<p>I applied to 9 schools (not counting the one I really loved, which rejected me early decision), mostly selective liberal arts colleges, and have heard back from 7. Two accepted me and five waitlisted me. If college admissions are a crapshoot like everyone says, why did all these colleges feel the same way about me? I mean, what are the statistical chances of that! I feel like 4 years spent pulling all nighters, hours of staying after school working on science competitions and literary magazines and pit orchestra, taking four college classes in addition to all the APs, and just generally exerting the enormous effort of studying my ass off to get a 4.5 gpa and 2100 SAT were all wasted. I don't know if I can handle the emotional upheaval of trying to get off the waitlists after all I've already gone through, yet I'm not so keen on either of the two colleges that have accepted me. I feel so utterly confused and ashamed. Is anyone else in the same boat? There should be a support group for unsuccessful college applicants, haha : )</p>
<p>wow... you could be my son... he applied to 8 schools after being deferred ED; still waiting for 2 more decisions, but he's been waitlisted at 3, including the ED choice. Good student, nat'l honor society, crew team captain, and legacy (2 generations) at the ED school. It's looking like he'll have to choose between 2 what-we-thought-were safeties. He is miserable too. You are not alone at all. Everything works out one way or the other. You will likely be happy wherever you end up. Good luck!</p>
<p>Wow thank you. Tell your son he's not the only one : /</p>
<p>Please don't feel ashamed, gloaming. The adcoms at the colleges really don't know you as a person. Something in your application failed to win them over, but that is your application, not you.
Did you apply to mostly reach schools - schools which accept less than 30% of their applicants? What is it you don't like about the two who found your application a good match for their colleges?
Stay on the waitlists, but don't put any emotional energy into them. Then take another look at the options you have. They can't be all that bad, or you wouldn't have applied, would you?</p>
<p>You also have a couple more schools coming up. Good luck, but don't take the decisions as a personal rejection. They really aren't.</p>
<p>Gloaming, two years ago my daughter was waitlisted at five schools, four of them very selective LACs and the other a larger and very selective university; she subsequently got into one of the LACs off the WL but chose not to attend because she had been accepted by another comparable LAC that she decided she would be happy at (and she is happy there). Her credentials were similar to yours as you describe them; her SATs were somewhat higher but her GPA unweighted was about 3.8 and the school did not weight. (By April 1 she ended up with four acceptances, five WLs, and one outright rejection. The WL acceptance came along in early May. All her original acceptances were really good choices, but her pride certainly was hurt by the WL results. It takes a while to get over it, but it you will.)</p>
<p>Admissions is partly a crapshoot but the results are also a function of there being a lot of highly qualified female candidates from specific regions of the country. This makes it which uniformly difficult for you to get in to schools that would probably take you if you were male, from an underrepresented state, or had some specific hook. But you may well get in to one or two because decisions are made by people and different things will appeal to them, or you may fill a specific niche for one school and not another. But your hard work was not wasted, becasue you will be well prepared wherever you end up, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have done good work.</p>
<p>See if your GC has any insight into whicih one or two of the WL schools you might have the best shot at getting in to off the WL. Put effort into that, byut also try to get a positive sense of the school you are already accepted by and choose the one you like best. Make an emotional as well as financial commitment; if one of the WLs works out, it will be icing on the cake.</p>
<p>Again, thanks for the thoughtful replies..I guess I have everything against me: female, white, from an overrepresented state, parents are professors. I'm just so tired of the unfairness of it all. A kid from my high school got into Harvard--he has perfect grades and SATs, but virtually no extracurriculars or personality. He's a first generation college student so that probably did it. I support affirmative action, but it sure sucks for people on my side of it, haha.
Yes, I guess most were slight reaches, but I thought I might at least get into a couple reaches...I only got into the safeties. The two colleges that have accepted me are excellent schools and I'm trying hard to reconcile myself to attending one of them. I just am angry at all these form letters and waitlists...hopefully in time I'll realize it's all irrelevant : )</p>
<p>By this time next year you will probably find it irrelevant:) Not only that, butyou will probably discover that many of your classmates at the college you end up at have had similar non-acceptance expertiences--and that you are all at least as smart and wonderful as the kids at... those other schools.</p>
<p>Gloaming,</p>
<p>{{{{{{{{{{{ BIG HUGGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}} to you.</p>
<p>I am sorry that this has happended to you. I think that this is going to be an exceptionally hard year for young women as men are becoming the minority at LACs and some of the Ivies (last year I think for the first time Harvard enrolled more young women) so there is a abig gender imbalance at many schools. </p>
<p>Did you get a chance to read the article written by kenyon's dean of admissions?</p>
<p>I agree with Mattmom that a year from now, when you are happily in your school all of this will be a distant memory.</p>
<p>Heheh, I did read that article, and thought as I was reading it "I bet Kenyon will waitlist me too," and was right. Ohhh well.
I wonder what it's going to be like trying to get into college 10 years from now?</p>
<p>Gloaming, JOIN THE EVER EXPANDING WAITLIST CLUB!! I personally have been waitlisted at now three, got into 5, four were matches, one reach, and rejected from three, waiting on two more schools. I HATE THIS PROCESS, and the waitlist is just not right, it leads you on and unless you are planning to invest much emotional energy into recampaigning for yourself, its a tireless effort, I personally cannot go through it and frankly don't have the energies left that it requires. On top of that, I can't tell you how many are in the waitlist club category in my school, a very prestigious norhteastern private school where there have been countelss disappointments, but thankfully many happy stories too. The bottom line is this is the beginning of those baby boomers kids, and the application numbers hit the roof and will continue until 2009 and then it will peter off, sucks for us, I know. HANG IN THERE, Miracles happen and you sound very bright, your efforts were NOT a waste, they make you and shape you into who you are and who everyone likes and respects, these qualities that you learned will take you through and get you through life, don't look back and have regrets, they will take you far, think positive, it all works out....REALLY!</p>
<p>gloaming, </p>
<p>Please don't feel your work has been wasted.</p>
<p>If applying to the reaches, your results so far actually correspond closely to the overall odds. That's why kids apply to 7-10 schools, so 1-3 will come through. In other words, kids would apply to 1-2 schools if they thought they would "bat a thousand." Sensibly you considered the odds and applied to 10 schools to reduce your risk.</p>
<p>Most of us were turned down by somewhere special, yet wound up very happy at the school that we ultimately attended. Hopefully that will be your story too. And who knows maybe one or both of the last two will also be YES!</p>
<p>Gloaming: Bryn Mawr's a really great school. If you end up going there you will soon forget all the waitlist angst and enjoy four amazing years!</p>
<p>Gloaming, really don't feel bad. A few years ago, the salutorian at my school applied to 9 colleges, one of them was the safety instate school. He didn't apply to any school EA or ED.Then spring rolls around and he is outright rejected at 5 schools and waitlisted at 3. He only got into the state school (which he hated btw). It ended up that he got into two of hi waitlisted schools but the time in between was very stressful. This was a very high-achieving, competitive kid who'd worked hard all four years of high school. The spring term of senior year was one of great dissapointment but it was certainly no reflection on him. He did everything he could do to supplement his applications at the schools which he was waitlisted at, and things turned out for the better. </p>
<p>so dont give up! Youre not alone! and at least you are in somewhere!</p>
<p>reminds me that a kid from my D's HS a few years ago applied to 10, WL or rejected at 9 of them...</p>
<p>Admitted to ONE school.</p>
<p>Harvard.</p>
<p>That's crazy SBmom.
No one can understand why this kid from my high school got into Harvard..yes he's valedictorian, straight A's, near perfect SATS, but he does NOTHING else. no extracurriculars of any kind! goes to show that when colleges go on about looking for things like "personal integrity," it's all bs. how can "integrity" come across on an application anyway.</p>
<p>gloaming...i am in the exact same position as you. I have been waitlisted at my top 3 choices and accepted to Bryn Mawr. It looks like I will be going to Bryn Mawr! Although a little disappointed, yet still I have a tinyyyyy bit of hope for the other 3 schools, I know that Bryn Mawr would give me a great education! Things are meant to happen for a reason.</p>
<p>sb, is that a true story or an urban myth? if so thats unreal and certainly very inspirational for all of us!</p>
<p>SB would not selll you an urban myth. The story is true</p>
<p>Yep. Weird, but true. Pretty good illustration of the "crapshoot" element in college admissions.</p>
<p>thanks victorial! if we both go to bryn mawr we should hang out : )
unless i am accepted to middlebury (extremely unlikely) or rice (doubtful) i will probably go to bryn mawr...unless i fall in love with earlham when i visit this weekend. who knows. i am just so burned out by the whole process. i definitely understand why people take "gap years."</p>