<p>I always thought I would end up at one of those, but it seems I won't even get into the top 50. I have not published a bestseller nor have I found I the cure for cancer. I got a C+ in geometry freshman year, B- in algebra II honors and a C in precalc honors (my lowest grades). My W gpa is a 3.8 and 3.5 UW. Almost everyone in my family has gone to an ivy and I'd feel like a disappointment if I didn't. I have no idea what to do. );</p>
<p>Have you taken the SATs?</p>
<p>you should realize that less than 1% of college students go to an ivy, realize that your college does not indicate future success, and that college is what u make of it</p>
<p>You don’t have to go to an Ivy league school.</p>
<p>you shouldn’t beat yourself up over maybe not getting into a top school. there are plenty of non prestigious schools that offer a stimulating and rigorous environment and they would be happy to have you. i’m sure your family wouldn’t think of you as a failure. and who’s to say that you absolutely can’t get into a top school? they look at much more than grades.</p>
<p>Go to a college you can afford that fits you and your interests, do really well, have an awesome experience, and live happily ever after.</p>
<p>Your college experience will be what you make of it, as will most things in your life. Enjoy it!</p>
<p>Agree, IVY SMIVY (rhymes). There are many great schools, find the one that best for you. BTW there are many non IVY schools that are better than IVY league schools for any number of fields. Would you go to Cornell to be a nuclear engineering PhD or might MIT or Cal Tech be a better option. IVY league schools are all great but even if you got into every one of them, you still might be better off somewhere else. Don’t sweat it.</p>
<p>I understand what you guys are saying and by ivy, I meant all the top colleges. I realize that you’re the one who decides what to make of your future, but all the family pressing is making me freak out and I honestly can’t decide where to apply. I’m expecting a 2200+ on my SAT.</p>
<p>your happiness and well-being at a school matters much more than prestige. start a list of options to apply based on what qualities you want in a school. ex: size, location, LAC, state U, diversity, cost etc.</p>
<p>FWIW, we have leaders in very high places that went to Ivy League schools and are big disappointments in my mind and those who didn’t who are much better leaders. Where you go to school does not define you. You are defined by your actions.</p>
<p>Exactly. So, evidently you’re not really a math person. What kind of person are you? Artsy or literary or political? Bookish or the life of the party? </p>
<p>Because, honestly, if you are the sort of person who should be going to college in the first place, this country has plenty of colleges that would welcome you. (Sadly, a great many of them will welcome you even if you’re really not the sort of person who should be going to college in the first place.)</p>
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<p>I’m really sorry you feel this way. Is this coming from within, or are people in your family actually pressuring you? I ask because, despite the fact that I met my wife at Harvard, and my father and two of my brothers-in-law went to Harvard, and one of my sisters-in-law went to Yale, I actually discouraged my kids from applying to Ivies. I hope that, if you put sincere effort into finding colleges or universities that are good for you, you’ll get support from your family.</p>
<p>@ironchariot I was thinking of going to a small LAC in a city. I was thinking about Barnard or Occidental, but they both seem to be hard to get into. </p>
<p>@Sikorsky I’m not the best at math, but I really do like the subject. I would like to be a physicist. That is both from my parents and within. They’ve already lost faith in me about getting into a good college, so I don’t seem to have family support unlike many others.</p>
<p>Bumpppppppp.</p>
<p>Look for match schools based on your stats. There are tons of good ones. Most people don’t have the EC’s you mention, even Ivy admits (psst, no one has cured cancer yet.) Hopefully you do have some excellent EC’s which was totally under your control. Your problem is your grades, don’t obscure the matter. There are tons of very good schools for the 3.5 student. You should be able to get into an excellent school. You can put some reaches in, especially where you are legacy and get a tip. Don’t despair, you may get in one yet.</p>
<p>I realize you didn’t even mention class rank, your SAT’s or what EC’s you actually do, or how good your LOR will be or how great an essay you can write. All those things are important to you application, wherever you apply.</p>
<p>a 3.5 with a 2200 is very good and will get you into a lot of excellent schools. Don’t be obsessed with trying to get into the top 20 schools on the US News rankings! There are about 2500 4 year colleges and universities…
Your relatives got into highly ranked schools when the competition was much less than it is now so you can’t compare your situation to theirs. You may need to educate them about how many students apply to the top schools these days.
What about your guidance counselor?</p>
<p>High school math grades probably have minimal correlation to a successful career in physics. Maybe you were bored, or the courses did not emphasize problem solving, or you were not mature enough. </p>
<p>I would suggest finding a college with a strong undergraduate and graduate physics Dept (they are rated in several places), and applying there, and striving to succeed in the best one you can get in to. </p>
<p>Then you can go “IVY” if you want, for grad school.</p>
<p>Not getting into an Ivy is not the end of the world. Plus, there’s always grad school. I have a friend who went to a mediocre Jesuit school in New England who ended up at Columbia Law School. There’s always a chance to redeem yourself. Best of luck.</p>
<p>@BeanTownGirl What about my guidance counselor?</p>
<p>I know how you feel. My academic stats aren’t that great but my family did what your family did. I am kind of between trying to do what they did and feeling like I am not doing my own thing, and feeling bad about that, or just doing my own thing and having a good college experience that is completely different from what my family did. It’s kind of driving me crazy because it has to be paid for somewhere and people like to be happy with what they are paying for.</p>
<p>I have posted my college list and some of them aren’t schools I really even necessarily feel driven to apply to, but they’re OK and I liked some of them. Some others where I have gone on road trips on my own, I really, really liked them. They are smaller schools. </p>
<p>I’m hoping to apply to one school and be done with it, I just have to be sure my parents are OK with it. I think they will be but that’s between now and like October to decide which school that is and if that can be OK with them. Working on how I am going to convince them about some choices is actually keeping me up later some nights than the essay topics.</p>
<p>Anyways, I hear you. And I hope it works out for both of us.</p>