How to tell people you've been accepted to top colleges?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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<p>I understand your situation. The situation is really awkward for me. I recently got accepted to Penn while my peers got rejected. The thing is that I was never really serious about going there, and I didnt even give an interview. It was people's dreams and 4 people from my class ed'd there. I felt kind of bad that I got in and I might just end up going to UCLA. (Which by the way can you guys help me figure out which is the better choice; I'm planning on studying Electrical Engineering.)</p>

<p>Like wired_LAIN said, i feel like im taking my friends' dreams and just not using it. My dream was Stanford and I got rejected.</p>

<p>Anyways, all i did was tell my family and my 4 close friends. Soon enough i had people texting me and congratulating me. People were even posting the news on my facebook. I had to delete their comments because it would have been really cocky to have left it there.</p>

<p>But yeah, thats how everyone found out and i didnt have to do much of the awkward things like tell people. Plus, im not the kind of person who would tell without being asked.</p>

<p>Another strategy i used for breaking the news was using my rejections first. Like I said, "I just got rejected from Stanford, my dream school. And i got accepted at Penn." By the way the dissapointment was not feigned either. I was really bummed out on my rejection at Stanford. But hey, life moves on i guess.</p>

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<p>Oh yeah, another thing you could do is change your facebook status to something along the lines of "Jessica is EXTRA-SUPER-HAPPY!111!!!1!" right after decisions come out. Then people will start asking ;)</p>

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<p>Also.</p>

<p>This question seems to make an assumption about the audience: that the audience goes to your average public upper-middle class high school. </p>

<p>Because, the way one decides to convey one's acceptance to a top school will have a different reception in different schools.</p>

<p>Lower class urban high school student: "What's MIT?"
Thomas Jefferson High School at Science and Technology: "you got in MIT due to your own luck, and you got in even though that dude with better stats than you got rejected. Your acceptance does nothing but testify to the arbitrary nature of college admissions. Oh, MIT certainly does have a lowest 10% of the class. I'm sure you'll fit in that lowest 10% quite nicely"</p>

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<p>InquilineKea: I assume you're familiar with TJ? </p>

<p>MIT can only take so many from there every year, I guess. Same probably goes for Caltech, Olin, and other top engineering schools.</p>

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<p>i think david sedaris said it best (though the situation was a bit different, so i'll try to paraphrase/ contextualize here for your enjoyment):</p>

<p>First, check if the person you want to tell has a gun or weapon. If that person asks if you got into college, respond "what? me go to college?"</p>

<p>If that person has a degree/ is generally smart, you're allowed to say "sort of, I think so". </p>

<p>"So where do you sort of think you went?”</p>

<p>And it's the next bit that you have to get just right. Inflection is everything, and it took the foreign students forever to master it.</p>

<p>“Where do you sort of think you went?”</p>

<p>Then you say “Umm, [Insert Prestigious College Here]?”—as if it were an oral exam, and you aren't quite sure that this is the correct answer.</p>

<p>“[Insert Prestigious College Here] my goodness,” the person would say. “That must have been quite something!”</p>

<p>You have to let him get it out, but once he starts in on how brilliant and committed you must be, it's time to hold up your hands, saying, “Oh, it isn’t that hard to get into.”</p>

<p>Then he’d say, “Really? But I heard—”</p>

<p>“Wrong,” you tell him. “You heard wrong. It’s not that great of a school.”</p>

<p>This's the way it had to be done—you have to play it down, which isn't easy when your dad is out there, reading your acceptance letter into a bullhorn.</p>

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<p>A bottom 10% at MIT? Impossible! Every kid at MIT is above average.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
MIT can only take so many from there every year, I guess. Same probably goes for Caltech, Olin, and other top engineering schools.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Even so, it means that MIT doesn't necessarily take the students with highest GPAs/test scores from TJHSST. That may be a better policy than a policy that auto-takes the highest test scores/GPA, but students are still going to complain about it, especially if their best friends were the ones to get rejected. </p>

<p>By test scores - I'm referring to more than just SATs - I'm also referring to AMCs and Olympiads.</p>

<p>In fact, if MIT can only take a few students from TJHSST each year, that may only further increase competition and animosity among the students.</p>

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<p>Like the kids at my school seem to do...</p>

<p>Go and buy every item of clothing that school makes. Make sure not to get something subtle. I'm talking school colored hoodies with giant print on them. Wear it everywhere. Face paint is optional but recommended for that extra umph. Don't miss any chance to have pretentious discussions about how your school is superior to everyone else's. Don't miss any chance to downplay everybody, and drop the name like crazy. Car stickers, tattoos... whatever makes your point.</p>

<p>JK of course... keep it low key. No need to broadcast it unless someone asks you... then there's no point in lying. I think modesty is the best policy here.</p>

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<p>^I ordered some Yale shirts from ivysport but have yet to receive them...I want them before spring break :(</p>

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<p>Anyways, most people at my school won't know what Yale is anyways. Maybe Stanford, b/c I'm in California.</p>