Long time lurker asking out of curiosity. The title explains it all.
Northwestern, Wash UStL, Bowdoin (Merit $), Middlebury, Wesleyan, USC, NYU, College of William and Mary (Merit $), Iowa (full ride merit $)
How about you?
In life, making one choice will necessarily preclude others. I recently shared Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” with some graduating international students. Picking where to attend college can be difficult, particularly when one has other excellent alternatives. The key is not to look back and think what if, but rather, maximise the opportunity that you now have been given. Once, you come to college in the fall, it won’t even matter where you were accepted even though graduating as a senior you may want bragging rights (I was guilty of that unfortunately), or perhaps you also feel similar to me back then, and want to reassure yourself and others, that you had made the right choice. This was particularly true for me since some of my friends and family (my parents were immigrants to America) knew very little about Amherst but certainly knew Yale. On the other hand, where I was accepted has never landed me an internship, post-graduate interview, or job. It certainly has not shaped my sense of overall satisfaction with life. What has mattered, has been taking full advantage of the special opportunities that one has been blessed with, and what you will soon enjoy. This holds true whether you attend Amherst or had chosen to attend any of the other great schools that also accepted you.
I would urge you to read the poem again. I have read it at various junctures of my life, and still find the words refreshing and inspirational. Here are the last lines:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Frost was our best, IMO; so many great poems and coined phrases.
Cornell (Tanner Dean Scholar), Johns Hopkins, UVA (Echols and College Science Scholars), William and Mary (Monroe Scholar), Colgate ($), Wesleyan, Brandeis ($), University of Rochester ($)
@SoapyMango - Confused by your mention of merit $ for Bowdoin. Are you talking about the $1 or 2K for NMS?
@doschicos Can’t remember exactly what it was called but very similar to Monroe (at W&M). It was 3k stipend to be used during a summer toward education (at another institution), educational travel, research or to compliment an unpaid internship. Why? I was really flattered and surprised.
Kudos, @soapymango. Just wondering because I was unaware that Bowdoin had merit aid like that. They don’t seem to advertise it. You had great choices but I’m sure you’ll be happy and do great at Amherst.
Thanks! Yeah, I didn’t know they did either. It was just in the black folder on a certificate with a letter behind the regular admit letter and admit certificate. I actually didn’t see it for over 24 hours!