Nothing is ever good enough....

Applying to College
1

<p>I am currently ranked 1 in my school as a junior, out of 1300 kids, and I have an SAT score of 2400. My extracurricular activities are not like super spectacular (as in started a million dollar charity) but I think they are okay (show dedication, commitment, interest, etc). People tell me I'm going to get in the Ivy Leagues and stuff, but I seriously feel like no matter what I do, nothing will ever be good enough to get in. Colleges expect SOOOO MUCH. It's seriously depressing. I haven't done anything super amazing like win a national competition like Siemens or Intel Science fair. My life is ridiculously sad. Do you guys think I will at least get into 1 Ivy League, or get a full ride to any school? I mean, the number of kids who do win national competitions, or start million dollar charities has to be limited right?</p>

2

<p>How would we, largely other high school and college kids ourselves, know if you are definitely going to get in to an Ivy League school? (especially with the vague info given). Admissions to top schools is a crapshoot. Advice for life: Try your hardest, wish for the best, but prepare yourself for the “worst”.</p>

<p>(Though for a good student, the “worst,” if you choose your college list wisely, should be a place you’d be happy to go to and could afford anyway… so ultimately not all that bad.)</p>

3

<p>You’re still a junior… relax!</p>

4

<p>If you do get into an Ivy, you won’t get any “full ride” unless you qualify due to financial circumstances. But frankly, let me be blunt: don’t come here being whiny and looking for sympathy. If you truly are “ivy” material, then you really don’t need an ivy degree. If the world isn’t your oyster, with the gifts you’ve been blessed with and your achievements to date, then you need to re-evaluate your expectations. </p>

<p>You don’t deserve a spot. No one does. Go out and do your best to get one. And if it still doesn’t come, make the best of what college is lucky enough to have you.</p>

<p>But sorry, you don’t have a shoulder to cry on.</p>

5

<p>If you do need a full ride, the place to start is:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and then:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The specific scholarships mentioned may no longer exist, but the research techniques for finding them are timeless.</p>

6

<p>

Yes, I can see that being ranked #1/1300 and with a 2400 SAT.</p>

7

<p>I would be shocked if you didn’t get into lessor ivies, but honestly you are pretty close to the perfect student. Why be depressed? Keep on the pressure and realize that the only difference between brown university and harvard is the name. Thats not to say you have no shot at harvard, but no one really has that good of a shot.</p>

8

<p>Terribly disguised brag thread</p>

9

<p>For everyone replying, I think it’s pretty obvious that this is just someone pointing out how insanely obsessive and overly-analytical and whiny people on this board are. Obviously those qualifiers are almost impossible to get for the vast majority of high school students, so yes, anyone with stats near that have a “shot” but no shot is 100%. People who post “chance me” threads need to realize that the people who are giving them chances are other students who know no more than themselves. If someone did have stats and EC’s like this post, and they weren’t smart enough to realize that they have amazing qualities, then they really don’t deserve all of the incredible opportunities that will be thrown at them throughout their lives.</p>

<p>Sorry, that’s just my rant.</p>

10

<p>“My life is ridiculously sad.”</p>

<p>I’m going to assume that you know you sound ridiculous. The whole ‘Ivy’ concept is out of date and harkens back to a time 50 years ago when all the elite sent their kids to certain prep schools which fed into certain Ivys and from there to whatever elite career they had selected. Today, there are dozens of excellent schools many of which will be a good fit for you. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with them and realize the breadth of possibilities.</p>