<p>I'm so scared that my dream college won't accept me and that I'll end up in a sucky college nearby :(
I don't want to be a failure !
I'm not like the other kids on this forum. I'm not a prized physics genius, I'm just a hard working average intelligent kid.
And when i look at all these ''chance me'' threads with 2400 SAT scores and 4.0 UW GPA's i just feel worthless.. Like I'm not good enough. Because there's no way in hell Yale or Uchicago would EVER accept me. They turn down supersmart applicants every year, so what would make me special ?</p>
<p>Question : Should i stop having my head in the clouds and start being realistic ? Should i apply at all ? </p>
<p>Answer honest please. Feel free to crush my dreams, because they would've gotten crushed sooner or later anyway.</p>
<p>What is your dream college?</p>
<p>It isn’t the clouds you needs to get our head out of…</p>
<p>Stay out of the CHances ghetto.</p>
<p>I don’t know what you are after here. jUst riddles and no info. MaKe a good list, try to search for the gems that are in between your safety and reach so you have some choices. If you go to the local, arrage a visiting student or semester abroad. Find out all the things the colleges offer and take advantage whoever you are. iT is not the college that determines if you are a failure, there are many paths here. </p>
<p>@Anonemuss It’s Yale and Uchicago. I would’ve went to any of them even if they weren’t selective elite schools.</p>
<p>All you can do is apply and wait like everyone else. Take up some yoga meanwhile. meditate. Exercise. Get out of your own head. Those skills will last a lifetime. </p>
<p>Use the search and selection forum for suggestions based on things you like about these colleges.</p>
<p>
Frankly, if you can afford schools in the US there are a great number that would accept you. I’m sure there are also good schools in your country that would accept you too.</p>
<p>Everyone says there is college for every body. Sometimes that college might not be your dream school, and that’s ok. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Having a good mix of alternatives is always a good plan.,</p>
<p>Why Yale and UChicago? They’re not completely opposite, but they don’t strike me as that similar either. What state are you in? Also, what about costs? Can your parents afford any school? It’s hard to understand now, but college is just a step along a path, not an end goal.</p>
<p>@purpletitan I like them because i know that i would be happy and I’d get a really good education too. I’m an international student. My family’s broke but I’m going to apply for financial aid and loans from the government in my own country so i don’t think it’ll be a huge problem. I will also apply to schools in my own country, but getting into UofC is my goal. Yale is more of a reach. </p>
<p>Sorry, but U of C is a reach as well. You need to have more realistic options.</p>
<p>I don’t see the need for or benefit of having a “dream” college. I think everyone should have dreams for the future, but there are many, many colleges that can get you the education you need to achieve that dream. If there’s something particular about Chicago or Yale that you like and think makes it a “fit” for you, look for other schools that have similar attributes. Don’t get caught up in the name or prestige of a dream school, especially if your dream schools are “crap shoot” schools that reject huge percentages of their applicants, many of whom are more than qualified to succeed there. There are plenty of schools in between Yale and Chicago and “a sucky school nearby.” Find them and apply. Apply to Yale and Chicago, too, but don’t let your worth or your dreams for the future get tied into whether those two schools admit you.</p>
<p>@Vizactyh:</p>
<p>You haven’t articulated <em>why</em> you would be happy there (and how do you know if you’d be just as happy at another schools?)</p>
<p>There are literally hundreds of colleges that you can get a good education at. There are dozens of colleges you can get as good as, or better than, the two colleges you mention. The biggest difference is not the prestige but the effort, you, the student put into your opportunity. You will get a DIFFERENT experience depending on which school and your effort, but not a lesser one. Even the close to home school you diss likely can offer a lot more than you give it credit for. Consider the number of US grad school students with bachelors degrees from other countries (as well as the US grads) who did NOT go to the top five US colleges. They even become professors at those schools and teach snobs like you.</p>
<p>“I’m so scared that my dream college won’t accept me and that I’ll end up in a sucky college nearby”…with a bunch of other kids who have similar qualifications to yours?</p>
<p>I second what Purple Titan said. How do you know where you will be happy anyway? I know someone who was miserable at UChicago, being mugged didn’t really help with that, and she was very happy to transfer to a different school.</p>
<p>Isn’t UoC is the school where fun goes to die? </p>
<p>I agree with the others. You have a decent chance at being accepted to those schools (well, as decent a chance as anyone does, considering how many excellent students get turned away every year). But that’s not the point. You’ve decided that happiness can only be found at one of those schools, and you would be miserable anywhere else. That is not a good or productive attitude to have. </p>
<p>Will you have any chance to visit US schools before you apply? It would be a good idea to at least visit those two schools, but if you do I would strongly suggest you visit some others as well, to get some perspective. </p>
<p>It’s been 25 years since I was at U of C, but back then it reportedly had the highest drop out and/or transfer rate in the country. I knew several students who transferred – one moved to U of Wisconsin and was much happier there. U of C is not everyone’s cup of tea, for sure.</p>
<p>UofC undergrad evidently has mellowed, but it’s has plenty of kids who study hard. </p>
<p>Even if you are not accepted to those schools, do not think of yourself as a failure. Being rejected by a school certainly doesn’t make you a failure. As I’m sure you know, there are many very happy and successful people who didn’t attend those schools. As you mentioned, you are a hard-working kid --I am certain you have many other strengths that will bring you success (which should be defined only by your own standards). </p>
<p>Certainly, you if those are the schools you want to attend, you ought to apply. However, if for some reason you are not accepted, remember that you have many options that might be even better for you and your future. Good luck!</p>
<p>The idea that you can only be happy or successful if you attend one of those two colleges and that somehow attending one of those schools will make you live happily ever after is concerning me. I realize you are young, but I feel it shows a real lack of maturity and life perspective. I think you should give some serious thought to why you feel this way and research your alternatives. </p>
<p>@mathyone @dustypig @wis75 I guess you’re right. College is what you make of it and it probably doesn’t matter where you go. Thanks for opening my eyes…</p>