<p>Don’t worry, I think it’s normal, I think I’m kinda going through the same thing… it’s not like work at Brown/Duke won’t be challenging, and those are both schools you like, so who’s to say that Harvard/Columbia would be better? Maybe their names are a bit more prominent, but that doesn’t mean they’re better schools, or a better fit for you. In my case, I had the SAT scores for one of the IV schools but I elected to go to Notre Dame instead, which is still a good school. I think it’s just a letdown after all the emotional anxiety you feel before, the once you realize you got in, you want something to be anxious about again…but just relax, like LasMa said, you had good reasons for the decisions you made, and they’re both great schools!</p>
<p>I’m in graduate school - in the middle of my second year - and I still sometimes wish I had applied to more selective schools. I was definitely in that range as an applicant, and the schools might have been more affordable than I was assuming at the time. I’m easily able to drop the dwelling, though, because I now attend an Ivy League graduate school, so I’m content 
Now I’m just focused on teaching at one of those places I could’ve gone to in undergrad.</p>
<p>It’s totally normal, I think, but the important thing to do is drop it. Force yourself not to dwell and to realize that you’ll be happy with your choice when you go.</p>
<p>Although I disagree with hmom5, even though she’s worked in Ivy admissions before. The stats don’t necessarily agree with her 
Even if your scores were still a 2010, that lies just below the middle 50% of admitted first-year students at Duke (2040) and lies well within the middle 50% of first-year students at Brown (1980).</p>
<p>“My SAT’s are good and my GPA is just a little better than cripplingly bad, and I would gladly trade 300 points of my SAT for a .3 addition to my GPA.”</p>
<p>Amen to that.</p>
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<p>This is admirable but unfortunately, middle 50 is not all that great a position to be in at schools with very low admit rates. If you’re in the middle range for matriculated students at these schools, then you can expect you’ll need to be well above the middle range of applying students in other areas (grades, ECs, etc.) And middle 50 at Brown or Duke does not mean middle 50 at Harvard. You may have all sorts of other great things going for you, but so do many other kids applying to HYPS. Furthermore, since ECs, etc., are so subjective, top 25% can mean that you not only have to perform exceptionally well, but also do it in unusual areas that grab the adcoms’ attention. Yet another varsity sport or school leadership position may not cut it.</p>
<p>So, although application remorse is normal, you probably were wise to focus your efforts on a smaller number of more likely reach schools, instead of spreading your efforts thin on very unlikely ones.</p>
<p>I feel the same way. Actually, I never even applied to Ivy League. My dream school is MIT, but I never applied because I had some issues back home. I really wish I would of. I’m stuck at a liberal arts no name college in missoura (in my sophmore year) and I ain’t happy. </p>
<p>I had a 3.47 GPA in hs, a 21 on ACT (yes I know its low). Not really sure if being a minority would have helped me (think it would have at MIT). Regrets…</p>
<p>" I feel the same thing. I really, really wanted to go to Brown or UChicago, but I didn’t think I’d get into either so I didn’t apply. I justify it to myself that I could transfer there later or go for grad school" </p>
<p>omg, I FEEL THE SAME WAY! I not only let my fear take over, but I let my mom influence my descision too. I am wondering if I am ruining my self by saying I’ll wait until grad school. For me, going to a no name college means I have to work a million times harder to go to grad school! Oh, well:p</p>
<p>I already posted on here, but in addition to not applying to places where I could get good scholarships, I regret not applying to some top-tier LACs. The lack of merit aid scared me away, but maybe it would’ve worked. And unlike the Ivies others have mentioned, I blew my only chance for the ones which are undergrad-only.</p>
<p>Completely normal for any one to feel regret in the school they actually selected. I think its about what you really make of your college experience once you get there and to really enjoy what the school has to offer. Those are the things that will be remembered when you look back at this stage in your life.</p>
<p>Just a quick comment in response to a post I saw on the last page of this thread. Just because your scores are in the “50%” range for a school doesnt really make you statistically competitive for that college. With all the hooked applicants out there, unhooked people do really need to be in the top 75% range in order to have a realistic chance at the given school. Are there exceptions? Sure there are, but a 2010 or w/e really isnt an “ivy caliber” test score.</p>
<p>I understand where all of you are coming from, and I feel ya! I’ve felt remorse over various things in the entire application process…first because I didn’t apply ED to my top choice (my parents wanted me to compare financial aid packages), and while initially I felt kind of left out, I think it was for the best.
HOWEVER, that being said, I definitely feel some remorse - I think I applied to a great mix of schools, but I feel like I underestimated my own chances, and probably could have applied to one or two more reach schools (Brown and UPenn) that I initially really liked. I figured I wouldn’t get in, but after seeing a decent amount of classmates with lower scores, GPAs, etc. get in, I feel like I should have taken my chances…especially since people give me strange looks when I tell them where I’m applying.</p>
<p>Oy. People in my town have Ivy fever. I’m happy with the places I applied, but sometimes I feel like I let other people intimidate me out of applying.</p>
<p>Standard, well-rounded applicants in the top 100% of the SAT profile for selective schools are routinely rejected. The SAT certainly plays a role, but by no means is it the only factor. I’m not sure I agree with the idea that it’s better to have a GPA that’s 0.3 pts higher than an SAT score 300 points higher. Would you rather have a 3.82 and 2300, or a 3.85 and 2000?</p>
<p>^ Um, .3, not .03</p>
<p>Good catch. I might choose a 4.0 (UW) and 2000 over a 3.7 and 2300.</p>
<p>I definitely wouldn’t. That 4.0 UW could be the result of extreme grade inflation or a transcript with almost no rigor.</p>