<p>My dream has always been to go to an ivy league school and that dream is becoming more and more unlikely. I go to a private school from 8-5:30 where I have double the classes a normal kid has because I have a Jewish class for every secular class that I have. I take 3 APs which Im up until 2 every night doing work for it. I have taken on the hardest curriculum possible and spend my saturday nights studying as well as any extra free time i have. I have a million extracurriculars and put in full effort for them. I took a PSAT and basically got a 174...everything i worked SO HARD FOR seems pointless...I dont even feel like studying anymore because i feel like a lost cause...</p>
<p>Going to an Ivy league school should not be your only goal. There are many, many great universities out there where you will get a great education and have a great college experience. As I’ve told my own kids, you can go anywhere and be anything!!!</p>
<p>(By the way, my “brilliant” valedictorian son with many EC’s, great ACT’s/SAT’s NMS… was waitlisted but did not get in to any Ivy’s. He is very happy at his non-Ivy (and has a full scholarship with perks to boot. He ended up with great, non-Ivy options. Do not limit yourself to the Ivy’s. Keep up the good work and you will have great options too. Remember, there are many qualified students applying for few spots. Schools can not take everyone that applies. )</p>
<p>Wait…don’t give up.</p>
<p>Your DREAM is your ultimate career! :)</p>
<p>Do you really think that you can only be successful and have a happy life if you go to an Ivy school???</p>
<p>It’s good that you’re giving up so early.</p>
<p>Most people don’t realize that they should give up such silly dreams until it’s way too late. You have an advantage over those people because you have a lot more time to plan something realistic to make yourself the best that you can be.</p>
<p>Best decision you’ve ever made!</p>
<p>Congratulations.</p>
<p>Aren’t you tired? You’re doing all this just to go to an Ivy League college? It’s not worth it. Work hard on the things you enjoy doing. Do the extracurriculars that you like, study hard in the areas where you feel like learning. There are so many excellent colleges outside of the Ivy League. By going to one of them you won’t miss out, in fact you might be better off.</p>
<p>newest newb- it doesnt seem like you gave up on “such silly dreams” so easily. apparently you go to princeton.</p>
<p>First, it sounds like you have bitten off way, way more than you can chew and are now dealing with a nervous breakdown. Calm down and look at things objectively. If you’re work is truly keeping you up until two in the morning, you need to cut back. You do not need a million EC’s to get into a good school- no matter what you see here on CC. Pick anywhere from 2-4 of your EC’s and devote yourself to them. If you show leadership, you will be fine. </p>
<p>You need some time to sleep, be a teenager, and realize that getting into an ivy will not be the greatest accomplishment of your life. There is so much more beyond those few, short years, and so much before them, too. On the same note, ivies are not the only schools worth attending. Take it from someone who chose not to apply to any of them. </p>
<p>Second, don’t let the PSAT’s get you down. I went into them with no prior studying, no stress, and no awareness of a scholarship. I got a 214, and didn’t think twice about them until I got a rather annoying flood of college letters talking about my score. Really, unless you care about National Merit, they don’t mean much. If you continue your suicidal courseload when it’s time to take the real deal - the SAT, you will find that you have no time to take the multiple practice sittings you need to familiarize yourself with the test. You’re not going to help your score by insisting on such a busy academic life. </p>
<p>Don’t give up. You’re probably a very intelligent student who is simply asking too much from a 24-hour day. Find a college you love, not because of it’s ivy status, learn what you need to do to get in, and then, for God’s sake, go have a little fun and get your eight hours of sleep per night. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Wait you just took the PSAT?</p>
<p>So you’re what… a junior? Sophmore? </p>
<p>And your whole life is hinged upon Ivy league acceptance?</p>
<p>I know this may seem shocking, but what would you honestly do once you got to an Ivy league? Besides name, what’s going to change your experience that much that you have to go to an Ivy? Because based on the fact that you haven’t even chosen one particular one for any reason, and it should be just an “ivy” ANY ivy, I’m going to say that almost nothing about the experience will be better “just because its an ivy.” It might be better because [insert choice ivy here] is a great fit, but not always. </p>
<p>You’re not a lost cause, you’re just seriously buying into a brand name and not at all an education. To liken it to something else:</p>
<p>A designer purse is really great and might make you look good. But it might not compare to a non-designer anything if it’s not you. All ‘purses’ (Read: Schools) are functional. Some are better for your personality, some are more flexible, some will give you more freedom, and others will give you deeper pockets (more FA). </p>
<p>A logo does nothing for you in the long run. Try thinking about other fantastic places that interest you.</p>
<p>EDIT: I agree with gofygure. Get some sleep. Calm down. Actually spend time doing something besides schoolwork.</p>
<p>Excellent post Gofygure. I am also someone who was unclear what the point of the PSAT was. Now 30 years later I know.</p>
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<p>If this is true and newest newb goes to Princeton then the fact that he/she posted what they did just gives it more credibility.</p>
<p>Well reason Id want to go to princeton would be
- Incredible professors whom have great insight
- A student body i could learn from as well
- An amazing integrated science program
- opportunity to work anywhere afterwards</p>
<p>There are so many colleges where you can get 1., 2. and 3.</p>
<p>As for 4. what makes you think Princeton grads can work anywhere? Do you seriously think that there is not one Princeton grad who has ever been turned down for a job? Well, that’s what you just said. Incidentally, you don’t have to be able to work anywhere, you just have to be able to work somewhere.</p>
<p>This is why I tell people that their goal should never be to get into an Ivy League school. Because most people who make that their goal have the same problem you have; whenever ANYTHING they do turns out badly, they think it’s a tragedy that’s going to destroy their life.</p>
<p>The fact is, if you are a 4.0 student with tons of extracurriculars, you’re going to get into a good school. You’re going to have a good learning environment, get a good degree, and end up with a good job. All of this is almost certainly going to happen, and it does NOT hinge on you getting into one of 8 specific colleges.</p>
<p>Thank you for explaining some of your reasoning. If you’re interested in ISP, I’m sure you already know that there are other great schools out there offering that program- Northwestern comes to mind. Judging by your other thread, there are many schools that would gladly accept a student of your qualifications. </p>
<p>My point through all of this is that the odds of any one individual being rejected from an Ivy are very, very high. I hate to be honest with you, but there’s a good chance that you are overworking yourself pursuing a dream that will not come true. You need to assess whether or not your apparent unhappiness now is worth the crushing disappointment you may feel later if you pin all of your hopes on one elite school.</p>
<p>Seriously? Two threads about /nearly/ the same thing?</p>
<p>Please, please listen to my advice. Breathe in, breathe out.</p>
<p>Then, go do some research. First and foremost, get a couple SAT books (or even an ACT book), start practicing – even grab a tutor. Secondly, look through College Board, use their college search, find a basic range of what your SAT range should be (something REASONABLE – like a 2000, at most), and other things/exams you’ll need to do to apply to these general colleges. After that, do not look at them again. Keep your GPA up, keep working on your test scores, and be a good citizen.</p>
<p>You have proven yourself uneducated on the difference of what college is not only GOOD but also SUITABLE for you, and what college is PRESTIGIOUS/GOOD. You /must/ sharpen up, and realize that you may not perform as well at Princeton as you may in, say, Lehigh. You may hate preppy campuses because I can comfortably bet you’ve only seriously visited a small handful of colleges, if that. Don’t assume these things. And jobs? Employers are not going to look at your college and another applicant’s college and decide based on that. There will be many other factors in job interviews.</p>
<p>You are worry WAY too much about something that your guidance counselor will bring up in the Spring. </p>
<p>Try to chill out, tone down the overreactions, and hit the books like you have been. Forgive me for my possible arrogance, but I am a great student. I work hard, I am intelligent, and you know what I got on my first PSAT? 1640. The next year, a 1780. Now, I’m at a 1900, and I’m stoked because all I have is about 20 points to raise in each category. I am a student who takes Honors and APs, and I will have about 400 hours of volunteer (I like it a little too much) before senior year. If you are about to think that a stupid, petty thing like a PSAT score, or the exceedingly false fact that you must go to an Ivy to be educated well and be happy, you are sorely mistaken.</p>
<p>Do yourself well, and recognize you’re a good student. Sit back and don’t worry about what you need before the time comes. You’ll have enough worrying time when the Spring/Summer hits. (The time for planning is pretty accurate. My school is a top public school in NJ, and who so far has %15 of its kids to top schools this year, which is about 60 of 410. Our GC’s know what they’re talking about.)</p>
<p>I hope we all made you realize some things. I used to freak out too, but this is something that’s only going to hurt you if you stress over it.</p>
<p>If aiming for Ivy League keeps up your success and <<<<happiness>>>>, go for it.</happiness></p>
<p>If not, like in your current situation, it’s time to ADAPT. </p>
<p>Difference of being an adult and a minor: adults learn to adapt to tough situations and don’t break down. Kids break down, cry, starts complaing, rolls eyes, etc.</p>
<p>Not everyone was meant to go to an Ivy, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be successful in the future.</p>
<p>What you need to start doing is going on some campus visits to great colleges that will stimulate your mind.</p>
<p>When arranging appts for campus visits, also set up appts with dept chairs to meet with.</p>
<p>Then you’ll realize that you’ll get the academic experience that you’ve wanted on a non-ivy campus!!!</p>
<p>OK…</p>
<p>Everyone…give him some suggestions that…</p>
<p>Have a Jewish community
Has a strong academic culture
Has a “preppie” culture</p>
<p>Is a match for someone whose scores might be in the 1800-2100 range</p>
<p>In the NE area…</p>
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<p>Swarthmore and Brandeis come to mind.</p>
<p>I agree with Pea. Brandeis was the first place I thought of, because I’ve heard of a jewish population there before. </p>
<p>With two seconds of googling, if the OP wants to go to someplace with a strong jewish support in the population, they could use this: [Hillel’s</a> Guide to Jewish Life on Campus](<a href=“http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Search.aspx]Hillel’s”>http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Search.aspx) Which shows supportive schools by geography, student interest, and Jewish courses/studies or even a Kosher dining hall. </p>
<p>OP, seriously consider beyond whatever’s in Newsweek or USA Today. </p>
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<p>Professors are generally hired for this very reason. There will always be bad teachers, but MOST schools hire professors because they have great insight into something they feel is useful. Seriously, you can have this almost anywhere. Plenty of “famous”, innovative, genius professors aren’t in the ivy league, same with students. Not every smart person goes to HYPS (Which is what every OTHER school banks on 
) </p>
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<p>So perhaps a party school isn’t the place for you. Even within party schools, there are significant learning/academic communities. (ASU is my state school, and I know plenty of Ivy worthy kids like you who will be attending Barrett Honors College instead.) Maybe you want a diverse school that will expose you to new ways of thinking. Maybe you just want to trade info on your favorite topics, and maybe you’re really bookish. Look into LACs, and places that are referred to as “Baby Ivy” or “Mini-Ivy.” Places that were called “Bastions of knowledge” were always put on my list for examination for this reason. </p>
<p>What do you want to learn? How bookish do you expect things to be? Consider Reed or U of Chicago, which are VERY academic in comparison to some place like… [New</a> England Small College Athletic Conference](<a href=“http://www.nescac.com/landing/index]New”>New England Small College Athletic Conference) a NESCAC school which are all (still very) academic, but have a lot of student athletes as well. (Which allows for all students to have heavy involvement outside the class room)</p>
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<p>This too, can be found anywhere. Connecticut College bragged about their Science Leaders Program. Kenyon sent a DVD which included interviews with Science majors who gushed about their experience. Swathmore’s professors published information that my AP Biology class uses. I don’t know your gender, but I can tell you that Scripps and Barnard tried to sell their Science departments quite enthusiastically. Harvey Mudd seemed to be an excellent school with intense learning, and great fun (they were having a party as I passed by.) LACs not for you, maybe? What about Northeastern? </p>
<p>Science is everywhere. Princeton, by no means has a monopoly on it. </p>
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<p>This is never a given at any college. But you can always find a school with a supportive alum network and a great career services program, and that will probably take you a lot father than just a name. If you can, ask alums how they felt about their career services program at their Alma Mater. I was quite please to hear my top choice had an “AMAZINGLY HELPFUL” career service program. Figure out what schools will help you get internships or jobs in school, and out. </p>
<p>Princeton doesn’t have a monopoly on that either. :)</p>
<p>What about matches for someone with an SAT in the 1800-2100 range (my projection from his PSAT).</p>