Rejection from all Colleges. No acceptance yet.

Applying to College
101

<p>Rejected from MIT, Stanford, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, UCB, UCLA, Harvard.</p>

<p>Accepted to UCSD. Finally decided to apply to Univ. of Okla. since they are trying so hard to recruit me. It is a definite yes from them.</p>

<p>Waiting to hear back from UMich.</p>

<p>GPA 4.0 UW; SAT 2290 (Superscore); SAT 2270 (Single Sitting); NMF
I did not participate in enough ECs. I attend a very small private school with only 5 other people in my graduating class. We have no APs, clubs, etc. I tried to search for CS-related (my listed major) ECs to participate in all throughout my high school years and never found anything until this year. Now, Iā€™m discovering loads of stuff I could have done, but didnā€™t and I regret it. I can only move forward though, so Iā€™ll probably end up choose between UCSD and OU, which are still amazing schools.</p>

<p>Edit: A word.</p>

102

<p>I havenā€™t read all of the postsā€¦ But me answer me this, how can one submit a quality college application when applying to 20+ colleges? Letā€™s be serious. DD applied to 11 schools and that was pushing it. She was spent emotionally after putting so much of herself into each app. I canā€™t imagine adding 9 -10 moreā€¦ And not to mention school, her part time job, volunteering, her other ECsā€¦</p>

103

<p>@NewHavenCTmom
I would like to see an answer to this as well, because I donā€™t see how. I was completely drained after applying to 10 universities. I attempted to really show who I was and how I was different in each essay and my genuine interest in their institution, but I do not think they came out that way. Writing of any sort has been difficult for me throughout my entire life, especially those that are suppose to make the reader feel any sort of emotion. I think I am much better at showing the university who I am through interviews, of which I had only 3.</p>

104

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<p>What I learned too late for my DS, but in time for my DD, is that before the summer, they have already spent time to think about why college X could be a good fit for them to help in their essays and selection/focus of colleges. During the summer, they finish off their CA and the supplements for colleges that havenā€™t changed theirs in years By the time fall rolls around they are in polish mode and working on the other aspects (sending out scores, talking to recommenders) and working on essays that are new.</p>

105

<p>^^^Agreed. DS completed all his applications in August before the senior year started. The essay prompts for most colleges tend to remain the same so he worked on those in June/July. Princeton was the last one to release its supplement so he worked on that one during the Labor Day weekend. In September/October he was basically refining the essays, linking the Comm App to Naviance, getting teachersā€™ recommendation, and working on scholarship essays, etc. To be honest, he probably wouldnā€™t have done this without me constantly reminding him to start early.</p>

106

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<p>Easily, if you are are applying to 21 of the 23 campuses of the California State University system which only consider your high school record and your test scores (2 others have supplemental criteria). As long as you apply with the needed courses, high grades, and high test scores, you have a quality application there (one application for all campuses, send one set of test scores to the system, and no transcripts needed until you matriculate, although you do need to pay a fee for each campus).</p>

107

<p>^ Something I wish I had done.</p>

108

<p>Broā€¦the schools you listed are all competitive ones. JHU has a high chance of not even working out. </p>

109

<p>USC published some admission information this week. For the class that will enter in August of 2014 the university had 51,700 applications, up from 47,358 last year. The World Bachelor of Business program and USC Jimmy Lovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation have generated quite a bit of interest from applicants.</p>

110

<p>Agreed. Watching my daughterā€™s friends this month as well as kids from our town who attend the large public (highly ranked) high school, I see two trends among the large contingent of kids who had very high GPAs and test scores that were 2150/33+ā€¦ one group of kids applied to only 1-3 safety/targets and then applied to Georgetown, UCLA, Duke, Stanford, UCLA, Cal, Vanderbilt and the Ivysā€¦ ( I am generalizing here but you get it). Schools that typically as a whole have nothing in common except they are ā€œnameā€ schools. Almost all of the kids are being rejected or waitlisted at all but their 2-3 ā€œsafeties/targetsā€ and they are distraught. The second group applied to 1-2 safeties, 3-4 targets and then a handful of those same ā€œreachā€ schools. All of those kids are experiencing great acceptances at almost all of their safeties and their targets - a couple have gotten reach acceptances or waitlist acceptances. They have options.</p>

111

<p>collegebvv1- thatā€™s great that Carnegie Mellon waitlisted you for two schools. Are both waitlists priority? My advice is (assuming JHU doesnā€™t come through for you)- call or email Admissions and ask them how the waitlist works in terms of being waitlisted for 2 different schools. (Can you accept spots on both waitlists?) Express your commitment to attending if offered a spot and follow their instructions regarding the waitlist. If there is any news you can share to make your application stronger, do so (for example a science fair competition or academic prize).</p>

112

<p>Okay. So aside from starting early and applying to 21-23 CSUs with one application, that doesnā€™t countā€¦Iā€™m sure there were lots of kids who applied to that many(20+) and were working on them all fall like my daughter. Her original CA personal statement changed from July to December. Her original was written while at a 3-day workshop and it just wasnā€™t her. They had writing coaches and intense writing sessions. The original was nice, but too many hands in it. The one she finally submitted? Was all her. No one touched it but her and it must have worked. She had some amazing, jaw dropping results this cycle. Early on in this whole process, I wished she had finished up before school started, but her summer program made it impossible. </p>

<p>Another thought just popped into my head. Most schools had essays that were very unique to that school. She must have written at least 40? Now letā€™s double to triple that. Again, how can one show attention to detail when writing so many essays? Iā€™m sure adcoms are well aware when applicants have recycled essays. I saw it a mile away when DD attempted it and Iā€™m far from being a professional!</p>

<p>One of the many books we read was David Marcusā€™ book, Acceptance (I believe is the title), Smitty feels that kids mature over those early months of senior year. Smitty suggests not rushing the process and really finding ones voice, even if it takes most of the fall. Another point is thisā€¦ finding the right fit. From what I have gathered, colleges get a sense if the student will fit or not. Fit is important for them too. And when it come to HSCs, how can one fit into 20-25 or even 30 for that matter. </p>

<p>I also read somewhere that often times, students are not aware of the perceptions that their LOR writers have of them. So they never realize that the LOR is what does them in. Snotty, bratty, entitled, rude students donā€™t have an On/Off switch and display such behaviors in front of their teachers, who then write LORs. </p>

113

<p>megan702 - I thought I was very savvy and knowledgeable when it came to college application with D1. She went to a top tier prep school, with great advising, I studied their naviance and was sure D1 would be accepted at 50% of top tier schools she was applying. As a matter of fact, the schoolā€™s very knowledgeable college advising team told her she was a shoo-in for Columbia. How wrong were all of us. My kidā€™s school sent 30+% kids to top 20 schools. My kid was top 2-5% of her class, so there was no reason for us not to think she would have been admitted to few of those schools, but upon further analysis would show a lot of those admitted students were legacies or athletes. Second time around with our younger daughter, we were a lot more prepared. </p>

<p>Megan - donā€™t feel stupid about reaching for the star. A lot of people fear rejections, so they never strive for more. If you didnā€™t apply to Emory, you would always wonder ā€œcould have, would have.ā€ You will end up some where right for you this Sep. My older daughter ended up exactly up some where that was perfect for her. It wasnā€™t her original choice, but it was right for her. She always said someone was watching over her (so she didnā€™t end up at her original ED choice).</p>

114

<p>mom2 said: ā€œone group of kids applied to only 1-3 safety/targets and then applied to Georgetown, UCLA, Duke, Stanford, UCLA, Cal, Vanderbilt and the Ivysā€¦ ( I am generalizing here but you get it). Schools that typically as a whole have nothing in common except they are ā€œnameā€ schools. Almost all of the kids are being rejected or waitlisted at all but their 2-3 ā€œsafeties/targetsā€ and they are distraught. The second group applied to 1-2 safeties, 3-4 targets and then a handful of those same ā€œreachā€ schools. All of those kids are experiencing great acceptances at almost all of their safeties and their targets - a couple have gotten reach acceptances or waitlist acceptances. They have options.ā€</p>

<p>Iā€™m seeing the exact same pattern with my daughterā€™s friends. </p>

<p>Also, I agree with NewhavenCTmom. I think really good writing takes time to evole, gel and gestate. How can you do that well with 10,15 ,20 critically important, targeted, and highly personal supplements while also juggling a busy HS schedule? </p>

115

<p>In past years, the easiest way to generate essays and supplements for the Common App was in August, before school started. Write essays, edit and fix them, put them aside till applications are due. </p>

<p>This year, combine some boring and generic main essay prompts with supplement essay topics that rolled put late due to technical glitches with the CA4 rollout. Very difficult to struggle with homework, tests, extracurricular, college applications that were glitchy and also get essays written and done and college applications completed. </p>

<p>Some people think it is wise to wait on essays. If you are a kid that becomes inspired at the last minute and knocks it out perfectly, okay. But most people writing these intensely personal examinations of themselves do not do it well on a deadline. I think the best approach is start early, and write the essay without a massive rush. You might end up writing one and changing your mind about topic, but put it aside. Maybe you can then use it for one of supplement essays or short answers. </p>

<p>The key to writing early in my opinion is to not have too many folks edit it. Especially here at CC. Please do not send your essay out to strangers. They do not know you. </p>

<p>I would say one or two essay editors, tops. Do not let their edits change your voice. Your editors are are there to tell you if the essay works, if it meets the prompt topic, if there are egregious mistakes and if they see YOU in it. Adults sometimes make the mistake of wanting to change an essay to sound like how they would write. Huge mistake. </p>

<p>This is your essay. It should sound like you. Strangers do mot know you or your personality. </p>

<p>You should show the reader what you want them to know about you. Do not tell them with too many I statements - you know, those that each sentence begins with the word I. It is a young way of writing and not as fun to read. You will want to stand out in stacks of hundreds of apps, so you have to kill it with your essay. </p>

<p>If I were a jumior wondering what to do with applications and college list, I would suggest you download the Common App main topics, availale now. Tape them to your wall. Look at them for a while. Which one or two of topics do you like? Brainstorm a couple of ideas from one of those topics. When you have free time, write a quick, spontaneous essay on one of those prompts. Set it aside. When time permits, do it again. Hang on to any drafts that might be recyclable for supplements and non Comm App school applications. </p>

<p>Also check out Universal Application topics. Your flagship prompts. Those instututions not on Common App. Check college admissions website for details, too. Pay attention to word counts. If essay says 250 words, write 250 or less. Do not be cute and think your essay is so brilliant that they will be happy to read 400 words. </p>

<p>When time is more plentiful (ie, summer), go back and try to do the spontaneous writing exercise on other CA topics. When you have less stuff to do with school and AP studying and finals studying, it will be a little less stressed environment in which to write these essays.</p>

<p>Also, one of posters said their kid had to write maybe forty essaysā€¦if on Common App, usually there are ones that can be changed or re-reused with little to no editing. It would be highly unusual to have to write forty distinct essays for the supplements. There are short answers, but again, they are often so similar - sometimes word counts have to be amended, but it is rare to have that essay workload to omplete, even in applying to so many schools. </p>

<p>Another thing I would strongly suggest - for those juniors who are pondering their lists. Please consider where you fit in terms of admitted student profiles of a school. If you are applying to most selective schools, consider admit rate. Plan ahead with applying to true safety schools and maybe one or two in a tier below in terms of selectivity. You might end up with a huge scholarship that will look a whole lot different a year from now. </p>

<p>If only Ivies and Stanford are on your list, then you better also apply elsewhere. Lots of elsewheres. </p>

116

<p>SamuraiLandshark said:
"Another thing I would strongly suggest - for those juniors who are pondering their lists. Please consider where you fit in terms of admitted student profiles of a school. If you are applying to most selective schools, consider admit rate. Plan ahead with applying to true safety schools and maybe one or two in a tier below in terms of selectivity. You might end up with a huge scholarship that will look a whole lot different a year from now.</p>

<p>If only Ivies and Stanford are on your list, then you better also apply elsewhere. Lots of elsewheres."</p>

<p>A year ago, we compiled a list of schools that were of interest to the kid. We had begun with maybe 100 schools and had whittled that list down to 25, and from there to fifteen. This list included reaches, matches and safeties. Every school on the list met the kidā€™s requirements in some way, every school was a place where the kid would be happy to go were it the only acceptance received.</p>

<p>Then we did the math. If, for example, Ivy-League schools have an average acceptance rate of 8%, and your plan is to apply to all of the Ivies, on the assumption that one of them has to admit you, stop and look at it this way: Odds of being rejected at each school = 92%, on average. So odds of being rejected at all of the Ivies are about 51%, or .92^8.</p>

<p>If we factor in the part where the RD acceptance rate at HYP actually is in the 2-3% range, and RD chances at other Ivies also are lower, odds of being rejected everywhere become more like 68%.</p>

<p>Look at that last sentence again. If you apply RD to all of the Ivies, you have a 68% chance of being rejected (or waitlisted) by all of them. ā€œOh, but I got a 36 on the ACT!ā€ you say, ā€œSo what are my odds?ā€ Your chances are the same as everyone elseā€™s, i.e., much better if you also are a nationally ranked athlete or IMO gold medalist, or possess some other hook, otherwise there is about a 68% chance you will be rejected everywhere.</p>

<p>When we looked at the kidā€™s list, we considered admit rates, adjusting for RD vs. ED/EA rates, and adjusting a bit further downward in the expectation that each school on the list would receive even more applications than last year. Then we made sure that the kid was applying to enough schools with diverse enough selectivity that the odds of having no acceptances were equal to zero. Was our planning geeky or pragmatic? Maybe both, but it worked.</p>

117

<p>Great advice in the above two posts^^^^^</p>

118

<p>Exactly. It happens every year. I think it would be advisable for students to actually calculate the odds of admission before applying to mostly reach schools. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of students applying to most selective colleges took Calc. They might have been better served by a Statistics and Probability courseā€¦or at least, a unit on that related to colege admissions! </p>

<p>Geeky and pragmatic are the way to go. I know a few exceptional young people who are now in reassess their options mode. </p>

119

<p>The advice I would give to parents of underclassmen is to focus your efforts on presenting your kid with true targets and safeties. Trust me, your kid will easily find and fall in love with plenty of reach schools without your help. And I know itā€™s hard as a parent because the reach schools are the most fun schools to tour and explore and easy to get excited about. </p>

<p>The most gratifying day of the process for me is when we finally toured one safety-ish college that my daughter absolutely fell in love with. That event really took the edge off the process for all of us, and I think it helped her relax and open up more with her reach/dream school supplement. </p>

120

<p>@Biinary - I thought all the UMich decisions came out by Friday morning, and they sent out emails sometime in the afternoon to evening?</p>