<p>Some high school students put all their eggs (and hopes) in one basket. That is, they've idealized the "perfect" college and are devastated if denied. And even those who are admitted to a "dream" college, and who enroll there, can often realize, with 20/20 hindsight, that the "perfect" college will have flaws and that the obsession with a single school that they had as high school seniors was unfounded.</p>
<p>**If you, too, had a "dream" college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you'd hoped for?</p>
<p>If denied, have you been able to be happy elsewhere?**</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?
It wasn’t an omg-I’ve-been-in-love-with-this-school-since-I-was-five-I’m-going-to-die-if-I-don’t-get-in situation, but Vandy was one of two reach schools I applied to (and the only one I got in). I had a friend who graduated the year before me who goes here, and he convinced me to at least check it out, because he knew how smart I was, and I had been talking about how unsure I felt about going to UT-Austin (automatic acceptance with honors engineering, but I just wasn’t feeling it for some reason). My parents didn’t want me to get my hopes up about attending here–first, about being accepted, and second, getting enough FA to attend–but, in a case that I can only call divine intervention, all of the pieces worked out exactly as they needed to, I fell in love with the campus, and submitted my decision on May 1.</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?
Yes and no. The academics are top-notch, my friends are amazing, and the alumni network is great. But it is really far from home, and I always wonder about how life would’ve been had I gone to UT… Closer to home, familiar friends from high school, a really really great city to be a young adult in, and my GPA would probably be far better than it is now.</p>
<p>That being said, I know that I usually only feel this retrospective around finals time, and I did only get my internship this summer because they saw Vanderbilt at the top of my application. (They actually said this in the interview.) I know the trade-offs will definitely be worth it later on in life, but sometimes I get tired of being a functional adult and I just want to be a teenager again for awhile haha.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>Got accepted, didn’t go. I went to a school that offered me a free ride instead of paying nearly full tuition at Johns Hopkins. </p>
<p>If [you went somewhere else], have you been able to be happy elsewhere?</p>
<p>Yes. I’ve made some of friends I’ve ever had, and had experiences that I could not have had at my dream school. Since my father lost his job earlier this year, I probably would have ended up leaving school this semester for failure to pay 25K, so in hindsight my choice was perfect. i would not go back and go to the other school even if money hadn’t been an issue. I realized I didn’t want the cutthroat environment of my dream school and other top schools. The laid back setting of a school that i still Tier 1, and in Top 20 for public schools is great for me.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>I was accepted to my dream school but didn’t have the money to attend.</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time regretting/being bitter about the fact that I worked so hard for years and my dream seemed like it was snatched from me in a matter of months. There are a lot of things to love about my current school, and I’ve realized now that no school would have been perfect…I love the hustle and bustle of my large state uni, love all of the activity and activism. I wish the classes were more close knit and intellectual. But the outside of the classroom opportunities have far and above exceeded anything I would have gotten at my dream school…certainly the campus is filled to the brim with so much life…but this also includes numerous international travel trips that I certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. </p>
<p>If denied, have you been able to be happy elsewhere?</p>
<p>If I had realized sooner that no place is perfect and taken advantage of the place I’m at, then I would have been a lot happier. I think almost all colleges have a LOT to offer and all have UNIQUE things to offer and you gotta rise up to the challenge and take them.</p>
<p>I got accepted to my “dream school,” and I don’t regret it one bit. In fact, I probably would’ve been truly miserable in my other “safeties,” incessantly reminiscing upon the habits that led me to said school.</p>
<p>My daughter, now a sophomore, was accepted at one of her three dream schools (Wellesley), but the fin aid didn’t work and briefly she was devastated but she knew she needed to move on. The fin aid at Smith which included two years of research with a professor was simply too good to pass up and she has been supremely happy at Smith–academics, friends, ECs, Northampton.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>I had a few different schools that were “dream” schools. I got into two of them (state schools) and denied from the other three (two Ivy and one highly ranked school).</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?</p>
<p>Binghamton is, without a doubt, the best school for me. I have friends, a great and highly ranked program, and a lot of opportunities. The other school (Stony Brook) was one I had originally planned on attending for a very long time, but after deciding that pre-med was not the right path for me, I decided not to take up their offer of admission and small scholarship as Binghamton was better for my new path. Binghamton did not give me any money or offer me any sort of “honors” experience, but it wouldn’t have changed anything.</p>
<p>If denied, have you been able to be happy elsewhere?</p>
<p>Absolutely, but again this is with a grain of salt since I had several top choices. In addition, I feel that some of these “dream” schools that I picked in HS, would not have been good fits for the person I am now. I applied to Columbia, Cornell and Georgetown as my other reaches. Columbia, in retrospect, was a bad choice for me. I still like Cornell and Georgetown and am hoping to go to the latter for grad/law school.</p>
<p>** If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you? **</p>
<p>It really didn’t work out. I’d hoped/planned to go to Wisconsin-Madison, for say, basically my whole life, but apparently I’m to cool for them and I got rejected. At 18 years old, I threw a hissy tantrum and didn’t talk for 2 days. I eventually got over it.</p>
<p>** If denied, have you been able to be happy elsewhere? **</p>
<p>Um, let me think about that one… NO. The school I’m at now sucks on absolutely every level. No one talks to anyone, everyone’s a sheltered farm kid and all the cliques transferred from high school. You walk through the main quad during a class change, and it’s literally ** dead silent ** because seriously no one talks. My roommate’s a ****ing loser, my classes are waaayyyyy too easy for me, students still mouth off to teachers like they did in high school, and the “joke” of a town the school is in just sucks. The only friends I could make were people from farrr out of state because they hadn’t inherited the sense of antisociality and rudeness that everyone else here has. The whole place is just a little slice of Hell. Dead serious.</p>
<p>I got accepted to Wisconsin for next Fall, luckilly.</p>
<p>I had always wanted to go to Berkeley but ended up getting rejected, and I applied to Michigan on the last day of RD, and now I’m at Michigan, and couldn’t be happier. Even if I got into berkeley, I doubt my educational experiences will differ at either school, so I’m in a win win situation
Berkeley had some financial difficulties so I was glad that I didn’t get in/attend.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>I was in lust with Bard College. After reading countless descriptions from Princeton Review and Fiske Guide, posts from here, and understanding their philosophy and mission, I felt like this was “the one” college that I was meant to fit at. Too bad that I was WLed come April 1st. However, I evaluated the rest of my college acceptances, and found a home at Drew University. I did not stay on the WL for Bard because I knew if I got in, they would probably not offer me enough scholarships or aid to attend anyway. </p>
<p>If denied, have you been able to be happy elsewhere?</p>
<p>As a junior at Drew, I have found my place here. It feels like home. I had an awesome internship, fantastic classes, leadership positions, and I definitely took advantage of the university. My first semester though was miserable and I almost transferred because I was expecting college to be this fantastic experience without putting in effort. Then, I decided to take control and really take the opportunities that were handed in front of me. As my sister is now receiving responses to colleges, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I went somewhere else.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?</p>
<p>I was absolutely in love with Cornell. It was hard for me to apply to other schools simply because I wanted to go there so badly. I didn’t apply ED because of financial reasons, but I definitely would have if I could. I was accepted and absolutely thrilled! I also received good FA so I was able to attend. People always talk about how choosing a college is a very difficult decision, but I knew Cornell was for me.</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?</p>
<p>I love it here so much! I am very happy with my decision. The Hotel School is fantastic ad I love my classes, teachers, new friends, and the whole vibe. I kinda expected that from Hotel School, but all of Cornell delivered as well. The people here are awesome! I have made amazing friends that I feel so close to after only a few months. The social scene is fun. The food is delicious (but can get boring at times). The scenery is truly gorges. The opportunities are endless. I honestly feel so lucky to have found a place that fits what I need so well. Cornell was my dream school and really is my perfect school. As I am about to go take my last final of the semester and pack up to go home for a month, I know I’m going to miss it. Sure, home will be nice, but Cornell has become my new home. The only thing I really don’t like is this freezing weather…</p>
<p>I feel like my situation is a bit unusual. Normally,it doesn’t work out like this - people are either rejected form their dream school or their dream school doesn’t live up to their expectations. I have heard of stories of friends being rejected from their dream school but being totally happy somewhere else and wondering what they ever saw out of that school. I think the key is having an open mind and really embracing your situation - no matter what. Although it’s hard to avoid, don’t build up your dream school in your head over the summer before you get here - you will just end up being dissapointed.<br>
Best of luck to the class of 2015 and their dream schools!</p>
<p>I am a May 2010 graduate from my dream school. I decided what school I wanted to attend as a sophomore in high school and applied ED in September of my senior year. I think the one danger of attending your dream school is that there will always be a discrepancy between your exceptions and the reality of it. </p>
<p>I certainly felt a bit of a letdown after the “honeymoon” of it all had started to evaporate freshman year. This was compounded by the reality of tough academics and finding my “niche.” When my expectations became more realistic and I realized that not everything would be “perfect,” I realized that it was the perfect place for me and I could not imagine going anywhere else. I think it is important to realize that things could always be different, but that does not mean they would be better or worse, just different. In that regard, I consider myself very fortunate to graduate from a wonderful school. </p>
<p>I really never considered attending another school. I think I would have taken a bit longer to adjust.</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?
My dream college since I could bear to remember was UNC-CH, primarily because my family is filled with die-hard Tar Heels. My grandfather went, but nobody else had gone since then. Because I was an OOS applicant, I was extremely motivated throughout high school, and that pushed me through a lot of the tougher work. All the other schools I applied to (UChicago, ND, UVA, among others) were simply in case I didn’t get in, as is the usual case when someone applies to a dream college I guess. At any rate, I was accepted EA for the Class of 2014 at UNC, but I was also accepted to every other college I applied to, excluding Yale (which was really more of a “why not?” application). This is where the story gets interesting. I ended up sending my deposit the day after I was accepted, but just before May 1 I started having major second thoughts. After two weeks of stress, thinking about “Is this what I really want to do?”, I came to the conclusion that ND and UVA had been more my style all along, but I got rid of UVA because friends that had done their visits said they didn’t like it. I ended up deciding that I needed to visit ND one more time, and fortunately my worries had been true. ND was everything I could have wanted and more, I had just been “blinded” in a way in the rest of my college application process. I double deposited and I go to Notre Dame now.</p>
<p>If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?
I feel like I’m in a way unique because I turned down my dream school. Thankfully, Notre Dame has been everything I could have expected and so much more. I’ve been converted in to one of those sappy people who can’t stop talking about Notre Dame. Classes are fantastic, the people are amazing, and everything just feels right (even the freezing cold climate!). By now, I have come to believe that although I would have been happy at UNC, I needed to attend the school where I’d be the happiest, and that was Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Moral of the Story:
Think carefully about your dream school!</p>
<p>If you, too, had a “dream” college, how did it work out for you?
I’ve had my dream school since before freshmen year. When I saw the acceptance letter, I was so thrilled I could only whisper the decision to my dad.
Bc of what school it was, my parents would have taken out a second mortgage to put me through, thankfully, whe FA package made that unecessary.
If accepted, did it turn out to be everything you’d hoped for?
yes.</p>
<p>I was waitlisted at my dreamschool, which was one of the “lesser” ivies. At the time, I was pretty bummed.</p>
<p>Five years later and the picture is entirely different. Went to a top twenty private university and graduated last May with many positive experiences. I ended up majoring in a field that was totally different than the one mentioned in my undergrad application. The school I ended up at actually has a better program for my major than the dreamschool where I was rejected. </p>
<p>Now I am applying for doctoral programs and, just by chance, the dreamschool is on the list again (for work in a related field), but my attitude is very different. It’s a good school but not the best for what I want to do. I’ll be happy if I get in and can work with a few profs that interest me but it is just one of a number of programs I’m applying to and some of those are a closer fit. We’ll see what happens this time.</p>
