Good luck. Stay strong

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>Hi guys. Well, I am feeling quite sick with anxiety right now, but I just wanted to extend my thanks and good luck to you all.</p>

<p>There are some truly incredible people on CC, and you guys have helped me to accept my 3 rejections so far. I’m an international applying for financial aid, so my chances are almost non-existent, but its good to see that the competition really does deserve their places, and I applaud all of you who have gotten into Duke/MIT/UC Berkeley and other colleges. Well done!</p>

<p>As for the Ivy League decisions coming out tonight, well, everything that could be said has been said. These are the toughest institutions in the world- draw strength from the fact that often its not about ‘you’, its about the college which you are applying for. People make mistakes, and after all, its all about the fit. You will (and this is something I have only just started believing) be happy wherever you end up. Also, college isn’t going to stop you from achieving what you are destined to achieve.</p>

<p>Wrapping up here: be strong, be merry, think of those who aren’t so lucky if you get in, and I hope you have a good last few months at school.</p>

<p>Peace, and much love.</p>

<p>Will
xxxxxxxx</p>

2

<p>That was a great post. Thank you, Will. I for one will stay strong…</p>

<p>Good luck to you too!</p>

3

<p>thank you willl</p>

4

<p>YOU ARE THE MAN, thanks</p>

5

<p>Haha. </p>

<p>No problem guys! What can we turn to if we don’t have each other. The college application process is so lonely, so I guess the best thing is to just share your problems- I really don’t know how I survived without CC!</p>

<p>Anyway, its really not long now. Just focus, relax and open up them emails/web-pages!</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

6

<p>Lovely post. I feel supported… and I’m never even in here. Good luck all.</p>

7

<p>So guys. Ordeal over with. </p>

<p>I think I must have been hit the hardest here. 9 out of 9 rejections, but life moves in mysterious ways. </p>

<p>I hope you don’t mind my telling my story, and I hope this helps some of you to come to terms with your rejections (as I am still doing):</p>

<p>So I’m a student from the UK. I attended boarding school, leaving with straight A’s at A-level (Maths, Physics and Chemistry) and 6A*'s and 5A’s at GCSE. I sat the SAT I (2180) and SAT II’s (2250) and prepared a really strong application. I always had hope that I would be accepted somewhere in the US, a country a love. </p>

<p>I wasn’t. There really is something against me in all this I feel- no matter how much work I put in, I am never going to attend a university in the US. Now I am going to attend a university at Bristol in the UK. My stats are below, and comforting comments would be much appreciated. </p>

<p>I’ve worked for this for my whole life, trying to become the best at what I do, be a good person and hope that good things happen to good people. What I have recently learned is that sometimes what we think is the be all end all isn’t always the best for us. I am a prime example of this, and I am starting to think that everything will be okay. My university place will have no impact on where I eventually end up- its put the fight in me… I will cherish those rejection letters, allow them to fuel me and hopefully look back on this and laugh. Why was I so worried?</p>

<p>I hope you all got in to your top choices. And if you didn’t, try and put things in perspective. Life goes on. </p>

<p>If you want to have a chat about all of this, just let me know. </p>

<p>Location/Person:</p>

<ul>
<li>State or Country: UK (but parents live in the Netherlands). Have lived in US, Malaysia, Scotland, The Netherlands and other places. Expatriate lifestyle.</li>
<li>Info: Male, White, Middle Class, No Legacy, International</li>
<li><p>Major: Engineering (particular focus on Comp Sci and MechEng). Hoping to fast track first year and work part time for IBM).</p></li>
<li><p>Graduated June 2008- Currently on 9 month internship with IBM UK, before going to another company in May (hopefully Apple/Shell/something else)</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Stats:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (by section): 660 CR, 760 W, 760 M (2180)</li>
<li>SAT IIs: Maths I 740 Chem 740 Phys 770 (2250)</li>
<li>GCSEs- 6A*'s, 5A’s</li>
<li>GCE A-levels- 3 A’s- Maths, Physics and Chemistry (plus AS level in Economics)</li>
<li>GPA: 4.0 uw (moving on the presumption that an A at A-level is a 4)</li>
<li>Rank: within top 5 out of 100</li>
<li>School Type: highly competitive boarding school in Gloucestershire. In the year before me, 20% of people got into Oxford or Cambridge.</li>
<li>Course load: Fairly tough, but most stress was developed by EC’s and 6 day school week (yes, we worked saturdays… and yes, it blowed!)</li>
</ul>

<p>ECs/achievements listed on app:</p>

<ol>
<li>Engineering- Recipient of Arkwright Scholarship (2 year engineering scholarship with job opportunities) and Abbeydale Trust Prize (for engineering contribution). Academic Scholars Society. Scholastic Achievment Awards (top 5 students) for 3 years running. Two patent applications under review. Been shortlisted for IBM Extreme Blue scheme for summer 2010.</li>
<li>Journalism/Publications- I run three websites. One is down at the moment (updates- Taxomni) but the other two are The Cold Cut and Be All End All - College applications made simple… My interviewers were all really interested in hearing how succesful these were… fortunately, my music site has been going for 2 years now and somehow featured on rollingstone.com amongst other things. I love writing about music and also helping other people out so its one of my main passions. Last year I was fortunate enough to attend a number of European festivals as press, a huge step for me and something I hope to continue this year. Be All End All is actually a site I’m starting with another international applicant, offering advice for people in our situation. We know how tough/lonely it can be, so we wanted to help, using our experience.</li>
<li>Music (Instrumental)- Grade 7 Saxophone (Distinction), Grade 5 Music Theory (Distinction), School Choir, Amateur DJ. In most school bands (concert, jazz, sextet and combo). 1st saxophone.</li>
<li>Community Action- As a team lead in the community action team, I helped put on concerts and workshops for the local schools and care homes. 200 hours.</li>
<li>Drama- Dip VCM (Hons)- Diploma Victoria College Of London (Honours)- gives me letters after my name-, Lamda Drama Grade 8 (Merit). Roles in school productions and musicals (both supporting and leading), and weekly drama lessons.</li>
<li>School prefect- (kind of like Student Govt., but perhaps more hands on). Elected by staff and students (and confirmed through interview), prefects act as school representatives and help to run the school on a day to day basis (ie supervising meals, chapel, breaks, punishments).</li>
<li>Debate/Speech- Competitor in school public speaking competitions- highest rank of 2nd on competition where I spoke as Chairman and Speaker.</li>
<li>Sports- nothing varsity, just stuff to keep fit. I was hoping to run the Flora London Marathon this year but didn’t get a ballot place- going to try next year. Also play squash, swim and run to school standards (not varsity though!).</li>
</ol>

<ul>
<li>Job/Work Experience: 3 week work placement at Comic Relief during the Sport Relief Campaign- raised £3000 in time there, and helped on event day at BBC Media Centre by chaperoning celebrities. 1 week work placement at Macmillan Cancer Research in Events team. Another 2 week work placement at Comic Relief in different teams second time around, primarily Product (RED) initiative. 2 week work experience for Shell at their global HQ working with chemical engineers. Currently on 9 month internship with IBM UK working as a software development engineer. Work experience at Aston Martin obtained for summer 2009, after IBM.</li>
<li>Essays (subject and responses): The world that I came from- my parents are expatriates so I talked about all the different cultures and countries I’ve lived in, and how it has shaped me as a person, broadening my perspective. Related each country to the characteristics it gave me, and how the conflicting education systems made me mature rapidly and develop different skills. Probably high quality but not excellent in comparison to standard US college application essays.</li>
</ul>

<p>Essay on my activities since school- great opportunity to talk about the work done at IBM and my summer activities without appearing to brag.</p>

<p>Essay- ‘Perseverance’. Talking about my defining quality. I’m not the smartest or best, I’m just driven to keep going and never give up. Particular examples included how I emailed Steve Jobs for work experience, leading to phone interviews and now potential internship this summer/next summer. Still in application process. Capitalised on experience when applying for jobs for my gap year (in the UK, some people take a year out before college to work and earn money/experience)- obtained jobs with a fair amount (~10) of companies, but applied to 50! Never gave up.</p>

<ul>
<li>Teacher Recs: Both great, if different. One is from a Dr. of Chemistry from Cambridge, who spoke at length on how I was ‘only getting better’ and that ‘what is already there is extremely impressive’, talking about my development through school. Another from my housemaster and Economics teacher who spoke of my ‘drive’ and ‘unbelievable sense of where he was going’. Candid… not sure how US rec letters are usually written.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: An analysis of my time at school and how I managed to maintain my EC’s, grades and social life whilst going beyond the norm and succeeding in my professional life.</li>
<li>Extra Rec: Current boss at IBM. Talking about how I have made an impact in my short time at IBM- very unusual to get a personal recommendation from an employer, so I was extremely appreciative. IBM letterhead etc- looks great!</li>
<li>Applied on: 12/20</li>
<li>Pseudo-Hooks (if any): Web-entrepreneur , international student with worldwide experience? Unsure of this one.</li>
</ul>

8

<p>Awww, thecoldcut, I’m so sorry. I can’t help but feel the US would have been a bit better with you here! I truly wish you had gotten into one of your US choices, especially Brown, and you certainly have the stats and ECs to do so.</p>

<p>My daughter was wait-listed at Brown, and it still hurts. It’s the little things that remind me of the loss of that dream - like how when I check weather.com when she’s logged in, one of the default choices that comes up is Providence. :(</p>

<p>Personally, I blame the demographic peak of 3 million college applicants this year - more competition for the same # spots as in years before. Brown applications were up 18% or something this year. I keep thinking that she might have gotten in if she had applied a year or two ago - not productive thinking, I know.</p>

<p>Keep your chin up (I’m saying this to both you and my daughter)! You really seem like a neat person and I know you will do well wherever you go.</p>

9

<p>Where did you apply and did you apply for financial aid?</p>

10

<p>MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, Cornell, Duke and UC Berkeley.</p>

<p>You know, all the easy ones. I also applied for financial aid at all 9!</p>

<p>Yes, the odds were stacked against me, but I had hope… I went for these places because they are some of the best universities in the world, often better than what we have in the UK.</p>

11

<p>I will tell you very honestly that your need for financial aid was probably a decisive factor for several of those colleges. While they are need-blind for US citizens, most(Brown included) are definitely not need-blind for Internationals. You have a strong application and had you either been a domestic student or wealthy enough to not need Financial Aid probably would have been offered admissions at at least one, if not more, of those colleges. Even during regular times and when our endowments were thriving, not many international students needing aid were accepted. I’ve noticed that the international students I know here tend to be on the wealthier side. But this year, with the steep and deep hits the endowments have taken, and the promise to still make and fulfill all need for domestic students, I imagine the chances for an international student needing financial aid hit a major low this year.</p>

<p>I know an individual who was denied admissions at UPenn, but told straight-up that if he had not needed financial aid, he would have been accepted. I would guess that something similar happened to you here.</p>

12

<p>I’m somehow in the same situation as you:international (but live in us), rejected by many schools (not all thankfully) but because of finaid problem, i will have to go to community college
it’s good that you’ve moved on
I’m still wondering while my work has not been compensated…</p>

<p>Hope the best for you !</p>

13

<p>I agree with justbreathe, and add that if you decide to take a gap year and reapply, to concentrate your applications on schools that are need-blind for internationals or are known to give large amounts of merit awards to internationals. There are lists of these schools up elsewhere on CC.</p>

14

<p>thecoldcut, your post again made me feel comforted. = )</p>

<p>Your stats are not bad at all, and you seem a really nice and strong person who copes with life well. I’m glad that the disappointing outcomes did not change that. Don’t you worry, life has a strange way of working itself out; it’ll be fine, especially with your great attitude.</p>

<p>Just a note: if you plan to study in the US in the future, remember to pick a few schools that are easier to get into than Harvard/Yale/MIT etc, but still excellent. ; ) Just to be safe.</p>

<p>Good luck to you in the future!</p>