<p>I wish I had applied to more safeties and mediums that I loved, rather than a bunch of top-tier schools I admired. I would've liked an East coast school on my table. I also wish I had taken the SAT IIs more seriously and in my junior year. It was a joke trying it senior year.</p>
<p>Alternatively, would it have been worth it, to pay $1000+ to boost my score in Math significantly, if I ended up being rejected anyways?</p>
<p>Oh, and I wish I had realized how much the college application process would've cost me. I'd say it was at least $1000, including SAT prep, app fees, postage, SAT sending and taking fees, etc etc etc.</p>
<p>I wish that I applied to more match schools and less safeties. I applied to 14 schools total, and I've found myself receiving rejections from all my reach schools, lots of merit money to my safeties, and iffy financial aid packages to my matches. So I wish I did more matches, with hopes of getting better fin. aid</p>
<p>GPA-wise, I really wish I had done better during sophomore year. I got so many Bs in my first AP classes that year when I know I could have earned As with some more studying and tutoring. That's why my UW GPA just isn't going to cut it for the Ivies I applied to. </p>
<p>As much of a curse CC seems to be sometimes, I wish I had discovered it sooner. And visiting colleges during spring break sophomore year was too late, in retrospect. That trip was a real eye-opener for me, just beginning to realize how competitive the whole process is and what it takes to make it into those top schools. I would have cared a lot more a lot earlier if I had known what the competition was like.</p>
<p>I also wished I hadn't applied to certain schools because my teachers, who were alums, expected me to. I thought I would be a good fit at those schools, but between applying and now being accepted, I realized that I don't want to go there. The worst part is that I've taken away spots from applicants who genuinely loved those colleges. And I really regret that.</p>
<p>I got into my first choice early, so I don't think I have much to regret, but I do think I should have looked at more schools. I only looked at small liberal arts colleges, mostly in NE. Looking back, I wish I'd seen Rice or Duke, if only for the comparison.
I've also become even more interested in art lately, and wish I'd looked into art schools.</p>
<p>But hey, I'm still happy with the end result.</p>
<p>My list of academic regrets in no particular order:
[ul]
[li]Put more emphasis on grades. I realized this coming in my junior year. Although my grades from then on were stellar, it only improved my GPA by so much. Instead of worrying about my social life, I could have placed more stress on schoolwork back in junior high and early in high school.[/li][li]Take another stab at the SATs. I studied, studied and studied only to end up with a pretty decent score. I could've done much better if I would take may be another week or so and study and retake the test. I regret not allowing myself enough time when I signed up for the SAT. I took my subject tests in December, the last month to submit scores to the colleges that I'd applied.[/li][li]Apply to more match schools. I'd only applied to two school where I'd though were matches and one safety. I regret not applying to Rice and Northwestern because I overlooked them when I applied for the Ivies.[/li][]Take time to work on college essays.* I gave myself enough time for certain schools (mainly top schools) but not my matches where I'd thought I would definitely get in (turned out I was rejected from both). I know I could've done much better on the essays for those schools.[/ul]</p>
<p>
[quote]
im soooooooooooooo sad i didnt apply to hopkins
[/quote]
</p>
<p>me too!! my mom told me to apply a million times (because i have been talking about jhu since i was a freshman, even pre-CC :) )</p>
<p>but i just didnt because i thought i wouldnt get in(dumb)....but my mom kept saying she had a feeling i would...its kind of weird because her predictions on all my others (including deferral/rejection) have been right...</p>
<p>Oh boy, I'm still a junior and I'm now pretty nervous after seeing this year's firestorm for admissions [waitlists @ safeties, gagh!] but thanks for the info on this thread, very helpful</p>
<p>1) Studied much harder for the SAT's, I should have.
2) IB is a waste of time and I hated it.
3) I should have applied to more private schools (I applied to 5 publics, 4 OOS, and only 2 privates).
4) And the most important point: take the information/advice given on CC with a grain of salt. It must be noted that the people on CC don't know you personally; they are unfamiliar with multiple parts of your application such as essays and recs. The vast majority of them are not college admissions reps., and can only venture a guess at admissions. When I posted a chances thread earlier, I had someone tell me that I shouldn't consider SUNY Albany as a safety school; which I disregarded immediately because people at my school have been admitted with an 80 gpa and SAT's in the lower 1000's. CC'ers were also informing me that most of the schools on my list were reaches (JMU, PSU, UMD, and Elon) when in fact the only reach I see on that list is UMD. Well, I've been admitted to all of them, and I've even been awarded a pres. scholarship at Elon, which was supposedly my "biggest reach." The point is, never underestimate your potential and your chance of being admitted. And don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do.</p>
<p>I wish I could have done a little better on the SATs, of course. I also wish I could have handed in various applications much earlier (more of a life lesson than school-related). My FAFSA is late, for starters.</p>
<p>(I was crying one day thinking how I wouldn't end up anywhere, second-guessing my essays etc. etc. Oh gosh, what a little fool I was three weeks ago!)</p>
<p>Yes, worry less would be a good recommendation. I probably spent way too much time on CC too! I would say to other parents out there - start early! We started visiting spring of junior year and that was too late. I will start visiting spring of sophomore year with my other boys. We all live such crazy, busy lives that it is so difficult to fit everything in. I also agree with Johnson - apply to less safeties - two should suffice.</p>
<p>My #1 advice to future applicants: apply to a safety, a couple of reaches, but a lot of matches. Its tempting to apply to a ton of reaches(which is what i did), but more matches=more options and acceptances</p>
<p>Visit sophomore year, ***? Start visiting the summer between junior and senior year. Don't bother with SAT subject tests. Don't bother with the SAT if your in ACT territory. Don't worry too much about teacher recs...most are just disregarded unless they're big time recs from heavy hitters. Don't worry too much about summer programs and that stuff. Do the extracurriculars you like, not the ones you think they want to see. Take whatever electives you want, while keeping a strong core of IB/AP/Honors.</p>
<p>That way, you won't be one of the cookie cut applicants, and stand unique.</p>
<p>I wish I wasn't poor so I could have afforded to apply to more schools (instead of only to 5), and to schools out of state. </p>
<p>I should have studied for my SATs.</p>
<p>I wish I had written a better essay, but god, I couldn't think of a good topic to write about. :P</p>
<p>I wouldn't have been in as many extracurriculars, either. A girl I know got into UVa with, like, two ECs. Then I would've had more time to study. God, I've been wasting my time...</p>
<p>Hmm, and I guess cheated, since some others did and they got into the dream school that I was wait listed at. <em>bitterness</em> Karma doesn't seem to really work, after all.</p>
<p>And now, I'm going to have a good cry to get over it, then I'm going to embrace my safety school, since they handed me a fat scholarship and a chance at all sorts of small-pond greatness.</p>