so i’ve basically wanted to attend mount holyoke since 2020. i visited the campus when it was closed with my dad and just completely fell in love and have spent all my dedication to college hoping i’d get into mount holyoke. i showed so much interest, i spoke with my admissions counselor when i was a junior and then again back in october as a senior, i toured the campus, i had a fantastic interview and i wrote a very thorough why us essay. i even submitted a portfolio of my digital art that i hadn’t submitted to any other school. i got a 1420 on my sat (630 m 790 rw with a 40 in writing), i rank in the top 15% at my school and i had a 3.7 uw because i was in mental health hell and unmedicated my first two years of high school (though i explained this in additional info). all of that still means that i would’ve been right in the target range. i was a match both academically and personally.
i had always seen myself at mount holyoke. i felt like that was truly the school where i belonged, where i would fit in, where i would spend my next four years actually following my dreams and learning and breaking away from the standards that have been imposed me upon my whole life. i just feel so hopeless now. i was so certain that with all i did to show how much i loved the school and with my achievements i would get in. but i didn’t get in, and i wasn’t even offered spring. i have no idea what to do. i have other schools i love that i’ve been accepted into and i’m waiting on more that i like, but mount holyoke was the most realistic choice for me. i feel like my whole world has collapsed and i really don’t know what to do anymore. please help.
It hurts and I am sorry. But this doesn’t define you or limit your future. You are the same great student and accomplished and interesting person you were before you received this news.
In fact, this event may well lead you to something much more wonderful that you haven’t envisioned yet.
There is just no way to get around the fact that it hurts when something you want so very much doesn’t want you quite as much. In some ways, WL is actually the hardest outcome: it’s not a definite ‘no’ that would hurt but lets you move on. It’s a ‘maybe, if the ones we liked better than you like somebody else better than they like us’- so wait over here to see! UGH.
But: your world hasn’t collapsed. You were smart, and applied to other colleges you love and some of them love you back. So, for now, focus on the ones who have said yes: which is your 2nd favorite? Stay on the MtH waitlist, and gamble the $500 deposit at school #2. Go ahead and buy the tshirt (not the sweatshirt yet- 1) it’s spring so t-shirt weather and 2) you aren’t quite ready to commit with your whole heart yet). Then, if you haven’t heard anything from MtH by July 1, order the sweatshirt and walk away from the WL at MtH.
love these responses. and i would add a line i heard recently…love the school that loves you back. other schools want you and love you which shows you it isn’t about you it’s just for whatever quirky reason they didn’t admit you. it’s understandable to grieve but don’t let that grief define you forever. wishing you the best
I know that you’re hurting now, and that you may not be ready to hear this. Most students who didn’t get into their “dream” school wind up very happy at the school they attend, so happy that they realize that the one they’re at is the best school for them. It’s going to be okay. Let go of Mt. Holyoke, fall in love with your choice from the acceptances you are holding, and if Mt. Holyoke offers you a spot from the waitlist, consider it again then.
I’m sorry you pinned your hopes on that one school. But really, you are lucky you didn’t get in to MHC. In all likelihood, you didn’t get in due to the college’s institutional needs. These are factors that are totally beyond your control:
Financial needs
Needing to admit more URM students, or first generation to college, or low Socioeconomic status students.
Needing to admit an oboe player, or an extra recruited athlete, or the child of a large donor, or the child of a professor….
Needing to admit more students from geographically diverse states. Maybe this year, the kids from Arkansas and Missouri got the spot that might have been yours.
Assuming your were qualified to attend MHC, and that everything else was right on target, your denial likely was completely beyond your control. So be glad you weren’t admitted, because the right college for you isn’t that one. You will end up at the best place for you. Good luck.
OP, it might be useful for you to tell us which other schools, once you hear back from all. We can perhaps give you insight to help you make a decision.
Accept the waitlist at Mount Holyoke…but once all your other acceptances are received, choose one and start looking again at all the reasons you applied to that school. Maybe you will be offered a spot from the MH waitlist, but maybe by that time, you will not want to consider that!
Good luck to you…I know it’s disappointing to not get an admission when you so wanted one. But you are so lucky to have acceptances to schools you also love!
I will briefly repeat something that happened to me. When applying to graduate schools, I did not get accepted to my “dream” school (Cornell). However, I was not wait listed either. I was straight out rejected. I did get accepted to my second choice (Stanford). I went to my second choice school and LOVED it. Years later I finally realized that Stanford had always been a far better fit for me. It seems likely that the admissions staff at both universities knew this better than I did.
It sounds like you have very good options available to you. Best wishes and I expect that you will do well at one of the schools where you have been accepted.
Agree. My kid was rejected from her top choice. She loved the college she attended and thrived there. She’s been out of college for two years now and has been very successful. Go to the school that wants you.
Sorry things did not work out as you hoped. But this is exactly why I don’t like it when applicants focus on one “dream school.” Admissions in today’s world are competitive and unpredictable. And there are so many fantastic colleges and universities out there where students can get a great education and have a wonderful four years.
I agree with the other posters here – move on from Mt. Holyoke. It sounds like you have been accepted to other excellent schools – allow yourself to love one of the schools that loves you back.
I understand you are hurting-- it’s very hard to get your hopes pinned on one particular college and then feel like everything is ruined if they say no or put you on a waitlist. My suggestion is to move on from MHO, and not participate in the waitlist option. I think it’s sort of like waiting for the girl or guy you have a crush on to like you back-- it’s not healthy. You have other great options so go with one of those. Get on the social media “accepted students” groups and start communicating with others who are considering those schools. Get excited. Just put MHO out of your mind and when you do think of it, immediately google one of the schools that accepted you. Love the school that loves you back. And you’re going to do great!
I would advise you to YES, accept the spot on the Holyoke wait list, write them a letter of continued interest along with an academic update, and if appropriate, reassurance that you continue on a stable path in terms of your mental health, that this is a solved problem for you. And then move on with your life.
Just because they had the nerve to wait list you, doesn’t mean that you should reject them.
Others here may disagree, but I would recommend the guidance counselor from your high school follow up with the area admission rep. It can not hurt and there are success stories (other schools) with this approach. Only request this assistance if MHC is your top choice and you would 100% attend, you need to communicate that in your LOC too. Good luck.
I am so sorry that you did not get the acceptance letter from Mount Holyoke. I am an alumna and it was my dream school too. I had the same reaction that you did when you just knew it was the place for you. I still feel that way decades after my graduation. I agree with the others that you should focus your attention on your #2 choice and plan to attend it. The number of applications to Mount Holyoke went up substantially this year and so it is likely that few will be admitted off the waiting list. If you cannot bear to give up Mount Holyoke, you might consider applying to transfer in as a sophomore.
My advice is to refocus away from whether you love your college and onto your life goals. College is not a destination. It’s a place where you spend 4 years to move you closer to what you want your life to become. As much as you love Mount Holyoke, it’s really the wrong place to be investing your passion, which should be invested in your hopes and dreams for a beautiful and productive life.
