<p>You're ugh..... screwed... Take 1 year off and apply to some colleges you know you could get into next year. Where is your "evil side" going? Maybe they'll accept you too?</p>
<p>Well- I'm not "screwed"- I can live tax-free in my parent's homes...and work or go off into a gap year (i.e. live in Italy and stay there for a year studying the culture and interacting- working on say a community service project to keep up a beach or the like- or reducing the hectic beauracracy...:-D) </p>
<p>I also have the option of applying to winter quarter at my close-by public school (University of Washington- ranked 42 on US College Report- highly funded and getting better by the day) - The biggest problem there is my brother is going (he is VERY competitive and cranky that I took some spotlight from him during debate) and also 70 of my graduating class. </p>
<p>There is also PLU (still a slim possibility of applying) - I am going to check it right now...</p>
<p>St. John's College- though highly academic, likewise has a slim chance for me to apply (already contacted them).</p>
<p>Anyone have any advice on those three universities? </p>
<p>Also- any international universities in Italy, London, Ireland or Spain would be fantastic to have info on (Queen's University still accepts apps till June 30- and I've already started an application- simply unsure if I want to go there- I'm not certain if I can get in...but I can try!- it joined the Russell Group with Oxford and Cambridge in December and is now the 3rd ranked University in the UK system...at least, that is what the tour guide said- I visited there this april)- anyone have info on Queens? 13 days to get my apps in:-D</p>
<p>TC, Your profile would be of interest to many colleges. I think you should regroup: do some serious intensive research, get some help crafting your application and re-apply next year to a more balanced group of colleges. </p>
<p>Although I certainly hope you get good news from WUSTL, my suggestion would be just to put it aside for now and move on to other options. (You should still make the phone call, but don't focus on it.)</p>
<p>The schools you didn't apply to never have to know about this year's debacle. As far as they are concerned you CHOSE to take a gap year. You may also reapply to any of your original list that still appeals, though, the chance of admission will be low. [By the way, there was a father who posted here a couple of years ago whose son was rejected by Princeton. He took a gap year and reapplied and was admitted, so it does happen. Last I heard he was doing great! Search under the name Nopoisonivy.]</p>
<p>Gap years can be extremely rewarding, but they are also stressful in that they require a lot of self-confidence and planning. Having been part of an educational organization for most of your life it can be scary and a bit overwhelming to plan to fill 15 months on your own.</p>
<p>The best gap years are broken down to manageable segments -- say, 3 to 5different activities, often including a few months at a menial job to pay for the others. You sound like you have a lot of interests and access to no cost living in some stimulating area. You should have no problem filling up your dance card with some travel, a class or two, some community service, a job, maybe an outdoorsy adventure activity.</p>
<p>Next year's applications aren't due for another 5-6 months so you have plenty of time to work it through. I'd suggest that you schedule the most exotic, eye-catching activity for the first segment of your gap year so you can include it in your application. Then hunker down for a few months to hone those applications. After they're in the mail it really doesn't matter (except personally of course :) ) whether you flip burgers or lay on the beach.</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>St. John's is a school I think is REALLY cool, and if I was in your situation and I was forced to look beyond the best known schools, that's where I would go. But that is my own personal thoughts clouding objectivity.</p>
<p>I think if you took a gap year and applied to a couple slightly less prestigious schools(in addition to swinging to the fences) that are still very cool, it could be very good for you(schools such as USC, BC, Emory, Carnegie Mellon I think could be very good for you and still very intellectually worthwhile).</p>
<p>...Hmm! Eye catchy exotic...interesting. Thank you- looking up Nopoisonivy after replying. </p>
<p>St John's IS really cool- but it is very small, and the attrition rate is nasty. If I do go there- I have to be 100% sure I'm staying (they don't accept AP credits- tabula rasa all the way)</p>
<p>USC- my aunt went there</p>
<p>What is BC? </p>
<p>Emory- hmm...my mother has problems with the south- bad experiences- don't know If I would get funding for that endeavour. Though Atlanta is nice...an Chris McCandless of Into the Wild went there!</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is...well...Carnegie Mellon- great school. Its not that I didn't think of all these schools- I over-stepped my qualifications...the whole hubris idea :"/ </p>
<p>And any school is intellectually worthwhile :-D No doubt about that- anywhere someone is teaching, the learning lies within. Not without.
My factors for applying were somewhat austere actually :/</p>
<p>Go to a community college for a year and then transfer to a good university. You can enroll at a community college at any time.</p>
<p>Well- I am in the process of applying to Winter quarter at my local state school! Fell in love with it now that I have taken the tour...</p>
<p>If there are spots, hopefully I get in...Otherwise I have to re-apply for Fall Quarters of schools- Oh dear.</p>
<p>How about community college for the fall term? Univ. Washington for the winter term? You also may want to see whether you could be admitted to the Honors Program. If not, you might consider applying for it sophomore year, especially if you have a strong academic performance freshman year. If you like Univ. Washington, I would consider staying. At some point, it becomes counterproductive to be bouncing around to so many schools, although it could be argued that after 3 schools in just over one year, you will have the next 3 years at one place.</p>
<p>U of W honors is NOT an easy admit. A lot of the valedictorians who don't want to go far from home zero in on UW honors.<br>
I was ticked when my brother ended up on the same campus as me -- but it turned out it was a huge campus, we were in different departments and dorms and we rarely saw each other. Tell bro it's a non issue!<br>
Terra-cotta, I hope you'll post a year or so from now and tell us about your adventures. What doesn't kill you makes you . . . tough, resilent and interesting.</p>
<p>Terra-cotta, your OP was very humorous! Too bad your dream schools missed that on your app. If you want WUSL you should call them directly and soon. Ask to speak w/ the admissions rep who handled your file. Make your case and explain your situation w/o whining. Offer to to come see them. It's a very important negotiation so request that they leave the door open for you until August. At this point you are acting as your own G.C. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that you're from a broken family. I hate it. Just don't do that to your own kids if you ever have them.</p>
<p>If you can get in winter or spring that should work.</p>
<p>Kudos to you and your honesty!!!! So many on the CC board are all about patting themselves on the back for their fabulous increase from a 2340 to a 2390 on their SAT's and here you are posting everyone's worst nightmare. (Lesson here...apply to a couple of Uber safetys). As bad as your strong sense of self-confidence sucker punched you with the admissions. It, (as well as your self-efacing honesty) will serve you well in life! </p>
<p>You'll be better for it, no matter what you chose! use the year well. Whether working pumping gas, in the Peace Corps, or at the local school...I'll bet $$$$ you're going places.</p>
<p>Remember: THE UNIBOMBER WAS AN IVY LEAGUE PRODEGY...nuff said</p>
<p>I know UW honors is a heck of a hard admit to get into. The "Freshman of the Year" for my school (however they calculate these things beats my brain) didn't get in...but one of our salutatorians did! (she was slated for valedictorian but got a lower grade due to...Calculus. Ugh.) </p>
<p>"THE UNIBOMBER WAS AN IVY LEAGUE PRODEGY"- Lol</p>
<p>But to keep everyone updated...I am applying to UW winter quarter (spring has 0 spots, ever.) If there are spots, hopefully I'll get in. </p>
<p>I took the SAT and got my scores back...</p>
<p>580 CR (...don't know where this came from. My previous score was far better) - 74% (Yipes)- my other was 90%</p>
<p>760 Math (pounding through Calculus is REALLY helpful for calculations...lol :-D) - 98% score = top 2% of the nation woot (and state- Washington is uber math peops)</p>
<p>660 Writing (top 8% :-D - 92% score)</p>
<p>I don't know if I should re-submit my score.</p>
<p>If the school does a cross-compilation of highest scores then my highest SAT would be...2090 (660+760+670), and my highest comp otherwise is my 1st one at 2020. The one I just took was 2000.</p>
<p>Any advice? ACT is down the tube- my science score shook me to the core- especially since I am very good at biology, genetics etc. (watched a dissertation on C. Falciparum- violent malarial parasite on the 19th at UW's<br>
awesome new building! Still deciding what major I want to pursue)</p>
<p>I am also lookng for employment :-D </p>
<p>I am very good at investment banking type math (pobabilities, percentages, interest models etc.) economic modelling, history, and tabulations on excel-like programs. </p>
<p>Any advice on resume crafting? </p>
<p>Other-wise...Starbucks has some REALLY nice benefits! ('specially the discounted stock price and stock options) </p>
<p>Thanks all for keeping my hope alive.</p>
<p>"What doesn't kill you makes you . . . tough, resilent and interesting"- ah character building...heres a story for that idea. </p>
<p>When I was 9...I went on something called a "Hash Harrier run"- a big marathon-like affair chasing after "Hares" who post chalk-directions, arrows and the like. We went to limestone cliffs called Pantalica- and the hares got us stuck up a steep ravine at the base of one. They FREE-CLIMBED the bloody cliff...and we were stuck. It was either a slide down a steep slope (and a chance of bon breakage) or following after them. So we did. We free-climbed this vertical slope with my sister and mother watching us and screaming bloody murder at the rest of the group. But we made it. Crazily enough...Military people can sometimes be slightly nuts when it comes to dangerous pursuits...but it was a fun adventure!- so, point is...I know all about that concept :-D And I agree completely!</p>
<p>I LOVE UW now that I actually toured the campus and got intimately involved with the city of Seattle. Business and law programs are some of the top in the nation. </p>
<p>"If you like Univ. Washington, I would consider staying. At some point, it becomes counterproductive to be bouncing around to so many schools, although it could be argued that after 3 schools in just over one year, you will have the next 3 years at one place"- my aunt was extremely qualified...and she jumped around a lot when she went to college. Starting with USC, she jumped to UCLA then community college (my grandfather died and left his huge college-going family with little money.) </p>
<p>She has informed me of the strenuous process involved- so I agree. However I plan on doing a TON of exchanges if I go to UW (especially study abroad) </p>
<p>-I found out recently that another aunt (who is a fantastically smart medical person)- got wait-listed to UC-Davis (biology- highly competitive)...and rejected them when they called back! (she was registered and settled at community college- and was also in Germany <em>wink</em> She went to comm. college then headed to Humboldt State) So she explained her story and I realize a lot of people have been in a similar situation to mine. I hope WUSTL doesn't last-ditch call me (I doubt it, but hope survives even in the smallest crevices of my being) while I'm in Italy...sigh. </p>
<p>Self-effacing is something I've learned after this year. Senioritis struck me hard in...September :-D Extreme hubris took over- and that is why I'm where I am right now. Adversity really helps to humble.</p>
<p>The key is your passion: music. Go for Eastman, Emerson in Boston (amazing location and school culture), maybe you're not Juilliard material...but think outside the box a bit....</p>
<p>Hmmm...Sigh. Passions are all well and good...but music is only one of my fortes and the biggest need is money. "With money only can security be gained"- But thank you for your thoughts! </p>
<p>I got my reject letter from WUSTL- and am very happy for it. </p>
<p>Thank you all for replying and reading of my plight. This site has sincerely helped me to raise my self-confidence and understanding of the annoying college admissions process. I believe I was living in a viewpoint of qualified students get in...and now I realize that there are MANY qualified students. </p>
<p>C'est la vie. Hope you all enjoy your fall quarters (or summer if you started there) or semesters/trimesters (or Legally Blonde ovesters).</p>
<p>Peace.</p>
<p>Best of luck at UW. It sounds like a terrific college. I hope you'll update us on your experiences. Just like FrecklyBecky updated us on her great experiences at Michigan (the only place where she was accepted although her twin was accepted to several Ivies), I predict you'll have some nice things to tell us this fall.</p>
<p>I have good news! I posted this a while ago, but it is now 1/28/2008 and I got accepted into College!</p>
<p>For all applying/who have applied…don’t give up hope- there are always ways to get in and time is on your side- if you don’t get in take some time working/travelling to accentuate your experiences and add to your writing.</p>
<p>congrats! to which college? so what have you been doing this year.</p>
<p>I’m glad for you, Terra-cotta Fren. Are you taking a year off?</p>