...i guess this is it

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>I believe everyone who has received their final results. Me too. I got waitlisted. I don’t know why I am writing this, but I really want to talk about my experience.
I am a Chinese student, living in a mediate city in china. (I bet you have never heard about the city…) the province I live in, Shandong, is the no.1 province in terms of GDP in china. But for kids here, they are so unfortunate. Probably you have heard about the education system in china—the only thing that matters is the final exam at the end of the senior high school. The scores you get in that test is the only criterion for your tertiary education admission. Every student here works very hard to get a high score in the final exam. However, what’s even worse, the exam is not fair for students in this province. The lowest score you need to be admitted to a university often doubles the score for a Beijing student or a shanghai student. For other unis, the lowest score is often 100-200 lower than that of a Shandong student.
In order to compete with students in other provinces, I get up at 5:50am, and arrive at my school before 6:30amevery day. After that, I spend about 16 hours in my classroom (6:30am to 22:00, with a 20 minute break in the morning, a 1.5 hour break at noon, and a 30 minute break in the evening). Generally speaking, i will have a one-day off for every half a month. I am not saying that I am hardworking, because every student here is doing exactly the same thing. Though I felt tired and fatigued all the time, I was one of the top students in my school. Usually, I was ranked 7 or 8 among 700+students. I seldom get a score in any subject lower than the A. (only once as I remembered)
The situation lasted for 2 years (grade 10 and grade11). When the grade 12 came, I made a decision to take part in GAC program (global assessment certificate).in GAC, I will be able to access western-style education, and prepare for my overseas studying. However, I did not gain support from any of my family member at first. I spend the whole winter holiday to convince my parents. Finally, they agreed. I still can remember my excited mood when they agreed. (I have thought that as long as I am as hardworking as I used to be, I will be admitted to a top school)
In GAC, I studied how to do a presentation, how to reference, how to collecting data using computer software, how to designing website. Also I finished calculus as well as statistics. However, I did not do as well as I used to, because everything suddenly changed: the way to answer a question, the way to assess me, and the way to be a good student. I only get a 3.3 GPA for my first two terms. (which I sent to wustl)
Besides GAC, I prepared for the graduation test of all courses that are taught in Chinese schools, and I got 9As and 1 B(for politics which I did not finish studying because of GAC). Moreover, I prepared for IELTS for a couple of months and took part in the test twice(7.5 finally). After finishing preparing for IELTS, I only got one month to prepare for ACT, which I have no idea what that is at that time. I clearly remembered that I never slept before 1am in that month, and I got up at 5:50am for school. Finally I got a 31 for composite score. I tried, really, I tried so hard.
Even so, I was pretty sure that I will be waitlisted. 7.5 for ielts, 31 for act, and 4.0gpa for first two terms and a 3.3 for the third term, and no time for extra-curriculum activities………..,.wustl? yeah, in my dream.</p>

<p>Now, I finally got the decision. I don’t know what to say…the things I promised my parents when I wanted to take part in GAC seem so stupid and naïve. </p>

<p>I know that the applicants to wustl increased by 15% this year. And no student who got waitlisted last year was admitted. The chance for me to be admitted is probably (or definitely 0)
I want to tell all students, who are going to apply to top schools like wustl, start preparing as early as possible. Don’t let my story happen again.</p>

<p>Finally, congratulations to those who were admitted and sorry for those who are waitlisted or deferred like me.
(if this kind of post is not proper to be posted here, please feel free to delete it )</p>

<p>Best wished to all.</p>

2

<p>chinadam, I’m so sorry things worked out for you the way they did after all your hard work. Were you able to apply to other US schools, or were you only allowed to apply to one? Are you still able to go to university in China? You have displayed such dedication and perseverance; it will pay off in the long run, even if it doesn’t look like it now. Best wishes for you wherever you end up.</p>

3

<p>chinadam,
I second what momdoc has said. Your dedication will be rewarded. It has shaped you into a person who knows how to work hard, and that will pay off throughout your life. Most of those of us who are parents have experienced disappointments on the road to where we are today. The key is to look ahead to the next step and keep going. Good luck with your next step, whether it is your application to other US universities, to Chinese universities or to something else. I admire your hard work.</p>

4

<p>I’m sorry that you weren’t admitted. It seems like you really deserved it! Unfortunately, it’s not about just “deserving it.” Many many many applicants deserved it, but only those Wash U thought would be a good fit for THEIR specific class got in. Just because Wash U doesn’t think you’d be a good fit there, doesn’t mean your achievements are any less important than they are. You should be proud of yourself and I’m sure you will be successful where ever you go! I really hope you get admitted SOMEWHERE in the US though because it seems like you really want to be here and that your university system in China sucks >.<. It makes me stop and think about how grateful I am to be here.</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!</p>

<p>Also, who knows…? WashU had to under-enroll this year because of over-enrollment last year. Maybe they overestimated yield a bit too much and you will be admitted :slight_smile: I would definitely stay on the waitlist if I were you and I would send WashU an email about all of this and how you would really love to attend the school.</p>

5

<p>I am terribly sorry. I am so moved by your story and the amount of dedication you have. Please don’t take this news as more meaningful than it is though. This doesn’t mean that you will not come to a top US school for your education, it only means that you are waitlisted at this particular school. The acceptance rates were actually BELOW 10% this year and that means thousands of well qualified, top applicants were waitlisted unfortunately. Obvisouly you have worked incredibly hard and I believe without question, that your time will come.</p>

6

<p>Slightly off topic but were acceptance rates really that low???</p>

7

<p>Dont give up. youve worked way to hard to stop now. even if you dont go to washu, you have a bright future ahead of you</p>

8

<p>“I know that the applicants to wustl increased by 15% this year. And no student who got waitlisted last year was admitted”</p>

<p>Seriously? No one who was waitlisted got accpeted O_o</p>

9

<p>Please do not give up on your dream of a Western education. Many college campuses in the U.S. and other countries would be enhanced by a person with your courage, work ethic, and dedication. Go to college; does it have to be WashU? In fact, I know people who received their university education in China and came to the U.S. for graduate studies. There are many ways to go! Be proud of yourself and set a new path! Good luck to you.</p>

10

<p>thank you all for your concerns and kind words. i really appreciate it that you all tried to make me feel better. and i am feeling better now~i was admitted to many other US unis, too, though they are not my ideal schools. i will wait for the results, and i will not give up~thank you again, you are all so nice.
best wishes~(^.^)</p>