<p>I got rejected from Penn, but waitlisted by Harvard and Columbia and accepted to Princeton. My top choice was Penn and I want to re-apply next year during my gap year (which I was planning anyway).
However the fact that I didn't get into Penn while getting waitlisted or accepted at more selective schools scares me. Does that mean Penn has something against me, such that I don't have any chance even if I apply again?
(for what its worth, I have 3.9 GPA, 2300+ SAT, some unique ECs, white female)</p>
<p>No. </p>
<p>Are you accepting enrollment with a university? If your gap year (an official deferral) is with approval of Princeton, are you sure you are allowed to apply to another school during that time? You might be committed to attending. Now, if you have turned down all schools that have accepted you, then apply away to Penn again - this time do ED.</p>
<p>I would listen to @juillet below. Her last sentence is something to think about.</p>
<p>At the level of the top schools, getting in is more or less arbitrary. When your acceptance rate is around 5-7%, you’re going to be turning away a lot of qualified students. So If you got turned down from Penn but got into Princeton - especially with a 3.9 and 2300+ - it’s probably more an issue of arbitrariness to the process rather than anything wrong with you (or, more absurdly, Penn having something “against you”).</p>
<p>However, I must say that I don’t see the point in turning down Princeton to take a gap year and try to go to Penn. </p>
<p>I checked with my guidance counselor, who said I’m allowed to apply to other schools bc the problem is being enrolled at 2 places at once. If I get into Penn and withdraw from Princeton before I send Penn my deposit its ok. </p>
<p>Also, what bothers me is that I didn’t even get waitlisted at Penn. I feel like as a matter of principle, being waitlisted implies that there’s still something in you that they like. I got an amazing recommendation from a research prof I worked for this summer who is an alum of Penn and my essay was very unique, writing about the field I wanna study at Penn in a very touching and personal way. Meaning that maybe Penn found some red flag in my app that even Harvard apparently overlooked? Possibly they want to make a point that “we rejected the 99th percentile SAT w/ an alum rec” as a matter of principle (you know, in a reverse psychology type of way) in the way that colleges think its neat how they “always reject 2400 kids, etc.” </p>
<p>I think it very foolish to turn down current offers to hope to get a second chance at Penn. I’d say it is unlikely to get accepted next round, they didn’t find your application as compelling as others. The colleges make independent decisions and I think it is a very moot point that some are a teeny more selective than others–really meaningless at this level. Some very selective admitted you, some waitlisted, some rejected. I’d see if you can take a gap year if you really want but not because of not getting in the first choice, then go to one where you are accepted. Then after a year you can think if you want to try a transfer.</p>
<p>What is the plan if you don’t get in the 2nd round, anyway? You’ll have lost Princeton. Will you go to your state college or what?</p>
<p>OK, sounds like you have plan, but I do not get it. There must be something about Penn, I guess. </p>
<p>Obviously, it is all conjecture what happened in the adcom meetings - you will never find out or know. If you really want Penn that bad, the only thing to do is just reapply and you figured that out already.</p>
<p>@elnamo Why not just go to Princeton and later try to transfer to Penn? If it doesn’t work then you learn that it wasn’t meant to be without losing Princeton!!</p>
<p>What I was saying is that I can still be enrolled at Princeton while applying to Penn. What isn’t allowed is being enrolled at 2 places at once, so once I get into Penn (if I do hopefully) I immediately withdraw from Princeton.</p>
<p>A lot of people have 99th percentile SATs. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to get everyone in. There aren’t enough seats.</p>
<p>Sorry, I was not clear. I get the enrollment issue is not a problem according to your guidance counselor. What I do not get is the gap year just to try for Penn. Princeton is not a step down. 
</p>
<p>Those are all lottery schools – once you are qualified for admission, no one can say why some lucky few get the nod and the remaining students get rejected. Reapplying next year, on the off chance that you may hit the lottery again, only this time at Penn, seems foolish to me. You were pretty darn fortunate to be wait listed at Harvard and Columbia and admitted to Princeton. Time to choose from your current acceptances and move on. </p>
<p>The only reason that I could imagine reapplying is if you know, with 100% certainty, that your only interest for college is to attend an undergraduate Business school such as Wharton. However, please know that if you take that route, chances are just as good that you will wind up at your safety school next year, which you better make sure you have in hand. </p>
<p>"Also, what bothers me is that I didn’t even get waitlisted at Penn. I feel like as a matter of principle, being waitlisted implies that there’s still something in you that they like. I got an amazing recommendation from a research prof I worked for this summer who is an alum of Penn and my essay was very unique, writing about the field I wanna study at Penn in a very touching and personal way. "</p>
<p>YOU are taking this WAY too personally! Penn, like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc, etc, etc receives FAR FAR more applications from students than they have spaces for.
How MUCH a student WANTS to go to a particular college is IRRELEVANT to the admissions committee. .<br>
For some unknown reason, and the reason will NEVER be known, you got beat out by other kids.
Accept it, and rejoice that you DID catch the golden ring at Princeton- something that tens of thousands of other kids would give their eye-teeth for! Go to Princeton, and dive in to all the opportunities offered there. </p>
<p>This is definitely a case of got the Ferrari, but whining he didn’t get the Porsche. Or, even better, Dad got him got the Ferrari, but it’s the wrong color.</p>
<p>I would suggest calling Penn and letting them know you were accepted to Princeton but really want Penn. They may just reconsider your application. You have nothing to lose. If Penn’s decision is final, I would strongly encourage you to deposit at Princeton and enjoy your next four years as a Tiger! What a great opportunity! Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the answers so far. My reason for going for Penn is that it has certain academic and social (i.e. cultural) options for me that are not so abundant at Princeton. Maybe the problem is that I selected a major that is too common at Penn (but have done a lot of things related to it through ECs, research, etc.) so I wasn’t unique enough for Penn?</p>
<p>@funfatdaddy - Minor thing, but Princeton has no deposit (one of the very few like that). So no money is lost even if goes through the gap year plan. </p>
<p>Great username BTW!</p>
<p>I would definitely go to Princeton if I were you. Sure you didn’t get into Penn, but accepted into Princeton?! Way to go, you need to take advantage of the situation. You have no idea how many students right now (including me) would take Princeton any day, regardless of it not being your “dream school”. </p>
<p>I guess thats true…What I find interesting is that for every school I put down the same prospective major and related ECs/research/etc. Penn is known to have the best and most resourceful (arguably) department for it, while other colleges have less. Could it be that the other colleges thought I was more unique bc of my choice of major whereas its already a big thing at Penn so they weren’t impressed by me? (This isn’t Wharton btw)</p>
<p>Just FYI, something cannot be “more” or “less” unique. Unique means one of a kind. The word you seem to be looking for is “special,” but it probably doesn’t sound special enough. :)</p>
<p>Sorry–this is one of my grammatical pet peeves.</p>
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<p>You are overthinking it. They weren’t looking if you were unique, they were looking if you were the right fit.
As mentioned, you will never know and it is a waste of time to try and guess why.</p>
<p>IMHO if you were rejected, then it is highly unlikely that they would accept you if you apply again after a gap year unless you do something really remarkable during that year. And even if you do, there is no guarantee that they would.</p>