I’ve worked my butt off in high school to become class rank #1 with a perfect GPA. I’ve gotten into a handful of colleges so far(Wisconsin Madison is currently my top choice. I toured the school and fell in love with it), but I feel like I’m still coming up shorthanded. It seems to me that every single person in this school has gotten into the Ivy’s. In fact, I just read a post where someone tried to invoke sympathy from the readers because he got deferred from MIT, but got accepted into Caltech. Although I still technically have yet to hear from Harvard(got deferred) and Columbia, the likelihood of getting accepted is slim to none. It also doesn’t help that the previous valedictorian from my school got a full ride to Princeton.
I guess the reason I’m writing this is to warn/help those who plan on applying to college soon. The percentage of students who get into the topnotch universities is very small, despite it seeming like many get in if you base it of this website alone. I’m not trying to stop those from applying. Hell, shoot for the stars baby. If you get in, congratulations! You should be extremely proud of yourself. However, remember that if you don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it’s probably a good thing. You’ll most likely end up a school that’ll have more students that are similar to you. Secondly, getting rejected from a certain school doesn’t mean you aren’t smart enough. If you believe the admissions rejected you when you think you’d be a great fit, you have to remember that college admissions is little more than a numbers game. Show them by getting into an amazing school for a master’s degree or succeeding in your undergraduate’s degree with flying colors.
I don’t want you to end up like me, where you are too focused on the prestige of the school(granted, I actually did enjoy the tours of Harvard and Columbia). It’s not about where you go, but what you make of it. Going to an Ivy League school guarantees nothing. Now, I must admit that I wrote this equally for myself as I did for the readers, but I hope high school students get something out of this. Thanks for reading.
Seems to me that based on your second paragraph, you are not ruined at all. You get it. Now you just need to accept it. You have a bright future ahead of you with numerous possibilities. Enjoy and embrace it. And good luck.
A VERY wise post!!
You will do great in college.
The only points I would add is that College is JUST a stepping stone.
In the end, NO ONE has the name of college they went to carved on their tombstone.
^ What @ClarinetDad16 said. You can only get a “full ride” if you have financial need, and you’d have to be fairly disadvantaged to get all expenses paid. Ivies do not offer merit scholarships, nor do many of the most selective universities and liberal arts colleges.
The reward for working hard is not that coveted spot at an Ivy League school. Rather it is strong academic preparation and solid work habits that will prepare you to succeed in life, whatever route you take. You could do a lot worse than to be at the top of your class at a prestigious state flagship!
Congratulations on your strong record of achievement.
I’m sure it would feel great to walk around with a Harvard acceptance in your pocket but keep in mind t that once May or June comes around, nobody is going to care anymore.
This is a great post! I also feel like there’s a heavy focus here on schools that accept 15% or less of their applicants when there are a plethora of excellent schools that accept 40% or more of their applicants and offer really excellent educations. Some students here also look down their nose at public universities (with the exception of UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan and Virginia, and sometimes a handful of others) - especially their own state’s public universities. But most states’ flagship universities are excellent places!
UW-Madison is a great place. I’m sure you’ll be happy there, and do well. Best wishes!
The way I read this, not only was the previous year 's valedictorian admitted to Princeton–he/she was so awesome that Princeton gave them a full ride! Which makes the OP feel even more like he’s “coming up shorthanded.” So posters just explained that there’s no such thing as a merit-based full ride award to an Ivy.
Well, I don’t think all of the responses, which were mostly encouraging the OP, even mentioned the full ride. But, it’s also important to correct misinformation that is out there. Before joining this site, I had no idea that the Ivy League and other elite schools didn’t give merit aid. While it’s great that some people may qualify for financial aid that covers their full cost of attendance, it’s not accurate to say full ride because it implies a merit scholarship and misleads other people (not saying it’s intentional). No need to feel bad about not getting a full ride to an Ivy League school. No ones does and I thought that was also a point of bringing it up.
To the OP, congratulations, you have summarized in one post literally thousands and thousands of posts that say the same thing. Share your post with underclassmen so they will be prepared next year:-). Best of luck to you.
I add my congrats to your excellent post! You are so right about advising not being “too focused on the prestige of the
school.” Though some of your post is “talking to yourself” about not getting accepted to Ivy’s etc. such as a previous valedictorian at your high school “getting a full ride to Princeton”, but the substance of what you say is 100% true from my life experience such as “succeeding in your undergraduate’s degree with flying colors”. As you know, UW-Madison is a top notch university in the wonderful city of Madison. (I attended classes on the UW campus for three summers in a row and loved the university as well.) After college, prestige and a buck or two can get you a cup of coffee from my life experience as well (coming from a University of Chicago grad).
Thank you guys for the great responses. I guess I wasn’t clear about last year’s validictorian. It was not Princeston who offered him a full ride, but rather a third-party source. He was incredibly talented and was the smartest kid I knew.
Nonetheless, the responses are incredible encourging and would like to personally thank you for them. They’ve given me a lot of encouragement.
Not to get into semantics, but I would think full ride means all tuition and fees paid for - whether that is merit or financial aid. So, personally, I think the term could be used to represent a full boat financial aid package to an ivy.
^Full Ride doesn’t mean only tuition and fees. It means very nearly the entire COA. You’re confusing this with Full Tuition. And full freight to an Ivy means heavy financial need.
OP, you’re wise and Madison is super and your approach is balanced. I just wonder why you say, (don’t) “end up like me, where you are too focused on the prestige of the school.”
^ right- I meant full tuition, fees, room board etc… = full ride. It doesn’t necessarily mean merit (in the case of heavy financial need). Someone getting FA for full tuition, fees, R&B, etc… at any school is getting a ‘full ride’