have i made a mistake in applying?

Applying to College
1

I just got my A level results just now. 3As and 1B. B in Physics.

This is the first time I’ve got a B in my 1 yr+ doing A-levels. I’ve had 3 major tests so far, and all As for all subjects (5 of them). I’m applying to some of the Ivy League + Stanford + MIT.

Why am I freaking out over the B? I don’t know the admissions process, and I don’t know how they would view the B as. I’ve got a 780 for SAT II physics, and I’m planning to major in Economics.

From where I come from, things are very different from what I see is happening in America. Very few people in my community applied to places like the Ivy League, and when someone does, all eyes fall on him (me).

Not here. What happens here, if you succeed, you become an instant celebrity. If you fail, you are made to feel worthless. No such sweet things as “the community will see it as Harvard had let them down”. You go around outside, you hear whispers and see accusing eyes.

“See? That’s the girl who dared dream of the Ivy League. Don’t end up like her. She only wastes her parents’ money”
“You got a B for Physics and you expect to enter the Ivy? Are you dreaming? Don’t you know they only accept all As?”
“A B is going to kill your chances. So many candidates are applying there with top scores, and you got a B. Start looking at other schools, my advice to you.”

Ignore their words and go for it? How? I live with them. I can’t ignore them because they’re all around me. And the worse part is, I don’t even know how the B is seen. I know many people will be accusing me of having no life, freaking out over a B. But they don’t know my community. They don’t know how is it like when people gather around and gossip about you, just because you dared to do something different. Because I don’t think that is what happens in America.

If the B was for Chemistry, I’d be satisfied, because I didn’t have much confidence doing the Chemistry paper. It was Physics, a paper that I could do well without any major problems. I did think that the Ivy League is perhaps not for me, but there’s no turning back now. No safeties whatsoever.

Do I need professional counselling?

2

<p>wow, don't sweat that stuff too much, thats all i can say</p>

<p>you don't need counseling.</p>

<p>well, maybe you do :).</p>

3

<p>Okay, chill, and do not let the people around judge what they do not know....the B won't kill you...but I am curious as to why no safeties....that was perhaps not such a good plan....you could be the best, and still maybe not do the ivy track....you can only fail at life if allow it, what others say makes no difference...</p>

4

<p>Getting a B certainly does NOT rule you out for Ivy League colleges. In fact, I would venture to guess that MOST people who get into an Ivy have at least one B, if not more, on their transcript. </p>

<p>Just try to stay calm. For a person as smart as you, I'm sure everything will work out great in the end, no matter where you wind up at college.</p>

5

<p>"From where I come from, things are very different from what I see is happening in America. Very few people in my community applied to places like the Ivy League, and when someone does, all eyes fall on him (me). "</p>

<p>The same even occurs in places in the US. You have to rise above this and not define yourself by others' opinion. You have to keep in mind that no matter how strong your application is, the odds are low that you'll get accepted. Tell people in your community this now. Tell them that you've done your best, but you know that most people who apply to Harvard have outstanding stats and "deserve" admission because more than 8 of 10 people have the stats to be academically successful at Harvard.</p>

<p>Let your friends, teachers, relatives etc. know this now. Explain to them, too, that Harvard and similar schools select applicants to create classes that are very diverse. As a result, factors such as country of origin, religion, proposed major -- that are out of your control will play into admission. Tell people that although you've submitted the best application that you could, you don't expect to be admitted. </p>

<p>Be modest. Then, if you get an acceptance, you can cheer, etc. If not, you won't be as embarassed.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, a "B" will not kill you at all. Just as straight As won't get you in, neither will having one or more Bs keep you out. Harvard admissions is far more complex and quirky than is that.</p>

6

<p>I have explained all of those to them. Some people understand what I am trying to put across. They know what it means. They know I've done lots of research into the schools and the process as a whole, and they figured that an applicant would've be more familiar with this whole thing than any other person (including my own GC).</p>

<p>Most others dismiss my words as a backhanded way of trying to cover what was perceived as my weaknesses. Whenever I mention about what Northstarmom said, they give me skeptical looks. They're like "Did you really believe that's the way it works? What you read is not necessarily true. Did you really think the Ivies will tell publicly that they only want As? If they do that, anyone with a B will not apply, and there goes their income. It's an unwritten rule that only straight As will put you in the running. Suppose you have two very similar applicants, and the difference is only that one has a B. Surely you will pick the A student, because he/she is smarter. And the Ivies is the place for smart people."</p>

<p>I feel disgusted by what they say. I don't blame them either, because in my country, that's how things work. To be safely secured for a government scholarship (though it's never mentioned in writing), one must obtain straight A+, or have an unfair advantage. In many societies here, the number of As determine how others will treat you. When I got a B (I got once when I was in 9th grade), their immediate reply was, "You didn't study. It just shows that you are not smart enough, because smart people don't get Bs." </p>

<p>And the worst thing is that, they constantly compare my stats with one or two people that managed to get into those schools the previous years. "X was a straight A student every year, and now he's in Princeton. Y was a government scholar, very smart, and a Yale student. You are neither of those. I think it's not very appropriate for you to apply to the Ivies just to show off to others that you applied, because you've practically no chance at all, with a B in a tough subject." Can you imagine how hurtful is that? </p>

<p>If I get in, I will have silenced all the naysayers. If I don't, it will just strengthen their notion of a poor girl who tried to reach for the stars and perished under the sun, just because she didn't want to believe that she couldn't. Contrary to what Northstarmom says, I won't be embarrased if I didn't get in. I fought the battle well, and I know I've put my best foot forward. And I'm doing this only for my father, who may not be able to witness where I go to college this September. To have others put down and belittle your noble intentions, how does it feel?</p>

<p>I've swam upstream through the torrential currents, passed jagged boulders and harboured through merciless weathers. And all the time I kept myself afloat, thinking that all will be well when I reach the apex. But right now I feel that I'm beginning to sink.</p>

7

<p>It is horrible that people are so hurtful. I assume that they are making the kind of mean comments because they themselves or their children completely lack the confidence/background that would give them any chance of admission. Keep that in mind, and hold your head up high.</p>

<p>Not getting into Harvard does not mean "perishing under the sun." Reaching high means that if you miss, you'll end up in a higher position than do the people who didn't bother to aspire to the heights. Getting into Harvard doesn't mean silencing the naysayers. There will always be naysayers no matter who you are or what you do.</p>

<p>Here is a quote from the educator Dr. Benjamin Mays. Keep it and read it to remind you what counts:</p>

<p>"
The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin. "</p>

8

<p>Should I send these results to the colleges? They didn't specifically ask for anymore materials (they said I do not need to submit any Mid-Year Reports, and that my current application is complete enough for them to make a decision). Some say "keep your unblemished records". Others tell me to go ahead and submit. I am thinking of submitting.</p>

9

<p>If the colleges don't need the reports, then don't send them. The college you select to attend will want your final transcript. That will be to make sure you graduated from h.s. and had acceptable grades. Getting a couple of "B" final grades wouldn't cause a college to terminate your admission. Getting Ds and Fs probably would unless you had an excuse such as having had a major documented illness.</p>

10

<p>I'm confused. Don't colleges want to see any grades that I get? (Of course I'll be extremely happy if I don't need to let them see a B...)</p>

<p>Can you kindly decipher the following emails I received?</p>

<p>"If you are simply taking A-levels at a college, you must still send transcripts from your secondary school and teacher recommendations as well as your college scores. Your high school would not need to file a mid-year report since they will be sending a completed transcript."
"The secondary school report should be filled out by your present school, you may get references from your former school if you would like. Predictions of your A-Level marks would be considered your midterm."
"Since your transcript is already complete, there is no reason to submit a mid-year report."
"Since you have already graduated from high school please ask the school to send a final school transcript as well as information on your final O-level and A-level exams. You will not need to submit a Mid Year School Report."</p>

<p>Sorry for all the bothering i have been doing.</p>

11

<p>I am not familiar with things like A levels, which are in your country's school system.
My read, however, on the messages that you got is that the colleges don't need to see your mid year reports.</p>

<p>There are some colleges in the US that require applicants' mid years, some that do not. Some colleges also only require midyears from candidates who are on the admissions' bubble -- the admissions decision could go either way so the adcoms want the midyear reports in order to help make up the adcoms' minds. This might be the case if, for instance, a student has sky high scores, worldclass ECs, but mediocre grades with an upward trend.</p>

<p>The college that you accept for admission will, however, definitely need to see your final transcript.</p>

<p>This is my understanding. You should, though, directly ask them to make sure that you fully understand what's required. Call them or e-mail them. For important things like this, it's a good idea to go directly to the source, not to uninformed strangers on a message board.</p>