Just around late March, every anxious high school senior scrambles around waiting for the mailman to deliver that oh-so important package. Will it be the dreaded small envelope or the large packet of acceptance? Your hands shake as you see the dreaded thin letter from your 1st choice school, but you secretly hope for the best.
Trembling, you know what the outcome is, but the small gleaming light of hope still lingers in your mind. Peeling away the envelope, you carefully unfold the letter.... Dear <insert your name here>, we regret to inform you that you have not been offered a place in our class of 2011.
At this moment, you feel devastated, rejected, and just plain down. Well, join the club because in the world of college rejections (especially at the ivies), rejectees are the majority. Harvard, for instance, receives 23,000 applicants and can only accept around 2,000. You begin to wonder, what could I have done better in my high school career to get in? You took all the AP classes, got straight A's, did sports, community service, and a variety of clubs, but they still didn't want you. You gave it your best, but not even your best was good enough for them. The colleges just don't seem to want you. Yet, on the other hand, do you really want that college in the first place?
Now, I'm not trying to sound like the bitter "I'm God, I can't believe they didn't take me" rejectee, nor am I a preacher of "fate". However, I do believe that rejection from an ivy doesn't mean you are not worthy of success. In choosing my own colleges, I looked for big names and the schools that were ranked top ten on all the "prestigious" lists. Except for a select few, I failed to consider if the college even fit me. I just assumed that since they were known for their academics, that it would automatically fit me.
Perhaps, maybe, there's a small chance that they didn't accept you because they didn't think that their school fit you. Of course, academically, you would have done wonderfully, but maybe the overall personality of the school is not the best for you. As I peer into my own college acceptance/rejection list, I realize that the schools that I did get accepted into fit my personality much, much, much better. In fact, had I got accepted into the schools that I had gotten rejected from, I probably would not have attended in the first place. They just don't fit my personality as well.
Thus, my advice for seniors taking the big step deciding to which college they would like to attend and all prospective college students (especially juniors), research all aspects of your potential colleges wisely. Also, don't get down over rejection. Finding your perfect college is like finding a good mate; it has to be compatible with your personality as well. Chances are, that if they do not think that you're a good fit for their college, then you probably wouldn't enjoy your time in that college anyway.
I applied lazily to Columbia University. I applied to a few local schools (Long Island, NY), and I applied to Rutgers University. Columbia and Rutgers Universities were my top choices (both at #1, but Columbia slightly higher, because of its reputation). When I first began applying to CU, I was really determined to get in. But as time passed, it didn't mean quite as much to me. I found that Rutgers fit my personality the best. That is where I am now, and I love it. Just the *thought* of taking a year off, dropping out, etc. upsets me. I have a GREAT amount of school spirit (as do most of us ^_^ ), and I do well here (and no, not because the work is "easy"). It was like the missing piece to the puzzle. When I got my rejection letter from CU, I was not surprised. I had not fulfilled all the requirements for the application. But I don't regret it at all. I knew where I belonged. ^_^
It was Marquette University because I knew it was where I wanted to be next year. I look at my friends with their lists and endless hours of applications and I pity their indecision.
I'm still looking for a college i truly can see myself in, i was rejected from my top choice and now i'm so confused and turned around that I don't know what to do.
I had two colleges in mind when I visited the campus of my second choice. Even though it seemed to offer what I was looking for, I didn't get a good vibe from it. I knew it wouldn't suit me, so I left feeling a little disheartened. On visiting one of the campuses of my first choice college (Savannah College of Arts and Design), I fell in love with it and knew that everything that had to offer suited me academically and personally. :)What's more, the campus I visited was 1 of 3, my second choice of where I'd want to attend... but the chance of me living on the campus of my first choice has recently opened up to me- so I'm excited about my possibility of living there. :)
Heh.. I feel as if I got carried away but your blog excited me. :)
I have yet to be accepted, though, but I'm hoping...
"I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people."
-Van Gogh