I don’t know if I’m posting to the right forum, but here goes.
After going the application process this year, I soon realized that I have applied to too many reach schools (3 ivies, 3 LACs). I am an international (Canadian) student who is your “average excellent” kid with stats and GPA within range, great recs, and good ECs plus a few talents or two. I don’t really know if you could say I learned my lesson not to apply to that many reach schools as I have yet heard back from these schools, but there is one lesson that I’ve learned. That lesson is that there are way more options than what you think you have.
I always saw the US as the better option than most schools here for my major, but I feel like focusing so much of my energy on applying to the US has made me forget the many great schools that my own country has. I just wanted to let people applying to colleges now know, especially int’l students, that there are many more affordable options in your country (or even in-state options for US students).
Another thing I learned doing this process is to evaluate yourself carefully and honestly. Although I would say I’m pretty harsh towards myself, at the end of the day, I still know myself and my abilities best. Because my GC and peers all tell me I have a really decent chance at these LACs and perhaps even a shot at ivies, I started to become ever so slightly* hopeful. Though I know I would consider myself “qualified,” I wouldn’t call myself “stellar” by any means. I know it’s great to have a supportive community but sometimes you just need to listen to yourself. I know that when I don’t get into these schools, I wouldn’t be letting down my friends or my peers, I would end up letting myself down for believing I even had a chance at these schools.
*If anyone was curious, I only took 3 AP tests (our school doesn’t offer APs), did the SAT once (within range), no SAT II subject tests, and wanted to major in art history.