@markpasenter2 - I feel you. My Harvard rejection letter is gonna sting :’(
It’s a crapshoot! I know people that didnt get into notre dame, Villanova , Tulane, but still went to ivys! Don’t doubt yourself.
For those of you that applied to all 8 Ivy’s, could you explain why?
The schools vary widely in terms of setting (rural vs urban), areas of strength, political leanings (moderate to highly liberal), etc. I couldn’t imagine the same person being equally happy at Columbia vs Dartmouth for example, or Brown vs. Princeton.
@hebegebe Sometimes people apply to all eight due to fin aid considerations. They are willing to forego those differences for a great and affordable education. Not everyone can be so fortunate enough as to say “only Brown and Yale – never Columbia!” for instance. No need to second guess others’ decisions and their circumstances.
i applied to all 8. i think ill be rejected by all of them. I’m an international student asking for full aid so hey its to be expected. I guess ill have to stay in my shitty home country sigh.
Glad this thread exists since I need a place to obsess over Ivy decisions without getting blasted with an insane amount of notifications (especially because Ivy threads tend to be so much more active than other threads). I applied to all except Penn and Dartmouth… I have a likely letter from Cornell, but March 31 can’t come soon enough!
@hebegebe I applied to six (not 8, but close enough lol) because I wanted to apply to six of the Ivies. Even though the ones I applied to are very different in terms of location (suburban Princeton vs. urban Columbia), academics (Core Curriculum at Columbia vs. Open Curriculum at Brown), and culture, none of these factors were deal-breakers… except for location in the case of Dartmouth (too rural) and Penn (too close to home). Does that make sense?
I just joined this thread so I know I’m late to the party, but I’m going to answer the old discussion questions (I just want to fit in! haha). I’m going to be on spring break next Thursday so my goal is to sleep until 5 PM if possible (jk). Maybe I’ll go for a run before I get the decisions… that helped clear my mind before Yale SCEA decisions came out. I am definitely against filming myself opening decisions, just because that feels like jinxing it. Also I really don’t want to end up like this kid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9RboW6xJ14 (if CC blocks the link, search for “A Perfect Score” by Landen Enns on YouTube).
I haven’t thought about order, but I guess I’ll save Cornell for last since I have a likely letter and I will want to end with good news. I think I’ll open the first five in order of interest (although I really do like all of them). So that means Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Yale (deferred SCEA), and finally Cornell (LL).
@16elir - 
That video is awful. Damn. And when he thought he got into Virginia, too…
“Even though the ones I applied to are very different in terms of location (suburban Princeton vs. urban Columbia), academics (Core Curriculum at Columbia vs. Open Curriculum at Brown), and culture, none of these factors were deal-breakers”
This is my reasoning as well, @hebegebe.
Applied to five - all but Columbia, Dartmouth, and Cornell. Opening them probably Brown, Yale (the 2 that won’t change my current choice) and then Harvard, Princeton, and closing it off with Penn which I’m REALLY hoping will be an acceptance just due to good connections with my school. Very nervous and excited! Good luck everyone 
@T26E4 said:
My D is a junior now and we will be facing the applications process this fall. You mistakenly thought I was questioning motives when I am simply trying to learn if we are missing something. I get that all the Ivy League schools offer excellent financial aid, but I would estimate there are at least a dozen non-Ivy schools (including liberal arts schools) that are as competitive or stronger than the weaker Ivys, and offer generous aid packages as well. A couple even offer merit scholarships.
I completely understand applying to many of the Ivys, as D will likely apply to four more if she doesn’t get early admission in her preferred Ivy. But at that point she will also be applying to a few of the top 30 non-Ivy schools as well where she thinks there is a good fit, and a couple of safetys as well. We will be full pay, so we are giving importance to fit, strength of her intended major, and merit scholarships.
FWIW, @hebegebe, I thought your post sounded judgmental as well. Your last sentence. Plus, most of these students are also pursuing other schools, I’m guessing. Good luck to your D next fall!
It is perfectly rational to apply to all eight ivies. It baffles me that people would give up an excellent school for its location.
I already got into Cornell (likely letter), Emory (as an Emory Scholars Finalist), USC (as a full tuition Trustee Scholar), and UC Berkeley and UCLA…but dream schools are UPenn, Harvard, and Brown. I don’t know what to expect however since I was waitlisted at Tulane and Case Western, which were my safety schools. So definitely nervous, but hoping for the best!!
I’m probably really out of place here, to be honest… Applied to Brown and UPenn… Definitely expecting rejections from both. I literally applied thinking, “Oh what the heck at least I can say that I applied here” LOL
I’ve been on a rejection streak so far with 2 other colleges with acceptance rates of about 30% each, so not looking so good.
But I have forced myself to open up the emails RIGHT away instead of waiting too long and dragging things on. What happens happens, and having mental breakdowns and not opening up emails immediately won’t change anything.
As your daughter gets ready to sit down and write applications in earnest, I would encourage you and her to purge phrases such as “weaker Ivys” from your lexicon. 
Only 8 more days!!! Ahhhh!!
Got waitlisted from Wellesley today, so expecting rejections from all four ivies I applied to
I got into Bryn Mawr today! my first private acceptance, so it’s giving me a tiny bit of hope. Bryn Mawr has a pretty healthy acceptance rate, though, so that doesn’t even mean anything in context of the ivies.
I don’t think it’s wrong, bad, or should be frowned upon to apply to a lot – or all – of the Ivies. I mean, who are you to judge? Like??? College is a big deal for seniors, and for most of us, it’s a once in a lifetime event. So why the hell not?