Lower test score range for Penn State, big party school reputation…and I’d rather be near DC. And are those rankings for undergrad?
@intparent yes it is for undergrad and I live very close to DC right now so getting away might be nice too 
You will certainly overcome this but some disappointment is understandable. Given your numbers, most people (including myself) would expect you to be a lock at the state flagships that you applied to, including UVA. I have heard very few instance where in state students with perfect or near perfect numbers were rejected by their state flagship.
Given your results, it’s reasonable to wonder if you could have been done in by either a lackluster recommendation or perhaps your common application essay missed the mark, for whatever reason.
If I were in your shoes, I would ask your GC or someone at your school to intervene on your behalf, starting with UVA. I would have the person make clear to UVA that you would love to be accepted off the wait list and that you will attend if given the chance. You could of course try this tactic with other schools where you were wait listed at but I would think your best chance is at UVA since flagships have a mandate to accept the best and brightest from within their state. Good luck; I sincerely hope that brighter days are ahead for you.
I think you’ll be successful in life regardless of where you go for undergrad.
In any case, definitely try the WL approach with UVa. If your unenthusiasm for UVa came through in your app, they may have thought that you were a low-yield candidate, but tell them that they are your definite #1 choice.
Failing that, Ross, McIntire, and K-F are all 3Y or 2Y programs, so you could apply to them still (though for K-F, you’d have to first transfer in to UNC, though for OOS, transferring in to UNC is easier than getting in as a freshman). Possibly also try to transfer in to AEM or Marshall or Stern though I would not hold out much hope for those.
However, once you’re a Lion, you may not want to leave. PSU has one of the strongest alumni networks among state schools.
Did you try for Ross pre-admit?
Also, for any future applicants reading, with stats like this, if the idea is to get in to a top-tier b-school (and family can afford full-pay), I would recommend ED1 to Stern.
@Ljtjrose I think I will try to pursue the UVA waitlist as best I can and @PurpleTitan I did apply pre-admit for Ross! I think transferring is definitely something I am heavily considering but if anyone has any insight, I don’t think I would be unhappy at Penn State, but I definitely want to get into Harvard for graduate school as their programs match exactly what I want to do, so would I stand a better chance of being admitted to HBS and HLS if I transfer to Ross, K-F, McIntire, etc or would Smeal give me that same opportunity (considering UVA wl doesn’t work out)?
For UMich, forget about the Naviance data. It is from the average of past years and does not reflect the current status. The admission stat there went up significantly in recent years. The admission average ACT last year was 32 (33 for CoE). Those include in state students that often have a little lower average admission stat. There are plenty of ACT35 or SAT2300+ got rejected every year.
My older kid was also rejected and WL at most of her top choices. She was only admitted to her matches and safeties. And no, I don’t believe people are always happy to go their safeties. My daughter did get off both of her WL schools. She and her GCs did work hard to get her off. Her GC got all of her students off their top choice WL schools that year. She did it by preparing a new packet (essay, LORs, updated transcript, updated counselor letter). She also called those schools regularly to get updates. I wouldn’t send the packet until 2nd or 3rd week of April.
@billcsho umich is a very hard school to get into and I respect that but in my school/ county it seems they admitted legacies alone. There was a big disparity between the stats of those who got waitlisted or rejected and those accepted simply because of legacies and @oldfort that is a wonderful suggestion thank you so much for sharing!
Legacy doesn’t always get you in – one of my kids would have been a fourth generation Wolverine and got a courtesy waitlist. I have in-state friends who are alums whose kids got rejected outright. It is an oversimplification to assume they just got in due to legacy status.
First of all, your grades are absolutely amazing and your hard work will take you places whether you go to your dream school or to your safety school. Some students may get accepted to their dream school only to realize their first year they are in over their heads. It’s one thing to get in, but staying in is a different story. So, chin up, be proud of yourself and kill it at Penn State!
Is it possible that you turned in your application towards the end of the deadline? My nephew who had similar grades to yours applied at UofM only to get rejected. Other kids in his class were shocked because they got accepted and their grades were not as good as his. He eventually graduated from MSU and was extremely happy.
@intparent I’m sure legacy isn’t a sure shot in but in my school ONLY legacies got in and they were underqualified in the sense they had sub 4.0 weighted GPAs and low ACT/SAT scores and many other kids got rejected who ended up getting into ivies or were far more qualified. It may not be a sure shot way in but certainly was a very big factor.
@Rhoda123 I applied towards the end of the deadline for EA, got deferred and then eventually waitlisted !
UVa also seems to have a much higher EA admit rate than RD admit rate for in-state kids. Some state schools seem to still have a bit of a rolling admissions mindset (which makes some sense considering the gigantic number of applications they receive), so it really behooves applicants to send in applications as soon as possible.
Also, don’t focus on HBS, though you could get there from PSU. What does HBS give you that various other M7 b-schools won’t?
OP your stats and ECs are amazing. I too am surprised, but it sounds like you are really dealing exceptionally well with this. You no longer sound “miserable” which is a good thing! Also you never know, you may be high on the waitlists. After May 1 you may be hearing from some schools. In the meantime, you do have two excellent options – good for you that you made sure to be in this position of getting to choose between two great schools.
As some have suggested, continue pursuing your wait lists. Exhaust your efforts so in the end you are not looking back thinking you could’ve-would’ve-should’ve. You may in the end feel it’s not worth the effort and be happy deciding between the two that accepted you. Good luck. And I don’t blame you for not feeling happy for others. Just fake smile through it all. Good luck and let us know what happens.
The thing I see a lot of posters forgetting is that you don’t know everything that is in another person’s app. You don’t know who lied to their friends about their test scores, who has great or lukewarm recommendations (or chose poorly for who they asked to write them), what the GCs recommendation says, how their (or your) essay was perceived by admissions, whether other people had ECs outside school you don’t even know about (my kids had some great ones their friends didn’t have any idea about), how that person’s interviews went, or whether they have some URM status you don’t know about (I know a kid in D2’s class who had a great URM hook, but hardly anyone in school knew – I just know because I am friends with his parents outside of school). People even lie about where they got in. So this drumbeat out here of “people less qualified than I am” getting in is ridiculous. You cannot know all the components of another person’s app.
@intparent your point is very valid and I certainly do not mean to be putting anyone down but I didn’t expect to end up in this situation so I am quite distressed and disappointed. @PurpleTitan for me it was more about the particular JD/ MBA program Harvard offers as that is exactly what I want to do, I want to go there more for this particular program than the name. I am seriously considering transferring and I know many people say not to go into college with that mindset but in my situation if I wish to transfer to Ross for example I need to take some specific courses, etc. transferring to Ross only has a 1% acceptance rate which I must admit scares me … Any thoughts?
You aren’t the only person who truly wants to go to a top program because of the actual program. That doesn’t help you get in. And honestly, thinking that ONE grad school program is the only one that can get you to some career goal that you have is just as ill conceived as the idea that only a tiny subset of colleges can get you to your career goal. My suggestion is to bloom where you are planted. Create a list of grad schools (not just one) that can get you to your planned career goal (which may very well have changed by the time you get to senior year of college anyway). You seem to be setting yourself up for the same disappointment all over again. There is not one path to ANYTHING. Open your mind to the other possibilities.
Only 3% of 18 year olds end up going to a college that admits fewer than half of their students. It may not feel like it, but you’re already in elite company. You should feel proud of that.
@aban91 Legacy does help a little bit at UMich and I know a few kids with lower than 25th percentile stat got admitted likely because of legacy. Do you have any legacy at UMich? If not, the odd is against you further. Note that the admission stat is calculated from all students including those from in state and with legacy that may drag the number lower already. So the actual average admission stat for OOS and without legacy would be even higher than the 32/33 overall average. This year, I did see a lot more ACT 35 got rejected. Not sure if it is due to Tufts syndrome or it is indeed getting even more competitive this year.