<p>Jym I’m pretty sure 1990 was the peak year, but if anyone can find a site stating otherwise I’d love to see it!</p>
<p>I also agree w/Rileydog and other kids!! So hard to see your own kid’s ambition to get shattered at this age. I know my son will get back up and rebuild himself and move on. Yeah he has been accepted to a good school, but clearly he prepared for better n deserved better. I find the college admission officers’ stories completely unsubstantiated that they are looking for all rounded students. It’s such an unfair unpredictatble process and at the end of the game, you dont know why they rejected you. so you dont know how to prepare your next kid for the college admisison.
I just wish that the colleges will do a blind read on the applictaions for one year and use that year’s result as a benchmark. I would like to see what these colleges are trying to achieve and how they are actually achieving that. I still see a poor grad rate for the top ranking colleges. That makes me wonder about the admission process to begin with.</p>
<p>Rileydog,
Thank you for writing this. I have been trying so hard to fake a smile, and pretend there is nothing wrong. But when I see all my hard work seem to mean nothing, it hurts. Yeah, and waitlists. What good is that to a student needing fin aid a lot since waitlists usually mean nil fin aid at most schools.
Like Rofflez, I have been trying to make sense of it all. And now, time for me to scrape my deposit and look into the dorms of my chosen college. I know I will study hard at this college. I am proud of how I handled my studies anyway, I didn’t take any shortcuts. And I will take my work ethics to grad school one day hopefully.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, Rileydog. That was very comforting.</p>
<p>I want to add my voice to the approbation for Rileydog. I’m in my fifties and it still hurts every time I rediscover that life is unfair. (Life hey, how come other people can eat chocolate?)</p>
<p>Of course, these kids are upset! And there was really nothing to prepare them for this.</p>
<p>My heart goes out to all the kids who feel their hard work was in vain. Of course, we know it’s not true, but it is a horrible way to feel.</p>
<p>Much love to all of you. Best in your next round of endeavors.</p>
<p>Thank you very much Rileydog… I am in a situation very similar to the OP and was waitlisted at my top four choices (dartmouth, upenn, tufts, johns hopkins) and accepted to two safeties (villanova and penn state)…</p>
<p>and dragonfae9-maybe we should room together at nova? ;)</p>
<p>The hard work you put into your high school endeavors will serve you well in college, wherever you attend. You’ll have the skills and drive to push through and achieve your goals, while the kids who slacked their way through high school may be in for a rude, rude shock. Some will get through; others won’t.</p>
<p>But yeah, it still sucks. And you’re allowed to say it.</p>
<p>Rileydoy, your post was very well said. It really touched on a lot of the things I’ve had trouble putting into words - thank you.</p>
<p>Thanks Rileydog-- at least one parent understands :)</p>
<p>Hi, I can relate to your situation a lot. I took APs and honors all throughout highschool, and due to financial issues and a few rejections I will now be attending my states public flagship university. I too thought that all of my hard work was for nought, especially because UIowa guarantees admission to the top 50% through a math formula. </p>
<p>I agree with Rileydog that all of your hard work in high school will help you get ahead in college. </p>
<p>Good luck dragonfae9, do research on the schools you did get accepted to and try to get excited about them, it helped me.</p>
<p>Oh, what fanfare! Thanks.</p>
<p>I still get teary when I read these posts. It just vividly brought back last year to me. The night my daughter saw rejections/waitlists in matter of 5 minutes was a moment it was hard to forget. That night she curled up with her head on my lap to fall asleep. She had over 4.0 uw all APs and honors, in all of her school’s most prestigious clubs (had to be selected by faculty and students). She did everything she could to not have any blemish on her record. She asked me if I was disappointed in her. How could I be? I told her not to let the college process define her or validate her high school accomplishments.</p>
<p>As I have posted before, she did get off all of her waitlists and is very happy today at her school. She believes what happened to her was meant to be. In hind sight, she doesn’t think she would have been happy at her original top 2 choices. She is very thankful someone up there was watching out for her. I wish all of you the same happy ending as my daughter.</p>
<p>When I say happy ending, I am not referring to getting off waitlists, I am referring to how happy my daughter is at her current school.</p>
<p>Well, the two universities that waitlisted me are my top choices.</p>
<p>I really want to attend them. Being on the waitlist is like being in a gray area. You don’t know you’re admission result.</p>
<p>I had the same moment when most of my decisions came, oldfort. I asked my parents if they were disappointed in me. I did not get over the decisions until Friday. Part of me is still sad because of the rejections. However, I am hoping that they will accept me from their waitlists.</p>
<p>I have a question…are you pursuing more than one of your waitlists? I was waitlisted at two of my top choices, but my counselor says I can only stay on one because they expect you to go if they let you in. Does anyone else have opinions or proof that its ok to stay on two?
Oldfort, you said your daughter got off all her waitlists. Was that a problem at all?? I just dont see the problem in staying on both.</p>
<p>Not true. You can stay on as many wait lists as you want to.</p>
<p>And you guys have to assume that you won’t get off the wait list and go about making your plans. Then if you, it’s a wonderful surprise.</p>
<p>“are you pursuing more than one of your waitlists? I was waitlisted at two of my top choices, but my counselor says I can only stay on one because they expect you to go if they let you in.”</p>
<p>It’s fine to pursue as many waitlists as you want. Colleges give you about 24 hours to decide whether to accept a waitlist offer. Given the fact that some colleges have lengthy waitlists that they accept very few students from, it can be a good idea to be on several waitlists if one hasn’t gotten into any colleges or wasn’t accepted to colleges that one favored.</p>
<p>I don’t believe for a second that anyone could have hung out at a pizza joint for four years and received the same admissions as kids who studied hard. Study hard usually gets better grades. Better grades gets better GPA. Better GPA gets better acceptance chances as long as test results also line up and vice versa (good test scores line up with good GPA). A year ago I thought my sons would have a great chance at the best schools but I based that on their test scores. One of them spent time working hard, studying and taking homework seriously. Still, he should have done better. Ended up with 3.8 weighted GPA, 34 ACT, but was accepted at all schools he applied except wait-listed at his reach dream-school. The other also very smart, 33 ACT, but 2.8 weighted GPA – not only hung out at the pizza joint but delivered the pizzas. Luckily applied at a school that accepts 30% of freshman in the bottom half of the class.</p>
<p>Please don’t mislead kids. It’s amazing the number of kids who score highly on the college entrance tests and the number who receive good grades. What differentiates kids for acceptance at the top are those who are ranked in the top 1-5% and test in the top 1%.</p>
<p>college2008 - I would suggest the same to you - don’t mislead kids into thinking that everyone who studies hard , takes AP/Honors, gets the prize. If your S or D is taking AP and Honors classes, working very hard, participating in multiple activites, etc., but NOT in the top 1 to 2% and/or not holding some type of trump card, then your S or D can most certainly end up at the same school as my son’s friend who had As, but only in CP level 2 classes. Did he study as hard as my son? No way. At bigger schools (especially 2nd and 3rd teir) they are not looking at rigor. I have seen it twice now with S1 and S2’s classmates. I am not suggesting that kids give it all up - just that they should understand the system at all levels - not just the Ivies and tier one schools. Many kids on this list did not get into their match schools this year. Also, I would not agree with you that what differentiates kids for acceptance at the top are those who are ranked in the top 1 - 5% and test in the top 1% as we have seen this year. Admissions may favor those students but we have gone to “holistic” admissions…there’s so much more. I wish I could say this isn’t a true story but it is.</p>
<p>Rileydog, I agree with you.</p>
<p>Admissions has become more complicated. Now, admissions are looking for well rounded people with the best academic records.</p>