When all is said and done...

Applying to College
1

<p>So admissions decisions are out--most people have heard from their colleges and now know whether they are worthy of admittance, cast away from their dream school, or placed on the dreaded waitlist...</p>

<p>So many people are wondering why, WHY did i get denied from this school, when I had the grades, I had the scores, I had the recs, the essays, the ECs, and even a great HOOK?!?!</p>

<p>Well here's the secret. The one element that gets Suzy into Harvard over Bobby. The reason why YOU were rejected from your dream school and your friend got in...</p>

<p>LUCK!</p>

<p>That's right, just straight dumb luck...Maybe Princeton just had too many applicants from your area. Or maybe your friend Suzy won the International Welding Championship and was placed ahead of you for her obscure talent. Or maybe an adcom took one look at that "optional photo" of yours, was reminded of her ex-boyfriend, and immediately cast you into the REJECT pile.</p>

<p>So when you're checking those "Official Elite University Class of 2010 Decisions Thread," overcome with jealousy for those lucky chosen ones, the ones that got into YOUR dream school with the same or even worse stats, keep in mind...it's all a crapshoot.</p>

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<p>Well said, DanJH1202 .</p>

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<p>I truly feel sorry for people 8 years from now (incl. my brother). If it's a crapshoot now, it will probably be like hitting a small needle with a bow and arrow from a large distance than..</p>

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<p>Yeah, I definitely think college admissions needs to reform within the next few decades...</p>

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<p>Actually your brother in 8 years will have it easier. College age population peaks in 2 years. I disagree about the luck thing. It really is a formula at all but the very top schools, and even at those there are strategies that overide luck.</p>

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<p>This reminds me of something my dad told me when I was about 9 or 10. </p>

<p>"The only way you'll get into CMU, is if you're smart or lucky, and in your case, it's cause you're lucky." </p>

<p>When he said this at dinner that night, I cried because I felt like he was calling me dumb, but he did not mean it to sound like that. My dad has a horrible way with words. Ironicallly though, years later, he appears to be correct. Once you got your stats up to par with the majority of the applicant pool, it's all picking names out of a hat.</p>