<p>For the privates, I've been wait-listed twice and straight-out rejected from another. It hurts so much. I've gotten in all my applied UCs, but not one private?</p>
<p>Maybe it's my stats or my essay. It could unbearably have been caused by my secondary school report that was turned in past the deadline on my recommender's behalf that I had no control over and was lost in the mail for two schools (the waitlist and rejected one). I don't know. All I know is that I feel beyond hopeless.</p>
<p>Ivies and higher tier privates are coming out this week. What can I tell myself to stay strong? What hope is there for me?</p>
<p>What have you told yourself in the darkest of times?</p>
<p>Wait until all the decisions are out, within a few days from now, and move forward with what you have. You have all of your UCs, and maybe others to come. Embrace what you have and go forward, don’t look back.</p>
<p>I know, easier said than done.</p>
<p>The latest published research on this issue contends that there is no career earnings benefit to attending an “elite” school vs your state flagship. So you are likely getting a better Return-On-Investment (ROI) then if you were to attend a private at full tuition.</p>
<p>I think you will find that after settling into whatever school you decide to attend, you will rarely think about SAT scores, HS gpa, or your “woulda coulda” schools. The whole stress-filled admissions process will seem fairly inconsequential to you at some point, is my guess.</p>
<p>While it’s easy to look for what might have caused your waitlisting or rejection, there’s no point. You can’t go back and change it, so it doesn’t matter why you were rejected or waitlisted. It is what it is. All you can do is move on from the schools that rejected you, pick one of the schools that accepted you, and move forward to a great experience there.</p>