<p>Mainly, I wish to apply to Caltech, MIT, Stanford, and Cornell. I do have reasonable stats (I wish to not post it) given the opportunities I have had, but I always fear the worst: being rejected from them all. I at least want to get into one of them. Anyone or anyone you know got rejected from all the top schools they applied to? By top, I mean, say, the first 15 from USNews University Rankings (Yale, Harvard, etc).</p>
<p>Lots of people. Just because you apply to all of them doesn't mean you're bound to get in one of them.</p>
<p>many people get rejected from all of their reaches.
This is why you need a safety school and a few "match" schools.</p>
<p>Just look at last years CC acceptance lists. Kind of depressing...</p>
<p>all my friends, if you don't put UCLA in there.</p>
<p>That's why I haven't fallen deep in love with one school. I don't want to be devastated come April.</p>
<p>I see. Man this sucks. But anyone HERE with a personal experience? not friends, but actual CCers?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Lots of people.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Correct. A marginal applicant at one college is a marginal applicant at all the others. But it is still a good idea to apply widely and see what happens. Just be absolutely sure to apply to a safety college. A safety college is one that </p>
<p>1) is pretty much certain to admit the applicant, based on its known behavior in acting on recent admission applications,</p>
<p>2) has a strong program in an area the applicant is interested in,</p>
<p>3) is affordable based on its known behavior in acting on financial aid applications,</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>4) is likeable to the applicant.</p>
<p>There are no guarantees. Period. Not even Intel finalists get in everywhere they apply. Your list is extremely risky if you don't have another school that you'd be happy to attend, KNOW will accept you AND can afford. Cornell is NOT a safety.</p>
<p>That said, five of the schools to which S1 applied were considered top 15 under USNWR. He was accepted at two, waitlisted at one and rejected at two, and not always the ones one would have expected. S had seriously hardcore academics, stellar stats and awards, even to the jaundiced eyes of CCers.</p>
<p>Making a risky list is OK if you know your in-state flagship offers great merit money to top students and is good in the field(s) you want. Remember that the competition for those big ride merit scholarships at flagships may be <em>extremely</em> competitive in this economic environment. We know many, many students and families (ourselves included) who have made lists with the attitude of "We're willing to pay for X or Y, but if you don't get in there, we'll all be happy with the flagship full merit ride and can help with grad school."</p>
<p>S2 is now a junior and has already crossed several highly-regarded target-range schools off his list because he perceived that they were not worth the big bucks.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Pro 28, Thank you. That was the thread I was looking for.</p>
<p>Oddly, my son was accepted to his reach school & declined by his safety. I think that it was as much a matter of his enthusiasm showing through for his reach as it was his lack of interest in his safety. So don't take anything for granted including getting rejected from your reach school, or getting accepted to your safety.</p>
<p>A safety that would reject you merely for lack of demonstrated interest doesn't fit my definition of what's a safety. A college should only be called a safety if it is a sure bet for admission.</p>
<p>Countingdown, if only our state flagship offered big merit scholarships! D will definitely be chasing out of state merit money. :(</p>
<p>I mean I've heard of being rejected from most of the top colleges people apply to . . . theoretically it is possible to be rejected from all, but I didn't realize it was so common. Oh dear, I'm panicking. . .</p>
<p>of course it's common. there's a reason why their acceptance rates are 10%ish.</p>