This has been a very tough admissions year, with many talented seniors getting bad news from top-choice colleges. Today my inbox was full of laments from strong students and their parents who were shocked by denials from colleges they’d labeled “Realistic” or even “Safe.”
But surely there are those of you who were surprised by good news from places where you feared you had little prayer. Were you convinced that your test scores were too low or your essay was too rushed or your interview too awkward to lead to an acceptance this spring, and yet you got in anyway?
If that’s you, tell us which acceptance surprised you, why you’d assumed you wouldn’t get in, and now why you think that you *did. *
My daughter got into University of Rochester, which we really weren’t expecting. She loved it and put it on as one or her reach schools. Her GPA was definitely on the low end, though her ACT was probably in the middle 50%. I think she got in because she was going in as a humanities major–not what most people go to URoch for, lol. Also, her essay was all about her homeschooling journey and how she was able to create her own curriculum, much like she would be able to do at Roch. They did mention that in her acceptance letter.
@taverngirl She sounds perfect for URoch!
My son has been musically inclined and involved since the age of 8 and was accepted to almost all his schools but not to the music schools within those universities, except two. One gave him an excellent FA package but the music program is not a good fit. The other is an excellent fit and didn’t come through with the FA we need. He also applied to SUNY-ESF (Environmental Science and Forestry). Environmental chemistry has also been a huge interest of his and he’s always enjoyed and done well in his science classes but it always took a back seat to music. He didn’t really think he’d get in. The Common App essay had a musical slant to it but the supplemental essay was all about his scouting career (Eagle scout) and the impact of working on the service project and earning merit badges, most of them in the sciences. His standardized test scores fell within their range but considering their rigorous standards and his B+/A- average (depending on the quarter), we were skeptical. And yet… accepted! So the question became not where to go to school but what to study? In the end, he has decided to attend ESF. They have a partnership with Syracuse Univ. and he can take a certain number of credits at SU (for SUNY tuition) which he can “spend” on music classes, plus he can join their ensembles, marching band, etc.- best of both. He’s really thinking very positively about the whole situation. It was tough for him to break from the thinking he was supposed to follow one path while the universe was giving him all kinds of signals that maybe he’s meant to do something else and the acceptance to the “other” school clinched it.