This was very difficult for me to read. Two years ago, I was going through the admissions process with my oldest son. It sounded eerily familiar to me. Your stats are identical to what he had. His experience in High School was very similar as well. He did well academically, but really did not enjoy his experience at all. The need to score well to get into a good school drove him, and he hated the fact that it pitted him against his friends even though that was not what he wanted. He wrote a long editorial in the school newspaper about it and got a lot of people agreeing with him, but it really didn’t change things. With that background, he started looking for a school that would allow him to study as hard as he wanted but where he did not feel pitted against the other students.
Like you, one of the schools that he applied to was Swarthmore and it also was not his top choice. He had fostered a relationship with the school and the college counselor, and he was surprised when he was rejected by them. He got into some good schools and he got rejected or wait-listed by some as well. In the end, he believes, and we as his parents believe that Swarthmore would not have been the best place for him. It’s an excellent school, but I believe that the fit was not right for him, and I think that the school may have realized that as well. He ended up at a very good school, that he is extremely happy with.
I’m telling you this because your story and my sons are similar. You are an excellent, student with amazing credentials, and you will end up some place where you can be happy at where they are happy to have you. I’m going to echo some of what has been said. There are a lot of well qualified students, and it’s just not possible for them to let in everyone. I believe that you will be admitted to good schools, you will find one that you like. I do know it’s difficult, but have faith. I hope that you are able to get into the school of your dreams.