finding the perfect safety is much more critical than finding the dream school that is more likely to reject you.
I know LOTS of kids that have ended up at their safeties and are extremely happy and successful.</p>
<p>I’m INCREDIBLY happy at my safety/match school. </p>
<p>Plus, you’re chances of getting scholarships and (in my case) honors school admissions go way up. </p>
<p>I strongly suggest you look into schools that you have good chances of getting into, and not just as backups. Look at places you’ll actually enjoy. With a positive attitude, an entire world of new opportunity exists at any college.</p>
<p>I think I fit into what you’re asking. I applied to eleven schools and get into six of them (including two schools #30 and above). I ended up at my absolute safety/last-choice school, partly because they gave me a lot of money and partly because of my gut. My first few weeks I was absolutely miserable because all of my time spent on these forums during the application process beat into me the idea that prestige is everything and maybe I should have picked the most prestigious school I got into. But once I gave the school a REAL chance, I realized that college is a lot more of what you make it. I’ve just started my sophomore year and I’m in love with the school. It’s smaller, so I get the attention that I want from my professors and I feel like I have more of a place. I think you just have to look at the positives and realize that any school you pick has positives and negatives, it’s how you exist in that environment that matters; you can succeed almost anywhere as long as you give it a chance.</p>
<p>Thanks for the concern about my obsession, and no need to worry! I’m really quick at giving up past loves, and that’s the whole reason why I let myself go through this feeling in the first place. Daydreaming can’t kill people you know. :P</p>
<p>My list is finalized and I would be fine in any of them, as I gave each around a whole day of research (I can’t visit as I’m an international unfortunately). But of course, I’d feel the best in my dream school.</p>
<p>My dream school in high school was Miami U. I never applied in HS because I was all but certain that I wouldn’t get in and I regretted that choice for a long time. I couldn’t afford to go away for school so I went to a CC that I thought I would HATE but ended up loving. My grades were good and I eventually transferred to MU after a year and a half at my CC. (Didn’t like it though, so I transferred out after a semester, but that’s beside the point.) Even if you don’t get in on your first try, that doesn’t mean you have no shot of getting in to that school at all. You could always transfer or go there for grad school (if that’s an option).</p>
<p>Brown was kind of my dream school, but I was very realistic about that and had other top choice schools. I was rejected from Brown but accepted Early Evaluation at Wellesley. Because I was accepted there a month early, I had a month before the rest of my offers and my financial aid came in to get really attached to Wellesley because, after all, I’d already gotten in. And then when aid packages came in, of my 7 schools Wellesley gave me the best NEED based aid…but I got a call from Lewis and Clark saying I’d recieved a full tuition merit scholarship.</p>
<p>It was an incredibly difficult decision because it wasn’t a matter of 10k vs 55k a year, I would have only had to pay about half price at Wellesley. But that still would have stretched my family immensely and put me about 30-40 grand in debt after 4 years as well as making it very difficult for my younger brother to go to anything but a state school.</p>
<p>I had basically made my choice, and I wasn’t too happy about it but to seal the deal I went back and visited LC with the eyes that it was my new home, and that was the first step to getting excited about it. I also joined the class of '15 facebook group and talked to tons of people about it, which helped immensely. I spent the summer discovering all the possibilities my school held for me, and by August I was bouncing off the walls with excitement for starting school. I did, and I was not disappointed. I found great clubs, and took advantage of every opportunity to get ahead in my major, as well as making great friends in my dorm. I have been active in the theatre department despite not being a major because that’s something my school allows for. Because I outshone many others in my department, I scored a paid research internship on campus over the summer. I have not for a moment regretted my choice to come here.</p>
<p>Well okay, that’s not quite true, there have been times that my boy drama has made me wish I chose an all-girls school, but that’s hardly the fault of LC haha ;)</p>
<p>Just go for it bro! At least you tried! And maybe you’ll get a pleasant surprise. I’m gonna apply to UCLA even though It’s highly doubtful I will get in.</p>
I applied to Wake Forest thinking they’d probably just laugh at my application and put it in the “denied” pile as soon as they saw my transcript. Somehow I was waitlisted, that made me extremely happy even though I didn’t make it off the waitlist.</p>
<p>Oh, speaking of which, if you do get waitlisted at this dream school, don’t hold your breath too long. You can hold out hope, but strongly consider paying the admissions deposit at one of the schools you got into, ESPECIALLY if it’s refundable. Waitlist acceptances are typically very low, especially at top schools.</p>
<p>Early senior year, i was obsessed with going to USC or Claremont Mckenna in Los Angeles. But I got rejected and NYU was the only match school that accepted me. I wasn’t initially keen on the idea of going to the city but I wanted to go to the best place I could. I’m a week in and love it here. The people, the city, and the connections are great and five months ago, I could NEVER have pictured myself here. Point is, realize you will be okay and just roll with it and make the most out of every opportunity- educationally, socially, and professionally.</p>
<p>I really wanted to go to Georgetown. I loved Washington DC, loved the campus, and loved my probable major there. It was a long shot. I was rejected. I also applied to American University because I loved the city so much. After being rejected from Georgetown and receiving little aid at American, I choose my instate option (Binghamton University).</p>
<p>I knew I would like the school just fine, but I didn’t think I would love it. Now, I’m three years in, doing independent research, on the executive board of two organizations, working two on campus jobs, and loving my major. The location isn’t optimal, but I wouldn’t have met the same people at another school.</p>
<p>I got waitlisted/rejected by my top 3 schools (Georgetown, Claremont McKenna, Pomona). I quickly got over it, went to one of my “safety schools” (Michigan State) that I had a blast visiting, and I have never looked back! Had I gone to one of my dream schools I doubt I would’ve made as many awesome friends as I did and would’ve missed out on amazing sports/school spirit, all things that are really meaningful to me. Oh and it costed significantly less (an obvious plus). Even better, with my degree from a “safety school,” I have just started my “dream job”- that is infinitely more important to me than the prestige of a school.</p>
<p>I was in a similar position last year. It’s perfectly okay to fall in love with one school so long as you don’t become narrow-minded and forget about the rest of your “college list.” </p>
<p>Try and see if you can apply ED to the school if you are absolutely sure that’s the school for you and if financial aid isn’t a concern (and I think schools let you withdraw yourself from a binding agreement due to financial reasons, although I’m not 100% sure on that). </p>
<p>If you have a dream school, make sure you have other schools on your list that you’d be happy to attend as well. I can’t stress this enough, DO NOT place all your eggs in one basket. </p>
<p>I was pretty narrow-minded last year and thought I wouldn’t be happy at any other school, so I only applied to my dream school and a couple other schools in-state. I ended up getting rejected from my dream school and am attending an in-state school. I haven’t enjoyed my first month of college for many reasons. The school I’m at isn’t strong for my major, and it shows in the faculty they have. </p>
<p>If you place emphasis on the strength of your school’s program, or the location, or the vibe you get, or anything else really, make sure you apply to other schools that are somewhat similar to your dream school. Otherwise your college experience is gonna get off to a rough start, and you wouldn’t want that to happen :/</p>
<p>My “dream” college was the University of Texas-Austin. I knew at the time that unless I was top-10% at my high school, my chance of getting in UT was almost none. Even though my SAT score was 96% in the nation, and my ACT at the time as 92%…my chance for UT was still not good.</p>
<p>Fair to say that my class rank and GPA was hovering around the half. So that got me nowhere near, haha.</p>
<p>But I still applied, and sadly rejected. But I am in UConn right now and loving it. Yeah, it’s well out-of-state and cost are real high…but I like it here. Met some good people, got involved in the Pre-Law Society, and will be rushing for a fraternity in the spring. I felt like I’m fitting in well and that’s good.</p>
<p>Sure you should apply. And realize that even if you don’t have the lucky lottery ticket, you will survive, thrive, and be happy…like everyone else in the vast majority of applicants who are rejected from super-reach schools. When 95% or 70% or whatever number of applicants DON’T get in, you can see that you won’t be alone if you aren’t one of the lucky ones…and all of these excellent students go on to live full and wonderful lives without having gone to their “dream school.”</p>
At least you tried! And maybe you’ll get a pleasant surprise. I’m gonna apply to UCLA even though It’s highly doubtful I will get in.</p>