Rejected everywhere but one school — a year later

Applying to College Admission Stories
1

To every senior who is disappointed by how their college app process turned out:

This is not one of those fuzzy “you will be alright” posts. I know how it feels. I was there last year, and I did NOT feel like I was gonna be alright. Why? Why do all these other people around me get admissions and I don’t? All that time, all that hard work, and this is what I get? To get 9 out of my 10 applications basically thrown into trash along with my self-worth? Did I not accomplish anything in these four years? Have I not accomplished anything so far in my life? Will I ever accomplish anything in the future?

But you know what? You WILL get over this. And you’ll do great things, despite what your rejection letters appear to tell you tonight. YOU WILL. F those schools that didn’t love you back. Screw them. They don’t deserve you. Don’t let a couple of admission officers who have neither met you nor knew you as an individual devalue your growth and achievements.

Don’t hate on people that got into multiple schools that you wish you did, either. You are better than that. Step back. Don’t think yourself as inferior. Everyone is different from birth and there is only so much you can control, both in college admissions and in life. You are not below them. You are just different. Everyone is. Once you can think this way, you’ll find it much easier to congratulate them wholeheartedly. Learn from them — things happen for a reason and they most likely didn’t just get "lucked out.”
Personally, I learned from the whole process that I sucked at being my own advocate. That revelation didn’t frustrate me though, because I now knew my weakness and what I needed to work on.

Once you get to college, wherever that may be, you’ll discover what it means to be passionate about something and make friends with people who share your passion. You’ll work harder than you have ever before. You’ll see that the world is vast, which means there’s definitely a place for you out there. Most importantly, you will never ever look back and think “what if I had gotten into ___ (insert your dream school here)” because you’ll be having the time of your life at the school you belong to. I can’t imagine myself at anywhere else and I cannot be happier to be here.

Move on. Accept your acceptances. Enjoy the last bit of your time in high school. Don’t get distracted by others. Be the best YOU can be. Focus on YOURSELF - I know that’s hard to do right now, but it is the only way you can develop your true potential. Keep your head up. Be yourself. Be honest with yourself. Believe in yourself.

If you can’t believe in yourself, I want to let you know that I do. I believe in you. All of you.

-BluingBlue

2

Thanks for the excellent update. I would love to see more students update a year later. I would only add that yes, F you to the schools that didn’t want you, but consider that maybe the admissions officers who deny students understand, even more than the student does, that the student will probably be happier at a different school. Fit is important. Does anyone want to be around people they don’t fit in with? Exactly. Good luck, OP.

3

Can you say what you’ve done since then?
How has your year been successful - what classes have you taken, opportunities you found or were offered, what perks did you have at your college?
This is for students reading your thread who may wonder what will happen to them once they accept the one college that accepted them.
Note also that around May 5 there’s a list of colleges that miscalculated yield that’ll be published by NACAC.

4

As I mentioned, I’ve learned from my application process that I can work extremely hard but lack the self-confidence to promote myself. I’m guessing that a lot of excellent applicants get rejected from top-tier schools because of this kind of personality trait. So I’ve been focusing on building confidence and always trying to push at the boundaries of my comfort zone.

Since I’ve come to college I’ve taken classes such as Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 (among the most challenging classes at my school), got a 4.0 last semester and likely a 4.0 again this semester, while working 12 hours a week, playing a club sport, and being heavily involved in a cultural club that I identify with. I’ve met people with all kinds of talent, who are all very proud of their skills, whatever they are: acting, writing, photography, fashion design, whereas in high school my peers were pretty much doing the same things outside of class. I’ve really started to find what I love doing, instead of doing what other kids do, the way it was for me in high school.

Also, college classes are so cool!!! I’ve had the luck to have funny and engaging professors who made each lecture an adventure. But I’ve had to study really hard as well. I’m actually glad that I go here because so far the courseload is on par with my abilities. I can’t imagine myself doing this much at a tougher school.

5

“I’ve really started to find what I love doing, instead of doing what other kids do, the way it was for me in high school.”

This. This this this!

I mean, of course there are “suck it up and get it done” requirements to any variety of success (discipline!), but what you wrote here is what I hope for my kids too.