Long story short, I have great stats that are in range for all the schools I applied to. I have also been either rejected or waitlisted at the first six decisions I have received, besides my safety. I still have a fair number left to hear from (Ivy Day!), but I am starting to really panic.
Any sage advice from people who got in to a place they really wanted even after a number of rejections/waitlistings?
Any sage advice from people on how to not freak out?
I’m starting to feel as though the last four years of my life were in vain…
Thanks all. I appreciate any feedback/encouraging stories/advice/hopeful commiseration.
Thanks again.
Great stats guarantee nothing, which is why your safety should be a school you’d happily attend. Most students love their college, and competitive applicants to Ivy League schools will have safety schools many would be thrilled to attend, so there’s little reason to worry.
Assuming you learned something from every class you took, and enjoyed your extracurricular endeavors, the last four years of your life certainly weren’t “in vain.” In 10 years’ time your alma mater will matter far less than how you fared in college, in 20 years’ time your work experience will be paramount, and in 30 years’ time your kids won’t judge your parenting by the university you attend. In the long, long run, St. Peter won’t care if you went to Columbia or community college.
Did you apply to 2 safeties you liked and a few matches (ie., colleges with 40+% acceptance rates if you’re very comptitive)?
I truly hope for your sake that you are not counting on 1 of 8 Ivy applications to come through. In the event you are rejected and/or waitlisted everywhere, don’t panic. There will be a list of colleges that still have open places available, and some of them are really excellent. There are also colleges that have rolling admissions, maybe you can get in an Honors program. Do a search here on CC, or those threads might even be pinned. Or consider a gap year. There is an excellent thread on CC called something like No Acceptances. It’s a very helpful story of a kid who had a similar experience. He assumed he would get in to a top school with his amazing stats. No acceptances, and no wailists came through. He took a gap year and made the most of it, and reapplied to a balanced list of colleges the following year. He ended up getting into MIT. I wish you luck, but if you don’t get in anywhere, it isn’t the end of the world.