<p>I always thought I was one of the few people obsessed with college admissions, SAT scores, AP classes, EC's, the whole deal. Then I found this site and realized that I am only one of thousands. Reading post after post by amazing, overachieving students really made me wonder why we are so competitive and why this is such a big deal for us.</p>
<p>I was recently rejected from Stanford and Northwestern and I didn't accept the news very well. At Stanford I knew I had a very slim chance, but I thought my essay and special circumstances would set me apart from the crowd. Northwestern just really disappointed me. In the days that followed I was extremely sad, didn't want to leave the house and tell everyone that I was rejected to two of the three schools I applied to.</p>
<p>I got into USC, but I was so unhappy with the decisions from the other two colleges that I seriously considered taking a year off and reapplying to many different prestigious colleges. I just don't see how many of us are like this. Why are we so competitive and why do we want the very best schools when lower ranked universities can help us achieve the same goals we have for our lives??I've read many posts where people are accepted to great top-50 Universities but have their hearts so set on HYP, that they can't bear going to a "regular" school.</p>
<p>Now more than ever, admission to top universities is extremely competitive. I think we need to take rejections less seriously and understand that the rejection isn't because we aren't as good as the other applicants, but because there are simply too many of us overachievers applying.. We will still be successful, even though we didn't get into our first-choice colleges.</p>
<p>Anyway, that's my rant for the week.. I wish everyone well.. May your futures be bright..</p>
<p>yo, it's a stupid prestigious thing, everyone wants to be better than everyone else, or at least close. and really i don't know what else to say because you summed it up yourself. There are plenty of other schools, schools that can be a way better fit for someone than schools like HYP can ever be. anyways, sorry about your rejections, i've got 7 so far if it makes you feel any better.</p>
<p>First of all, a top-50 school is far from a regular school. You do realize there are about thousands of other universities in the United States that AREN'T a top-50 school, nor anywhere near that level of prestige?</p>
<p>I personally know of a couple of people who would KILL to get into USC right now.</p>
<p>So yeah, definitely DO NOT take this whole thing personally. You are definitely bright, and at the end of the day, colleges are judging your application and not you. That may be hard to accept, but it's true, and you can definitely still be successful if you work hard, while many at the Ivies and the schools you've covetted so much are going to fall by the wayside.</p>
<p>yes yes.. I am aware that USC is a good school and now I am very happy I'm going there. Its just the hype about colleges is so big, it temporary blinds you, and you can't get over it for awhile..</p>
<p>So what's wrong with being competitive and wanting to be the best?</p>
<p>A lot. First, there will ALWAYS be someone else who is just a little better than you at just about everything. If not today, then tomorrow. Wanting to be "the best" is GREAT if it inspires you to do your best with the talents God gave you and opportunities available to you, to be happy with where you are in life AND to be happy for others whose achievements might be greater than your own. It is neither healthy nor realistic if you can't be happy without constantly comparing yourself to others and assuring yourself that you are The Best. Everyone can't go to HYPS. And once you understand that admission to elite universities is, for the vast majority of applicants, essentially a random process, and that the world is filled with happy and successful people who went to college at some "lesser" school, you'll be much better off.</p>
<p>The problem is that so many people become so obsessed with preparing for college and the entire admissions process that they miss some of what could be the best years of their lives (high school). Too many people are obsessed with getting into a top 10 school, which only accept 10-20% of an already outstanding applicant pool. To be rejected from a top school is an instant ego deflator. Instead of being proud of ourselves for all the great choices we have for college, we fixate on the one or two schools that rejected us, which is very unfortunate.</p>
<p>The top 50 aren't really all they're cracked up to be. Most of the professors are too busy doing research, trying to get published, and teaching grad students to pay much attention to their undergrads, leading many courses into being taught by TAs. In addition, a lot of the school's attention goes to graduate students as well so the undergrads are pushed to one side. At a lesser known school the professors will probably be more concerned with their classes than getting published, so the students at the less prestigious school can actually come out with more in depth educations than students at the top schools.</p>
<p>There are way too many prestige-whores on this site. The people on this site really need to get a grip. Twenty years from now your competency will matter a whole heck of a lot more than where you went to school. If a kid who went to community college for two years and then transferred to State U is better at their job than a Harvard grad guess whose going to get the promotion? </p>
<p>Of course, if you're going into law than most of this doesn't apply, but its true for most of the non-lawyers out there.</p>
<p>Congrats on USC! I'm sorry about the rejections, but just remember that you'll be happy wherever you go.</p>
<p>So what's wrong with being competitive and wanting to be the best?</p>
<p>Nothing is wrong. I disagree with the above posters saying that it is. Competition fuels the soul; I know it does mine. My "health" isn't affected and why would I want to compare myself to others? I judge myself on my own standards. I know that many more are smarter than me. That doesn't mean I should stop or relax should I? Personally, I am not one who is obsessed, but I am saying that if you've got a chance right in front of you, why not work to the best of your ability and get it? You may claim that I'm optimistic -- possibly, but isn't that better than having a negative or neutral attitude expressing the fact that "Oh man... I may not be accepted... I think I'll stop being competitive or lessen that fury within me."</p>
<p>snoopyiscool, ur completely right... i dunno, after i got all my college rejection and acceptance letters, i realized, this MAKES NOOO SENSE... we're "overachievers" because we want to push ourselves further n further, n frankly, i dunno why i do it sometimes... after this whole college process thing, i've realized that this process is stupid and u shouldnt be too disappointed in urself if u get rejected... it's reality, n sometimes it's just not fair</p>
<p>It's all well and good to have healthy competition, it drives us to become our best selves. This obsession with choosing schools based on some pretty biased rankings (I have known people to just go down the USNWR list and <em>only</em> apply to the first 10 or 20 schools) is taking it way over the edge, IMO. It causes extra stress and anxiety for absoutely NO reason. Life is a lot bigger than that. The question you have got to keep in mind whenever you do anything is: what exactly am I doing this for? If the answer becomes consistently something other than "myself", you might want to check your priorities. </p>
<p>And if you're a truly motivated, productive student, you will be successful and shine wherever you go - YOU are not prestige-dependent. </p>
<p>Not only that, to the OP: USC's a great school, from what I've heard. Congratulate yourself and move on with what you've got! =D</p>
<p>For some it's all about community. College is a home for four years. To be honest, some of us(including myself) are just really tired of dealing with people who are not as smart as us. I live in a town with a low graduation rate where a 734 on the STAR test is considered such a victory that they put it on t-shirts and I'm really tired of having to sit in class and have to deal with peers who can't name the vice president. I used to love to discuss politics but the sheer lack of knowledge of everyone around me destroyed that. I know what I say may be mean spirited and a little elitest but its true. </p>
<p>I know stupidity never goes away even at the best colleges but it certainly diminishes at the best colleges.</p>
<p>Please don't entirely blame yourselves. It's not just you. Parents are super competitive, teachers are as well. Your generation has had academics crammed down their throats since before you were born. <playing the="" right="" kind="" of="" music="" in-utero="" and="" reciting="" trig="" so="" your="" baby="" would="" grasp="" learning="" at="" an="" earlier="" age="" :rolleyes:=""> Going to Kindergarten used to mean learning letters, numbers, colors, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and to sit in a circle. Now kids have to go in reading and spelling phonetically. Think of how many classes or activities you were in before you started school! It's sad the expectation has been lowered to such a young age. Kids need to be kids! </playing></p>
<p>Schools compete fiercely with other schools for the highest scores starting in elementary school. SAT prep centers compete to get the best students who will get the best scores to make THEM look good. Then the whole college competition takes on a life of its own. You were born into a hyper-competitive society, it's the trickle down affect. Wasn't like this 30 years ago and IMO, it's sad.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptances and best of luck to each of you in all your pursuits. Be kind to yourselves and be happy!</p>
<p>Let me tell you my story in choosing colleges. I live in New York City.</p>
<p>I chose my schools not because of the prestige but because of the strength of the programs that they offered.</p>
<p>I chose Marymount Manhattan College in Manhattan because it had a good international studies program that I liked. I graduated with a B.A. in international studies.</p>
<p>I chose Long Island University in Brooklyn because I liked their Master of Public Administration program, particularly for its specialization in Health Administration; plus, the program was accredited by NASPAA, the organization that ensures public affairs programs meet the minimum standards for public affairs and administration education. I graduated with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Health Administration.</p>
<p>New York University (NYU) is the most prestigious of the three schools that I will attend so far; but I didn't chose NYU for its prestige but for the new master's program the school launched in 2006 in global public health, which I will pursue in fall 2007. </p>
<p>I am happy with my choices; but many people choose to attend a school because of the prestige it will bring them, not whether the programs offered will enhance their career prospects.</p>