So in the past few days I have been swamped with a lot of rejections, UC Berkeley, Duke, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, uchicago (waitlist).
I understand that these are all reachs, but I do have a 34 act, 3.75(lowest aspect of my app) gap, 800 in chem and mol bio 800. Most importantly I research mol bio year round winning multiple regional award including 2nd place in long island (although this came early in march so i don’t know how much effect it has). I also came in 1st for my math research at the long island math fair. So generally I am a bit shaken by being rejected by all schools. The only ones left are ivies and I am really hoping for cornell, i also am a cornell employee. Anybody in the same boat, or was in a similar sitaution in years past?
Oh man so sorry to hear that! Did you apply to any matches or safeties??? All of those schools are reaches, regardless of your test scores and even more so because of your GPA. I still think you could have a shot at Cornell so best of luck to you there! I think your GPA is bringing you down because most of these applicants have similar test scores but at least a 3.8+. But I really hope one of them can look this over for your sake. Rooting for you!
Very similar situation. It’s really frustrating and I know where you’re coming from. These schools are reaches for everyone, but obviously, you are a quality candidate and getting all these rejection letters is beyond disheartening. What I keep telling myself is that I worked hard in high school. I know it sounds stupid and doesn’t seem very helpful but honestly, think about it - you tried your best throughout high school. The fact that those schools are not willing to accept you really only means that they are missing out. You’re gonna do great wherever you go. Good luck with hearing back from the Ivies - you definitely still have a shot at them.
yea I got into colgate, umami, mass amherst- thank you though!
Those are great schools! I got into UNC (OOS) so far. We both have some great options already.
Same story here although I think your ECs are more impressive for applying STEM. Do you have any non STEM ECs? Maybe highlight those in addition when you write WL letters. Surprised about JH and UChicago, you seem like a good fit. Is Miami still giving out those generous merit awards? I did not interview with Duke (I did not ask and they did not either) and I am wondering if on paper I seem too serious. To be honest, I could not see myself there, not big into partying. Maybe Ivies will want serious? Not really believing that now
^ I also have being the founder of a students debate forum to discuss social issues about our school and world (think ferguson, and free speech in the high school), key club board, science honor society president, trivia team captain. I quit my sports in 11th grade to pursue research so I didn’t add those due to lack of space in application.
OP, yours is a common case in what seems to be an uncommon year. Many students with similar stats to yours are going through the exact same thing.
I’m actually really surprised you were rejected from all those schools…
My guess would be it’s because your GPA is lower than the typical applicant (for these schools), your essays weren’t great, or your recs were mediocre.
I doubt it was your recommendations since you probably used your lab advisor/research teacher and math teacher who probably spend time with you and like you. It might be your essays, did you have someone look them over? With your GPA, depends where the down part is are your weaker grades in poetry (less important unless they are below a B or so) or something or are they in STEM?, also is that a good gpa for your school? Is it harder than most or do you go to a standard public school? Are you ranked in the top 10 or 20, even unofficially?
^ my worst grades have been in spanish, and calculus both being b or b+, my essays were looked over. Interestingly in my colgate acceptance letter the dean wrote a comment about how my common app essay (about a failed fruitfully aging experiment) was “genuine, compelling and well written”. I am most likely top 15% in my grade, or better. My best essays however were for the schools I have not heard from, also I had excellent interviews for them (Im sure that doesn’t help). I do go to a relatively standard public school.
I’ll repeat what I posted on another thread:
Basic probability and statistics:
If you apply to 10 schools with a 10% admit rate and admissions was random, you would get in to one, on average.
Granted, admissions aren’t random, but not a big portion of the applicant pool to the elites are no-hopers (maybe a quarter?), and that’s counterbalanced by the superapplicants with big hooks (some of them multiple ones) like recruited athlete, top 10 in the US in something, major award winner, URM, scion of a bigshot legacy, etc.
So among everyone else, you really shouldn’t expect to do better than the admit rate. Cut out the no-hopers, and nearly everyone has great stats and ECs. Being competitive at a school that admits 10% means that you have low odds of being admitted (around 10%).
JHU and Duke are more selective than Cornell (but that doesn’t mean the correlation is there and that you’d get into Cornell if Hopkins/Duke had come through). Everyone of these schools is a reach.
Your GPA was incredibly low for Hopkins though:
http://hub.jhu.edu/2015/03/27/johns-hopkins-class-of-2019
Stats of admitted class:
Overall Acceptance Rate = 12% (regular decision is around 10% acceptance rate)
Average GPA = 3.92
Mid 50% SAT = 1430 to 1560
Top 10% = 93%
Mid 50% ACT has been 32-35 for admits in the past.
Duke is likely just as selective this year.
update: So of the ivies I was rejected from all but cornell with a wait list, so I beleive I will be attending Colgate. A little disappointed about the results, but I guess my gap overshadowed my other achievements which is a little sad.
Sad for them, not for you. They lost out on someone who is very passionate about biology. This time next year, this will barely be a blip on you radar. Go do great things.
Update: Got into Cornell, but will be attending Colgate due to the oppurtunity to work in a great lab conducting a project of my own design, with plenty of funding. Perhaps it was a good thing to be rejected as I have found a position where I can be very successful and independent. Ultimately I beleive that undergraduate school matters very little if grad school applications, more about how you use the resources most effectively. Obviously at one of these top rate schools these resources are readily available.
Congratulations man! Glad you are happy and making the right decisions for you future.
afruitflyguy,
Colgate’s gain, Cornell’s loss.
But the rivalry endures… Our proximity and athletics schedules deliver contests in virtually every sport with men’s ice hockey perhaps that most vital. In the fall it’s all about men’s and women’s soccer where the results are probably about even over the years although football has gone Colgate’s way most of the past 25 years. With spring lacrosse it’s still the Big Red although the Raiders have made the games more competitive. And then there are those Patriot League and Ivy League standings and championships that count, affording more interest in excitement in our worlds of DI athletics and school spirit.
I am sure you will thrive during your upcoming 4 years at Colgate. My advice is to hit the ground running in all your activities. In the meantime, and through fourth quarter, 2016 the campus will see $70 million of new construction with the first, a new athletic center, already in construction mode as of this month. Rivals are already chipping with their “new rink envy”. The art and cultural center to be located in the Village gets underway in 2 months with site prep work, and the new career center later this summer. Webcams are being installed now so progress on colgate.edu can be monitored.
Enjoy your senior year and summer, and welcome to Colgate!
Good for you, OP, glad to hear that it has worked out so well for you. Thanks for sharing your admissions process and good luck at Colgate,a great school which sounds like a true “fit.”
re#17, Just to clarify about athletics:
Cornell does play Colgate- along with several other upstate NY schools like Clarkson, RPI, Union- but up in Ithaca they don’t really see those as “rivalry” games. Just another game on the schedule. Nobody is camping out all night at Lynah rink in Ithaca to get tickets for the big Colgate game. It is nothing special. At Cornell, anyway.FWIW.
Congrats to OP though.