<p>I hope i am not the only one who is obsessed with college admissions.</p>
<p>Am i one of only a few students infatuated with this process? because it seems to have taken over my life and I don't know what to do. </p>
<p>First off, YES i HAVE a life and NO i do not define who i am based on my CC "stats" list. I have interests, goals, and loves that help make up who i am. They are not merely on my college application resume...</p>
<p>Regardless...I am finding it harder and harder to stop thinking about making my dream a reality and going to my first choice school. I am a junior but this time last year...my sister was waitlisted at her first 3 choices of school. I felt so bad and i decided right then and there that i would work my hardest and get into the school i want to go to...</p>
<p>but now. that is all i think about. I think it is funny that im asking for advice on how to deal with this because i know some parents would die to have their kids feel about college like i do...but it has gotten to the point where this is all i think about.</p>
<p>You didn't really ask for advice, but hey - I'm a parent and that's what we do.</p>
<p>My suggestion - don't have a "dream school." Apply to all sorts of schools that you like and can see yourself going to. Don't rank them on your application list. Only fall in love during the acceptance process. That way you won't be crushed and can be happy with whatever the results are.</p>
<p>I like to call this the CC syndrome. Posting too much on CC will make you begin to get obsessed about the college admission process and you will start to think that your already good schools are not good enough and you should apply to even better schools. Dont' be sucked in. I was sucked in and had to take a breather to get an outside perspective. Do not base your decisions too much on what people say around here or anyone in general. Go where you think you will do your best.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm feeling the same way. I have dreams about QuestBridge. Which is ridiculous. I dream about going to California and attending Stanford. Sometimes the dreams are hilarious, in which the dean of admissions personally calls me and tells me that he wept when he read my essays, etc. </p>
<p>I feel the same way about completely kicking myself into doing my work and doing my best. I really, really want to get into my first choice schools. However, Kenshinsan gives good advice. It's because we're on CC and we're surrounded by academic powerhouses. Take a step back, into reality, and realize that not everyone has to be doing 20398021380218 activities and such to be accepted to a great school.</p>
<p>While certainly not un-obsessed with the college admissions process (Yes, I own 5 college advice magazines, 10 books, the Fiske's Guide, have read at least 5 others, and belong/belonged to about 10 different college websites), I also have some advice for you. </p>
<p>1) I second the "don't have a dream school" advice. We all know why.
2) You don't stipulate what your dream school is, but if it is an Ivy/Ivy level school, know that there is absolutely nothing that you can do that will assure you admittance there. I'm not saying don't work hard--not at all!--but there is no activity, no test score, no hook, not even a combination of all of the above that can assure you acceptance. You didn't quite say this, but it is human nature to think "If I only work hard enough, I can do anything." Unfortunately, there are only a few spots at Ivy/Ivy type schools, and many times that number of applicants who were highly qualified and though the same thing to themselves. Most of them simply cannot be accepted--it isn't a mark on them as people. </p>
<p>Murkywater is right--you needn't be a god to be accepted to a great school. But to become fixated on a dream school, especially if the dream is as difficult to attain as the Ivy League, is an excercise in almost sure futility.</p>
<p>THANK YOU! I am going to step back (perhaps not visit CC for a while) and take a breather. </p>
<p>While it is hard for me to put away my dream school as my most favored etc, I will look more into my other choices and show myself that they are just as great.</p>
<p>Thanks to you all. also, if you are still involved in the college admission process...good luck!</p>
<p>I've been posting on this board under two different usernames since 2004. I went through two entire admissions cycles here before it was even time for me to apply. I knew all about the need for a balanced list and a safety you love; I read all the books, visited seventeen colleges, made spreadsheets in Excel, and calculated all kinds of statistics. I applied to three safeties, two matches, and five reaches, including two Ivies. I wrote candid, eloquent essays, mailed photography slides, and aced my interviews. I didn't pick favorites, I said, because I needed to compare financial aid packages. I was mature and realistic and felt secretly superior because I'd done everything right.</p>
<p>... Then Princeton rejected me, and before I'd even caught my breath I was making plans to take a year off to earn money to volunteer in Africa for a few months to find the meaning of life -- after which I'd reapply to Princeton, my dream school, because of course they'd take me, they'd made a mistake, I was perfect for them, why couldn't they see? I cried. I railed. I cycled between mania and lethargy. I did everything I'd always said I was too sensible for.</p>
<p>It's less than a week later, and I am wearing the sweater I ordered three days after my Princeton rejection. It's green and has DARTMOUTH written in white across the front. I've always hated being told that everything happens for a reason, but some of the differences between the schools (that I'd overlooked because I'd fallen so in love with the idealized version of my dream school) make me believe that this might actually be for the best. I'm happy.</p>
<p>I'm sure most people won't take rejection as badly as I did, because (for better or for worse) I've always been a crazyintense sort of person, but take this as a cautionary tale. :)</p>
<p>I really mean it...I am going to step back and away and CHILL OUT while still working hard. The only dream school is the one i end up at because I know i will be happy there- no matter what school it ends up being.</p>
<p>Though not as devestated as camelia (ironically, considering that both of my parents went to Princeton...guess I was a bit more successful in not having a dream school :)), I can definitely also attest to the truth in her post. Yeah, I moped around for a few days and worried about what my classmates would say when we came back from spring break ("YOU didn't get in! No wonder I didn't get in!"...nice to know people believe in you, even if it doesn't change the college decisions), but it takes an amazingly short time to move on. I have since become focused on choosing from the 4 great schools that I did get into, planning my trips there, weighing the differences and advantages (Greenwich Village? Gorgeous Campus? Cool, awesome kids?) and really looking forward to next year. When I made my college list, I made sure that I only applied to schools that I loved, and it has paid off for me--I want to attend all of the schools that I got into!!! Why must I only choose one....</p>