Financial considerations are some of the most important aspects in college decisions. So many of my daughter’s friends are getting into serious financial debt chasing prestige. You should be so proud of yourself for being accepted to a wonderful institution with great financial aid. If you love learning you’re in for a very pleasant surprise at Northeastern. And you’ll be learning without the extra anxiety of financial difficulties. I wish you all the best and I hope that you’re able to get past the prestige mindset and understand that your strong work ethic will set you up for a great undergrad education.
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This is exactly the post you started this thread with. Celebrate your acceptance and matriculation to Northeastern…and stop comparing yourself to others. Just stop.
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Echoing every single post here, don’t feel bad!
What you’re stuck in is the prestige mindset. Just because a school is widely recognized does NOT mean it is the best place for you or your education.
I know people who attended something like Harvard or Princeton and LOVED it, and others who attended that absolutely abhorred it.
By the looks of it, you want to major somewhere in STEM. Northwestern consistently ranks in the top 10-20 of schools in the STEM major category. The campus is beautiful, and a couple of my friends are attending there this fall! They are also some of the smartest people I’ve met.
I personally know how you feel. I applied to 16 colleges and got rejected from 15 of them. Like you, I feel like I’ve worked very hard both in and out of school and this outcome was pretty… poopy for me. I know it hurts to perceive your effort going “down the drain”, but what you have to realize is that that effort you put in will pay off one way or another. You just have to keep your head down and keep trying your best, keep being you.
Right now, you have got quite literally one of the best universities in the United States to go to for the next four years, and by the looks of it, with a hefty financial aid offer. That sting you feel will dissolve quickly once you realize how great of a place NW is.
Good luck!
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I am sorry you are so disappointed. I agree with all the sentiments about Northeastern being a fantastic school and that you are sure to be successful. It doesn’t really accomplish anything to dwell on the woulda, coulda, shoulda possibilities. You should be proud of your accomplishments and use them as a great foundation moving forward.
One thing I would like to mention for others looking for advice in the future is that you need to understand why and how you would be an asset to each school you apply to, as well as being clear about what each school has to offer you. Applying to all of the Ivies indicates that perhaps not enough research was done into each school, short of chasing prestige. A student who would be happy with the Core at Columbia is not the same student looking for the open curriculum at Brown, for example, and admissions staff can see through applications where a student isn’t a good match.
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So you’ll go to a school you perceive as less prestigious than other ones you mention, including, I assume, those that also wanted you, UC Berkeley and GT. That’s because your parents cannot/will not pay for more expensive schools.
Perhaps you should consider them “financial failures” instead of considering yourself an academic failure!
Just kidding, of course. But really, if 10 months from now you still feel you don’t belong, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of transfer advice on this forum.
She’s going to northeastern not northwestern.
Great post otherwise!
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You did great! You have no control over who accepts or rejects you. Having someone “pick” you is really not an accomplishment. It’s just luck. When you get to “adulting” world, you’ll find out that school prestige is WAY down the list of priorities. Employers look for talented and skilled people who know how to work hard and learn. You already have that! Best of luck at Northeastern. It’s a great school!
I offer a couple of practical suggestions, connect with other Northeastern-bound students to get to know this school of your CHOICE and future cohorts better, visit the websites of the professors for whom you might want to work, and read up on some of their publications, to help with landing a coveted lab job in the future, which comes around much faster than you’d expect.
You got into a top college for what you want to study.
They did you a favor, you just don’t recognize it.
Your posts are bordering on “humblebrag”; put your best face forward and move on to your future.
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Well, that’s a word I had never heard of until just now!
People keep telling you, you have to like Northeastern. You don’t.
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Try to keep an open-mind. Give it a try. Don’t force it though. Perhaps, you will grow to like Northeastern. If you do, good.
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Many don’t like the college they attend and do something about it. They earn a great GPA early and transfer to a college they prefer. All good.
Both of the above are perfectly fine. One is certainly not better than the other, no matter what anyone tells you.
- Many other college graduates don’t like their alma mater and wish they went somewhere else. That is what you want to avoid, because you’ll never get those four wonderful years back.
You don’t have to convince yourself you love your first college any more than you have to convince yourself you love your first job or your first career. The worst thing to do is to be complacent or settle for the status quo or whatever the crowd tells you. It is your life. Live it.
‘First whatever’ is simply a starting point. What you do with your start is what matters.
Consistently excel, consistently assess your situation and goals, create opportunities for yourself, seize the moment and blaze your own trail.
The OP should give Northeastern a fair shake, get good grades and if she doesn’t like it, consider a transfer to a school she will like more. However, keep in mind that transferring to an Ivy League or equivalent school will be extremely tough and if Northeastern isn’t the right fit, she should also include more realistic alternatives. Unfortunately, the OPs complaint doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Northeastern itself (which she picked over GT and Berkley - two excellent choices) but is mostly disappointment about not being accepted to a more prestigious college. The unfortunate truth is that thousands of wonderful, academically qualified students are turned away from Ivy League schools every year. Applying to more of them doesn’t increase your chances at any one of them - for unhooked students, regardless of how well qualified/outstanding, chances of admission are minute. It isn’t a reflection of this student, her hard work or anything else but the reality that when it comes to top colleges demand far exceeds the supply.
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Read the book Who Gets In and Why, Jeffrey Selingo. He provides an illuminating glimpse into the college application process.
Personally, I would take any of NU Berkeley and GT over Emory, NY, Duke, Cornell and BC… So, really… Be Happy! Congrats! Enjoy your college years!
Not sure why this thread was bored after 5 months of inactivity, but I am closing. The OP has a newer thread if anyone wants to contribute.