<p>Ah, the Harvard poser! Can spot them a mile away!</p>
<p>To return to the original topic of the thread (not that the Harvard poser discussion wasn’t entertaining) I was accepted RD by Harvard and rejected by Princeton and Stanford. Chance and luck play massive roles in college admissions and feel blessed to have such an opportunity to study at a university where I am sure I can achieve my fullest potential, whatever that is. Other schools weren’t ‘too stupid to not admit me’; college admissions in this day and age when acceptance rates are 7% and below are completely unpredictable, and the other schools already had students who would fit my niche in the admitted student body. </p>
<p>I hope all Harvard students and alumni on this board don’t judge all of the Class of 2017 by the arrogance of swisskisses post. No one ‘deserves’ to get into any of these highly selective colleges and I, like many other admits, feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity.</p>
<p>I’m prepared to give Swisskisses a do-over. Heaven knows I have said many ill-considered things over the course of my life that I wish I could take back. This Harvard thing is new to Swisskisses, and he or she made a first step that was, let us say, maladroit.</p>
<p>Swisskisses is just lucky to have said this on the Internet under a made-up user name, rather than during Freshman Week under his or her real name. That sort of thing can follow a person around for much of freshman year.</p>
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<p>Dropping the H-bomb can sometimes get a strong reaction. I never went around volunteering where my daughter went to school, but if they asked a direct question I wasn’t going to lie or be evasive. Most people just say something along the lines of “Wow, that’s great! Your daughter must really be smart.” </p>
<p>But sometimes there would be strong reactions that ranged from disbelief (“No, really. Where is she going to college?”) to literally being struck speechless - unable to continue the conversation.</p>
<p>If the Harvard grad makes any sort of minor error, he/she should be prepared for “I thought you went to Harvard!”</p>
<p>Say, Dwight, are you graduating soon? (I hope it was OK for me to ask. I know that such a question is often freighted with either excitement or anxiety, but it’s hard for somebody on the outside to know which one!)</p>
<p>Being accepted by Harvard is an accomplishment. No need to growl, folks.</p>
<p>Two year back, DS’s friend was accepted by Harvard, but turned down by Yale, Princeton, and UCB (YUP)-
She visited Cambridge (again) and decided that her Stanford acceptance was better for her. A California girl didn’t feel like managing a real winter. She also didn’t like the vibe as much.</p>
<p>So many cases, so many stories. Plenty of original thinkers will not go the expected route (expected if you are wedded to the UNAWR rankings and such) and what you do in the next years will make all this seem like a hazy tale.</p>
<p>But do bask in this acceptance. It is something.</p>
<p>Accepted to Harvard, but rejected by Yale. Surprising to me, especially because I applied EA to Yale and was deferred, but Harvard may be a better fit for me after all. The admissions system is so random, and I feel lucky to have been accepted to several super-competitive schools, but not Yale.</p>