<p>I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN</p>
<p>I’ve been wanting to rant for some time too…</p>
<p>i think that i would agree that i feel the same way. no one really can understand how much (no so much hyp because those should not be that close to anyone) the dream school means. glad to know that there are other that share this feeling.</p>
<p>I really don’t see how most of what you’re describing can’t be found at other schools besides your dream school.</p>
<p>Hey everyone, thanks for responding and giving your feedback.</p>
<p>I understand what most of you are saying, that life shouldn’t be based around my dream school and such, and how you guys are sure that I will probably have a better life elsewhere if not in my top choice. I TRY to think that way, but in the end it’s just that feeling that you didn’t get into your top pick and probably your neighbor did.</p>
<p>For clarification though, I’m not aiming HYP, just a little bit lower than that tier. In the end though, I’m just feeling really pressured because junior year hasn’t been going all that well (due to family problems) while my hopes are high. Third quarter started and in it SAT’s and AP exams approach, along with the NEED to push my grades higher.</p>
<p>I really have a top school that I want to go to, and I REALLY can’t see myself going anywhere else. Mind you though, my parents and I only base what schools I will go to based off of prestige and reputation, so I haven’t thought much about any other school I “like” rather than my dream school, which so happens to be the one I actually fell in LOVE with (in relation to that Lennon quote).</p>
<p>It’s still upsetting to think that you probably worked four years of your life, which includes part of your life where your maturity level rises at a rapid rate (compare the maturity level of you being a 14 year old in 9th grade with being 18 in 12th grade). I would feel that my efforts are wasted if my top school decided to reject me because it would feel as if I didn’t get what I deserve. </p>
<p>For some personal reasons, I’m not going to disclose what my top choice is. It’s just an idiosyncrasy of mine.</p>
<p>Anywho, a lot of you who responded are telling me there is life other than college, and I KNOW that, but I never thought about applying that to myself because I was sure throughout high school that I was working really hard and that my efforts will pay off (which is a thought contrary to my username). I’m distraught that I didn’t think of life if I DIDN’T get into my top choice while I should have prepared for that too. I guess it’s too late now because I’m already upset and panicking.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, but like I said in my original post, life can go on at another university I attend, but it won’t be the same because it’s not the university I initially wanted to go to and worked hard for. I really feels like I worked for nothing, in a way.</p>
<p>
Well, here we are if you need to rant. 
Should be a life lesson, though. My aunt said the same about her son: “I worked so hard raising him and loving him and teaching him what’s right, I had such high expectations… and now look, he’s a drug dealer in jail!”</p>
<p>Not getting into your dream school is probably going to be the least of your disappointments starting now. Wait until it actually matters.</p>
<p>Alex</p>
<p>worst case scenario: your life falls apart (and I mean you have nothing left)</p>
<p>This is very interesting to me because as another Asian borderline-Ivy student, I can completely relate to your all-or-nothing mentality.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a result of the culture we were brought up in, where mistakes were emphasized and successes taken for granted, where the past was scrutinized and the future idealized???</p>
<p>Anyways, I now understand that this whole outlook on life does not just apply to colleges - it can, and will, cripple you in all major areas of your life. For example, and this is noteworthy to me because I am definitely NOT the type who would obsess over grades, getting a B for the year in a relatively easy class because I didn’t turn in a few homework assignments… just made me bitter at missing the A by a tiiiny bit, instead of encouraging me to be more diligent about my homework this senior year.</p>
<p>I know that our way of thinking can easily lead to a downward spiral simply because of our negative attitudes, but I really don’t have any words of advice beyond what’s already been said. I just wanted to make sure you understood the problem.</p>
<p>As for me, I ended up being completely laid back about college admissions, making absolutely sure that I did not get attached to any college… and emphasizing my reasoning as “it will never turn out as you think it will anyways, so why get enthusiastic for a school that has a 15% accept rate?”. I know this is a cheap and temporary solution at best, but I’m still looking for answers.</p>
<p>PS: is your first choice Cornell?? There’s a college with “gorges and lakes” thats a little beneath HYP :)</p>
<p>…I ran out of pity balloons during my party.</p>
<p>I don’t have good grades. To be honest, I’m failing most of my classes because I was so caught up in the “omg if I get bad grades I won’t go to college and I’ll be a failure” pity party. Those thoughts only bring you down.</p>
<p>I’ve been doing a whole lot better this semester because I put that negativity behind me. I feel better and I’m not stressing about college anymore. Boston U is still my dream school and if I raise my grades, have a killer portfolio and beat my current SAT score of 1950, I might get in. The golden rule of college admissions is: If you got the green we’ll let you in.As long as I get an education and get my ass out of Miami and NOT go to UF or UM, I’ll be fine. I’m a natural born Gator Hater.lol.</p>
<p>Just chill.</p>