<p>I got my first rejection letter yesterday :( Unfortunately, it wasn't even my first choice, but I don't know whether I should give up hope on that one yet. I spent a lot more time on my first choice application and made sure to explain my circumstances (my GPA is more than good enough for the other schools I applied to, but I had a really bad year at my last school). Do you think I still have a shot at my first choice, even though I was rejected from a less competitive school?</p>
<p>Yes, certainly. It happens all the time.</p>
<p>It’s a side-effect of the way admissions are handled at most schools. They filter the applicants to select those that are academically qualified. They place these into a pool of potential admits. Then they wait for a full moon, dance around in a circle under it, sacrifice two goats and a freshman virgin, then roll a series of dodecahedral dice to select people from the pool.</p>
<p>It happens, but as you know, the reverse is more the norm.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m not expecting it to happen, just trying to hope for the best.</p>
<p>I think it really just depends on the kind of student you are. Different schools have different criteria and while you may not stand out at one school, you may so at another one.</p>
<p>Yes. I had a friend who transferred to Columbia last year. He was rejected by Boston University.</p>
<p>Absolutely. Last year for instance I got rejected from Bates and Hamilton at the same time I got into Vassar and the London School of Economics. Another girl in my class got into Stanford, and then got rejected from UCLA (yes, she thought that was hilarious). So by all means don’t give up hope yet.</p>
<p>Yes. Sometimes schools are looking for specific qualities.</p>
<p>Shows how uncertain what a real “safety school” is…</p>