Only Accepted to 2/19 Colleges.. why?

Applying to College Admission Stories
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OP you seem to be surrounded by people who (at least you perceive) judge you based on what you do versus who you are. On CC you are seemingly being exposed to the same type of judgement.

Numerous posts seem to attribute your disappointment to vanity or hubris. In reality you have every right to be disappointed as a young adult that had worked hard towards a goal. You have a great option but obviously and understandably it would have been great to have more options. Particularly when you feel others in your community had unfulfilled expectations of your results.

Reality is your self aware demeanor, track record of academic and professional successes and determination will carry you far. Adults shouldn’t spend their time breaking down a kid to justify their own experiences or self gratify. Parents whose kids go to Maryland congratulations it is in fact an awesome school but that doesn’t mean OP is devaluing your kid by expressing disappointment. Is that how you would want someone to treat your kid who has expressed mental anguish about their situation? How about a little empathy please.

OP way to rise above it and please don’t feel your effort was wasted. Your future is yours to determine and don’t let others dictate terms or allow disappointments to translate into defeats. Just keep moving forward and be introspective versus looking to a place like CC (or the real world community you describe yourself to be immersed in where people comment to feel better about themselves versus trying to support you.

You not only will be successful but you are successful, just in ways that aren’t emblazoned on a sweatshirt.

FYI talking about someone in the third person who is engaged in the conversation is rude.

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This! :clap: :clap:

What OP needs right now is empathy and a hug. Not further analysis of what went wrong, because none of us are AOs. And we should know that admissions at the tippy top schools are driven by institutional priorities because they get way too many qualified candidates.

Wise words.

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Yes, and likely got bad advice about which schools to consider, and expectations. Maybe more drama or performance-oriented schools? I just think TikTok or YouTube sends the wrong message for this brand of schools…

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While I have not read all of this thread, I sympathize with the OP.

I wonder if she has considered taking a gap year and reapplying?

Going to any school with the intent of transferring postpose the fun of going to college and disrupts the continuity/shortens the life of the relationship building that is central to the college experience.

In my opinion, the OP has an impressive resume. Perhaps is was a bit broad, and the academic numbers could be polished. In a gap year, she could focus on the ECs that she was really passionate about, and think of better ways to market her 1.3 MILLION ticktok followers.

Furthermore, as an Asian American applicant, it is possible the environment of applying to rejective schools could be different next year as the Supreme Court will have ruled that discriminating on the basis of race in college admissions is illegal.

If a gap year is taken, the OP should also take some time to reconsider her list. Obviously, her interest in business/marketing she should apply to schools with business programs like Wharton/Northwestern/Georgetown/NotreDame.

I also think she should consider women’s colleges where any admissions stats are less rejective than co-ed schools. In the case of Wellesley, it is like being at the women’s dorm on the college campus that is the Boston/Cambridge area. Wellesley students can take classes at Harvard/MIT, and their campus looks like Princeton’s. Plus all the quality men in the area come to you. Barnard also has tremendous advantages. Many women-only college alumni networks are superior to all but a few co-ed programs.

Obviously, she should add some legitimate safeties too.

While I realize she as already applied/been rejected by some of these schools, applying again can show commitment/strong desire to attend. It is worth noting some schools like Princeton will have larger classes for the class of 2028 and are finishing new facilities to accommodate over 100 additional students.

The OP has worked too hard to give up and take what she has been given this year. Next year has a whole different set of circumstances and with a little work, she can/will be successful.

I wish her luck.

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When OP is ready, she can teach me how to build a brand. 1.3 million followers. Frankly I’m in awe !!

And I’m triple the age.

And that’s why she’ll do great things.

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These kids with their fashion and their TikToks.

Reminds me of:

These kids with their long hair and their rock music… just not serious. :roll_eyes:

Some prize-winning scientists like makeup and reality TV and posting on social media. Kids, like adults, are multidimensional humans.

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Reminder that CC is supposed to be a friendly and welcoming place.

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I think the responses on this thread have illustrated my point that people have biases about social media influencing - some positive, some negative. (I hope it was clear that no negativity was intended on my part.) I do think that the spectre of Olivia Jade and her illegitimate admission to USC may not have helped admissions departments to see influencers as desirable admits. But I have no direct knowledge of how AO’s feel - I merely wondered.

OP, you are a great student with a ton of drive and amazing networking abilities. These qualities will serve you better than any Ivy League degree.

The problem here isn’t that your stats are anything to be ashamed of - they are not! In fact, your combination of excellent-but-not-perfect grades/scores with superb “soft skills” and energetic extracurricular pursuits is, IMHO, a better predictor of success in life than “perfect” stats.

The problem, really, is thinking that a top-notch flagship university like UMD is anything to be ashamed of. A school like this can take you anywhere you want to go. You can distinguish yourself there - you don’t need the “name” of a highly-rejective school to make you special or validate your worth and potential. You needn’t worry about being the smartest or most capable person there - plenty of very high achievers go there - but you’ll have every opportunity to stand out and be the cream of their crop. Meanwhile, anyone who’s looking down on you is, at best, misguided and at worst, petty and just looking for an excuse to look down on you (and probably anyone else that they can). It’s all nonsense. I went to a high school that was full of these kind of attitudes, and I bought into it at the time, so I’m quite familiar with the mindset - but it’s not real life. And you will be very very good at real life!

As an aside, re: catcherinthetoast’s comment, I didn’t mean to be rude with the third person. When commenters address one another directly in the course of a thread, the person one is responding to takes over the second person, and then we end up talking about the OP rather than to them. Not sure of the solution to this but it happens all the time.

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Yes, a lot of folks would be in awe. But, the subject is why she did not get into this brand of higher Ed, and I think this likely explains a lot of it. It’s all about fit…

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“If a gap year is taken, the OP should also take some time to reconsider her list. Obviously, her interest in business/marketing she should apply to schools with business programs like Wharton/Northwestern/Georgetown/NotreDame.”

Reapplying to the same schools (Penn/Wharton) will lead to almost certain rejection in the second year, unless the student has won the Nobel in the interim. Penn will have 60k new applications to contend with and students transferring with college experience. Everything I have seen suggests that competitive schools have zero interest in having a “second look” at their previous rejects.

In my opinion, a gap year can only be effective if the student has been planning for it and has a strong desire to accomplish a specific project during that time, likely something that has been brewing for a while even before the trauma of being accepted to a top state flagship.

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No offense intended, and apologies if that was what you had inferred. I do think perhaps you need more advising in terms selecting colleges that are better fits given your interests and strengths. I just think TikTok does not have a good reputation (just turn on the news and see all the discussion about banning it—many do not see much value in it).

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I seriously can’t believe people are telling her a 1440 is not a good score. It’s above the 95% percentile. Sure. It could have been higher and she knows that. Kids this year really had no idea when to submit scores and when not to with the school stats so skewed since COVID. In 2019 the average for both NYU and BU was around 1425…it jumped to 1525 for both schools in one year due to test optional. Even the rep from UMD that came to my son’s school said they expected their stats to come down as more kids go back to submitting scores. USC said the same.

Also, why would a college admissions officer be put off by the use of a platform that a huge percentage of kids use? If her intended market is kids, then she’s been hugely successful…and she explained what her purpose was and what content she posted.

It’s disappointing that she really just needed a boost and a hug and she’s received the opposite from some. She seems very smart and motivated. She’s going to be really successful if she continues in that direction.

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Do you have any experience/expertise here?

When UW and the UC system abolished Affirmative action the percentage of Asian students admitted immediately doubled. With a Supreme Court decision on a nationwide ban on race based affirmative action expected this summer, applying to college next year may be a completely different ball game.

The OP needs some help putting together the new list and it should contain some old and some new names. A gap year can get her focused without the distraction of having to be at a place she doesn’t want to be and having to focus on doing well amongst people she doesn’t want to be with.

The state flagship can wait, and if she got in once, she can get in again.

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I think the admission to UMD-CP needs to be celebrated, and I hope the OP gets there.

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Many of the schools on this list have single digit acceptance rates. Others have acceptance rates that are under 20%. That’s the problem.

Of course this student is accomplished, but so are the students who were accepted. They are no less accomplished.

When I look at the ECs that this student has, I see somebody who will succeed anywhere. UMD is no exception. Congrats!

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I agree 1440 is wonderful. 97th percentile. UMD midpoint is 1445. A wonderful school and very competitive even if OP doesn’t see that. Impressive admit.

And I’m in awe of 1.3 million. If I knew how to find the tik tok site I would. Interested in seeing how it works. Study tips in short clips.

Imagine how many students out there OP has already helped with these tips ? That should be deeply fulfilling.

Already such an impact in life at 17….

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agree with what people are saying here. don’t go into college with the intent to leave. that’s a formula for being miserable in college.

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As much as I am a fan, I think there are better schools with more favorable admit rates for someone who wants to study business.

Next years class will be the same as this year’s and last’s as there plan is and over all student body expansion of 500 students (125 per year) over 4 years.

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thank you so much for your message, I had a good cry after reading it along with some of the others supportive ones :heart:

yes of course, I’m not trying to devalue UMD in anyway at all, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to have an education at all, just disappointed the other schools didn’t work out. like a lot of students, college was the one thing I thought of for the most part of my life given the whole immigrant parents thing, the need to be successful was associated with an Ivy League or t20. I started thinking about college in sixth grade, entered freshman year already stressed over what extracurriculars I wanted—so in a sense the end of this chapter feels like I just lost a part of myself, in a heartbreaking way especially (cheesy I know).

anyway, thank you for being so kind. I’m just glad this process is over in a sense that I don’t have to ask someone to read my common app essay or calculate how many supplements I have left. the aftermath too where I didn’t get out of bed for days, wanted to genuinely not live, and felt like my life was over was something I don’t wish on anyone or upon myself again. I’m still mourning now but I think I’ll feel a lot better once I graduate and look at what I have instead of what I’ve lost.

and to those bringing up my SAT, I’m retaking it next weekend to add for my transfer apps when/if I decide to. hopefully this time I’ll get it to a 1500

as for the tiktok, I’m never going to be ashamed of it at all! it’s given me the chance to work with Grammarly, vera Bradley, pentel, post it, pilot, and so many brands that I never thought would PAY me to work with them!! I’m working on developing my own line of cards and planners and I look forward to releasing them in a few months and my love for stationery was the thing that got me to this point so I’m eternally grateful.

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I am late to chime in, but let me add my voice to the supportive ones.

As for the negative ones – to paraphrase Auntie Em in the Wizard Of Oz “I want to tell you what I think of you, but being a good CC poster, I can’t!”

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