Rejected Everywhere Except for the Honors at Safeties? How to Deal With It? Should I Transfer?

Applying to College
21

Rutgers is a very good school. I doubt you’ll hit the ceiling in terms of learning limits there. With graduate and research programs there, things go to a very high level. You do well there, you’ll be in fine shape when you graduate whether it’s finding a job or graduAte/professional school.

Nothing wrong with planning to transfer either. Yes, you may have a better chance getting admitted to some selective schools as a transfer student if you do well at Rutgers that first year. I know a number of students who transferred to Cornell and Penn and Hopkins, for example.

22

In general, it makes little difference. I’d expect the admission results more related to things like planning pre-med, yet getting a C in bio and possibly dropping AP chem. In any case, the OP didn’t ask for an armchair guess about why he might of been rejected. Instead he asked 4 specific questions, which have largely been ignored. Answering those questions.

  1. It depends on the college, but it's extremely difficult to transfer to many of the selective privates that were mentioned.
  2. In the vast majority of fields of study Rutgers would have no significant disadvantage in job placement for the typical applicant. In many fields, Rutgers would have an advantage. I could give more specific information, with more specific detail.

3/4. Many people plan to save money on undergrad, particularly those planning pre-med. Most employers and others do not focus on college name. Among the minority that do care about college name, they generally focus on the name of the terminal degree, not the undergrad. Many of this group often prefer grads for quality flagships, like Rutgers.

23

I took 6 AP’s as a junior, I have not been afraid to challenge myself. The AP Chemistry thing I took out because I had a magnet program law course that absorbed the majority of the time, and I am glad I did so since the current AP Chemistry class is barely passing.

24

And to everyone that has seen this, it has gotten so weird that 8 out of 10 IN THE TOP TEN STUDENTS of the class have committed to Rutgers.

No one got accepted into even match schools.

25

Seems like you will find a high performing cohort of other students at Rutgers.

Perhaps they were really reaches.

26

The thing is, in my school, unweighted GPA’s tend to be absolutely terrible. Of the district, the the entire first decile’s GPA is always under that of sister schools. I think it could be the fact that there could be a less forgiving set of teachers in mine relative to that of other schools, or simply a different culture of grading established across schools.

27

Switching AP Chemistry as a course was not reported, and I replaced it other rigorous courses to maintain a level of rigor in the application. The school only allowed me to take 4 AP’s and 3 honors courses maximum this year given that certain courses aren’t offered in certain periods, providing a scheduling barrier.

But I can see how this set all of us back, since the maximum courseload in my senior class anyone take was 4 AP courses, with 3/4 not being serious courses since a limited number of AP courses are actually taught.

28

As I said before with AP Chemistry; the class I switched out was filled with the most elite students in school, who, to this day, average a B- at the moment if lucky (occasionally they hit C+).

I do not regret replacing the course since I feel like admissions reviewers would’ve misinterpreted my senior transcript as a form of “senioritis” and it is the most foul impression to give.

29

As you didn’t report your course change, you might have been in hot water when your year end end transcript arrived had you been accepted. If you haven’t reported the course changes to Rutgers, you should probably do so immediately.

Your comment on AP restrictions setting you back shows your lack of understanding of the admissions process. College take into account the restrictions your school places.

30

The Honors Biology course we took had a class average of approximately C- since this class was a living hell for every serious student at the time. Oddly, a kid who landed a C in that same course (he is ranked top 5%) made Carnegie Mellon (ironically while every student ahead of him was rejected).

I am not trying to blame the Science Department for this average, but as for our student body, every single one of our UW and W GPA’s were permanently stained; elite or nonelite.

I know it may appear irrational or repelling to look at it from a student’s perspective, but I think there is something seriously wrong with a course’s execution, as well as its teacher, when the class average for an HONORS course is C-.

31

The course was changed before any transcript was sent, so I do not think that is an issue. They have no record of the first course and simply saw it after the fact.

32

Also, why are Admissions Offices increasingly friendly to applicants of private schools? There is this local private school, whose students I am friends with report an average of no more than 6 hours of HW per week, where no one seems to feel an ounce of anxiety and restlessness the way we do.

It is important to also say that some of such private students formerly ATTENDED my school and were B to C students, and yet their entire first decile successfully achieved every match school with the sweetener of reach schools for some.

Is it because colleges want their full tuition payment? Or because the private school keeps a more inflated GPA level to maintain a positive reputation with parents?

I just feel this level of inequality some students who I remember could not last a day in my environment employ a private school as a personal flight ticket to seats at elite schools, much to our expense in my school.

33

What was your GPA, OP? What were your match schools?

34

While I am aware RU Honors has a very good amount of opportunity and segue into the workforce, my source of anguish is that it has never been the target I envisioned. I took my academics as my life depended on it, consistently refreshing and checking my gradebooks on and off hours.

I would sacrifice hours of sleep on end, consistently re-innovate or adapt different methods to reteach myself the same concepts before sleep, even consumed adderall, developed an anxiety disorder, and ditched therapy sessions all because I thought it would one day all add up. I passed out a mid major assessment because I was so worried about a result of the marking period average, since I had worked on every meticulous step to make it run smoothly.

Countless social event invitations I rejected, personal hobbies that I abandoned, an entire enclave of stability, all to sit there and have my heart rate accelerate whenever I’d see a Scantron.

My peers would call me crazy or over-consumed with the way I looked at these things, but I always saw myself as sane in the sense that I firmly believed x amount of investment would yield x plus many benefits.

But… for what? Looking back it, what difference would achieving or not achieving the meticulous academic achievements I planned and acquired have made on my status as of now? What precisely did I gain from all of this?

I could have lived a real life in the last 4 years and arrived at the same footstep. I just hope the future culmination of hard work in the next 4 years legitimately does include some sizable fruit at its conclusion.

35

I’ve realized that high school engineers the robotic employees elite colleges hate. Even English classes with the purpose of “encouraging creativity” shoot someone down when a students’ vision does not fall in line with the teacher or curriculum’s predefined vision. 75% of Honors and AP English courses have been regurgitating trivia.

It does not end there, with several other courses whether it be History, Objective Sciences, Social Sciences, Calculus (even though I loved Calc BC), Statistics result in students regurgitating pre-memorized information and caring most about “PLEASING” the superior teacher than introducing a coherent comprehension or a new frame of thought. Among all this, however, I am to graduate from a Business Magnet HS who did not evem teach me how to write a W2 tax form or to invest intelligently.

This education system deviates from nearly any spec of practical knowledge and returns faithfully to the same streamline of repetitive trivial information, discouraging any creative thought.

I still remember my AP Econ teacher replying “Shhh… go with the flow” when a student asked an outside of the box question.

School is for the employee; it teaches you to answer to the teacher; A.K.A. boss man. If you do not answer to boss man properly, guess what? A low grade poisons your gradebook and bleeds into your college application through averaging, revealing that the school is more preoccupied with PUNISHING failure rather than teaching students to learn from it.

No wonder why my entire hometown is infested with pseudo nerds who know absolutely nothing but to follow a heard and ride trends till the end… since it is all America’s education has designed them to do.

ORDER: Follow the tasks, do what they say, regurgitate the trivial and useless information, take a good grade for your resume, rinse, repeat.

And these elite colleges have the nerve to complain about why college applicants are so devoid of any inspiration or creativity? What were we taught to do since kindergarten? Obey, rinse, repeat.

36

^ This is a learning experience. Control what you can control, understand the game you are playing, and don’t plan on a hope. But the good news is that going forward, a lot more is under your control.

In this case, I would say that deciding to be consumed this way probably was not a smart idea.

And for what, really? You still haven’t stated your goals. What goals do you have that you can’t reach through RU but could via “match schools”?

37

My GPA, as reported by the High School’s Scale, was 4.80/4.60 after second semester of senior year.

On the national CollegeBoard UNweighted scale, I only had a 3.79 (the valedictorian had a 3.85 only). This culture of harsh grading in my school may have lead to almost no admissions to any top tier schools.

38

Good private schools do know how to package their applicants better and tend to have relationships with and understand colleges. That is a key aspect that tuition to those places pays for.

And yes, that could be a way for “need-blind” full-need schools to magically keep their full-pay percentages at such a high number (to make their finances work) while being able to claim that they are need-blind.
Holistic, even need-blind, admissions does not mean a level playing field at all.

39

OP, these recent posts of yours show the crazy pressure you put yourself under. Perhaps you didn’t realize how top holistic colleges value the whole person, with perspective and balance in their lives. Not driving yourself crazy, developing disorders, feeling empty.

Now’s not the time to beat yourself up. Go to college with the idea you will learn what a “whole” life is. Life is much more difficult than which college. You want to be ready to tackle challenges AND find core happiness.

Mind your emotional well-being.

40

I get what you’re saying, and I do feel bad for you (I was sort of in a similar situation too, although I’m fine with going to my safety school so that part wasn’t as big for me). Basically, you know you’re going to Rutgers, right? So your only problem is coming to terms with it. Try to get excited and don’t go with the intention of transferring, since most schools have very low transfer acceptance rates. Get some t-shirts and maybe talk to the other kids from your school going there; they might be able to relate or be able to tell you what they like about the school.

There is NO shame in going to a public school, regardless of whether your friends “judge” you for it (they shouldn’t, and neither should your family). Public schools exist to serve the students of their states and your parents are paying taxes for that exact purpose, so take advantage of it. Saving money is a plus too. You WILL be able to get a job – look up the job placement rates on their website, read about past alumni from your major, etc. and I’m sure you will find many who have succeeded after going there.

However, the real reason I’m commenting right now is because some of your previous posts are very concerning. Quite frankly, you sound bitter and entitled. Spend a week or two moping, but try to get rid of the attitude that it’s you vs. education or you vs. other people – yes, other people have privileges that you don’t, but going to (any) college is wonderful opportunity and you shouldn’t worry about people you’ll never see again after graduation. Hopefully in college you won’t experience as much rote memorization and busy work, which might help.

I think you should talk to your parents, and maybe a therapist. You describe being constantly sleep-deprived, taking adderall, passing out from anxiety, skipping out on hobbies and fun activities, and feeling you “have not lived a real life.” These are red flags in my opinion. That is not a good or healthy way to live, although it is common among a certain segment of high school students. Please, please do not spend the next four years in pursuit of whatever “sizeable fruit” you’re imaging. You need to learn to value other things in life besides academics, although obviously that is also important. You are setting yourself up for a midlife crisis a few decades from now. Take a step back.
In this way, going to Rutgers might be the best for your health, happiness, and success. You’ll be challenged, but you won’t get burnt out. Hopefully you’ll be able to gain a new perspective on your life and experience some of the things you missed out on in high school.

I wish you all the best.