My dream school was Johns Hopkins and I was rejected last Friday. When I applied ED my SAT score was 1360, then I took it again December 2nd and it went up to 1420. I can’t help but think that maybe if they had seen my new score they would have rethought?? I edited my essay too… But maybe not, maybe I still would have gotten rejected. I know so many others are also in my situation but it’s very disheartening and now I feel like I can’t get into a good school. Advice? Anything would be helpful.
To answer your title question: Move on.
Were you rejected outright or deferred? If it was the latter than I would update your scores and tell them you are still interested. If it was the former, then it’s time to regroup and move on. There is more that one place that is just right for you. Look for those places, send in your scores and keep your grades up. Send in applications to a broad range of schools. You will get in to college.
I have some experience. One of my older DDs was rejected from her first choice. She is thriving as a junior at a great college. My DD18 was deferred from her ED school on Friday. The admission rate for RD goes down dramatically so she has already had to follow the regroup advice herself. She took a little time to mourn this weekend and now is ready to look for “What’s next?” Sending lots of good luck thoughts your way.
Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it. Sadly, I was outright rejected from Johns Hopkins. I will take your advice and continue my search for schools.
It’s disappointing, certainly, but it’s also important to keep things in perspective. At very competitive schools like JHU, there are many more qualified applicants than spots available. We visited a tip-top LAC a few years ago. At the info session, they said they considered 70% of applicants fully qualified and thought that if they attended they would succeed academically and otherwise. At the time, it accepted 14% of applicants. So fully 4 in 5 fully qualified applicants could not be accommodated.
The good news is that there are many, many outstanding schools and you are a very well qualified candidate. You will find a terrific school and meet and learn with/from many amazing people–faculty, staff, and students. Embrace that, look forward to it. And enjoy the gift of youth. Good luck!
@29mads , JHU is a reach for even the best students. Don’t beat yourself up or second guess. Time to move on to your other options - what other schools did you apply to?
Agree with all of the above. DS deferred x 2 now. Developing a bit of a habit! 
We view each of his reach schools as a lottery ticket, with a few safeties. Keep this in mind too. I went to a lower-tier public university many years ago, and now my alma mater is a big name and a competitive college. I would never get in there today. I will not say that where you go to school doesn’t matter, but what you do at your school matters more.