<p>Out of curiosity and pure boredness: What would you do if you applied to your reach schools, match schools, and safeties, and you got rejected to each and every one of them? Do you know if this has happened to anyone you know?</p>
<p>It happened to a friend of mine. She went to a local state school, but has since dropped out after becoming pregnant. So maybe that's not the best example.</p>
<p>If it had happened to me, I probably would have gone to a community college or have applied to a school with rolling admissions. After a year or two, I would transfer.</p>
<p>As someone who absolutely dreaded this happening to me, I kept a list of colleges with rolling admissions that I would be happy to go to if I didn't get into any of my choices. I would then see how I liked the rolling schools I (hopefully) got into and based on that either stay at them for four years or transfer after a year or two.</p>
<p>Although I don't know anyone whose had this happen, I do know someone who got into a bunch of colleges, didn't like any of them when he visited (money was tight so he wasn't able to visit until after he'd gotten in), and ended up applying to a college last minute rolling admissions. He finished his freshman year there this past May and is enjoying himself greatly there.</p>
<p>i would shoot myself with a double barreled shotgun, just like hemingway</p>
<p>"It's never too late" and "never give up" come to mind. The choice of college is most people's first big "real life" decision. Life is all about confronting obstacles and overcoming them. It pains me to see people let the very first hurdle defeat them. Do you give up if the first 10 people you are romantically attracted to decline your advances? No. You keep on trying until you get someone who is as attracted to you as they are to you.</p>
<p>Too many people on college confidential treat the selection of college as something which there is one and only one way to do. That's like saying if you don't meet your soulmate in high school you're destined to be alone forever. Some people meet their soulmate in college, at work, in church, in a Milwaukee strip club, or in a Bangkok brothel. Finding the right college is much more like finding your romantic soulmate than like picking the best auto insurance company for you. A lot of colleges that look good "on paper" might not give you a spark or thrill. Whereas some that might not seem perfect on the surface might be right for you. So if you don't first succeed, try a gap year and do it all over again, go to a community college and get a gaudy gpa and apply as a transfer, or go to the college's extension/night/evening college and test the waters (perhaps it's not what you wanted) and then re-apply to the fulltime college.</p>
<p>i would blow something up, that makes me feel better every time.</p>
<p>i would turn my online business into a full time job :D</p>
<p>One of my friends was rejected everywhere she applied for performing arts. She's going to Sarah Lawrence, but she only applied on a whim at her mother's request.</p>
<p>Obviously, she's got a school. But she's already concocting a plan for auditioning and transferring (hopefully) into a musical theater program next year.</p>
<p>Another kid I know didn't get into any of his top choices. He's taking a gap year to study in China on a fellowship and then reapplying next year.</p>
<p>I'd check out schools with rolling admissions, see if there were any international schools with later admissions deadlines, and consider taking a gap year to do something having to do with international relations or human rights. Like a Peace Corps type thing or an internship somewhere.</p>
<p>I hope that whomever posted that they would kill themselves are making some kind of sick joke even though I know that each year, some misguided teens kill themselves because of not getting into their preferred colleges.</p>
<p>Please know that even if one gets rejected from everywhere that you apply, there still are other options -- good options. There are thousands of colleges in the U.S. Virtually anyone who wants to go to college can get accepted. Also, unlike some countries, gaining financial and social success in this country does not depend on where you go to college, but other factors including your personality.</p>
<p>Here's info about a person who did get rejected everywhere. </p>
<p>About 2 years ago, Andi posted about her son, Andison, who was rejected everywhere, who took a gap year, and then got some nice options including to at least one top 10 college.</p>
<p>I don't know why the links don't work, however. StillI think that he did a productive gap year and he got merit aid to several tier 2 and tier one colleges, and ended up at MIT. He reapplied to some colleges that rejected him, but he wasn't accepted by any of them.</p>
<p>The lesson in the below is make sure that you have real match and safety schools that you know you'll gain acceptance to, can afford, and would happily attend.</p>
<p>We're Picking Up the Pieces What Went Wrong</p>
<p>Quote:
To all my CC friends. Our family is slowly picking itself up from the devastating blow of college admissions. What we thought would be an exciting and joyous time, has unfortunately turned out to be painful and devastating for all of us. I'm reluctant to post this, but I'd truly like your feedback as to what could have gone wrong. I'll try to explain briefly, but still give you a picture of my s's situation. </p>
<p>My son's second grade teacher said that it was unusual to see a boy who was so intellectually talented not only in mathematics but also in language. Today, a high school senior, he quotes Shakespeare as easily as he writes equations in his physics class. His passion for classical music has brought him joy and wonderful performance opportunities. </p>
<p>This year when he applied to colleges, he selected places where he felt he would be challenged intellectually and that would offer him music opportunities such as good music teachers and fellow students whom he could perform with on a comparable level. His teachers and guidance counselor thought his list commensurate with his love of learning, grades, test scores and course load.</p>
<p>He's one of 12 National Merit Scholars from our very competitive suburban HS, and four of the other winners -his peers- have been accepted at Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Brown. (don't yet know about the others) He's won other types of awards but listing his stats here is not my point.</p>
<p>The results were as follows:</p>
<p>Waitlisted at Oberlin, Swarthmore and Wash U
Rejected at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, U Penn and Columbia</p>
<p>Many other kids at our HS were accepted at Oberlin with lower stats, but he filled in truthfully the question of where else he was applying. Did they wait- list him because they thought they were being used as a back -up school?</p>
<p>He had to check off that he was applying for financial aid because we are not a high income family and have another child in college. Does applying for financial aid when you're an over -represented majority from an over represented geographical area have a negative effect even at need blind schools? </p>
<p>So as not to dwell on disappointment he's looking into applying to the University of Edinburgh for science, as it's not yet past their deadline, and is going to pursue his waitlist status at Swarthmore by sending in his latest accomplishments and additional recommendations. </p>
<p>I'd appreciate any of your thoughts.
Thanks so much.
andi </p>
<p>Andi's follow-up post one year later:</p>
<p>I would jump off a cliff and head over to heaven. From there I will take the 1 year to travel the Snake Way until I reach King Kai's little planet. There I will train to be the strongest fighter in the universe. From there I will use my telekinetic powers to contact my friend to wish me back with the dragon balls. When I get back I will blow up planets with my Kamehameha to make myself feel better.</p>
<p>There you have it. A wonderful plan!</p>
<p>I'd spend the year in Israel taking classes.</p>
<p>Take a year off, go get some kind of internship in China.</p>