Lily Wuerth will be live on our Instagram page today at 3pm ET to talk about how she used extracurriculars to get into Georgia Tech. ASK HER ANYTHING!
GUEST STUDENT OF THE WEEK: Rohan is a freshman at Dartmouth (and loves it) having gotten in ED for the Class of 2023. He's here to debunk myths regarding admissions and student life at his school. ASK HIM ANYTHING!
Make sure to check out our May Checklists for HS Juniors and HS Seniors. Consult these quick resources to get you started on the process this month.
As we work to adjust to the current reality, make sure to check out these dedicated COVID-19 resources: our directory of virtual campus tours, our directory of extended deadlines, as well as the list of schools going test optional this fall.
Buyer's Remorse/ Extreme Panic
waywardson
14 replies4 threads New Member
Hi everyone,
This fall I will depart for a certain top 15 university on the East Coast. I knew before I even attended the admitted students weekend that the school has a reputation for churning out unhappy students. I've read post after post after post on various internet forums about the "cut-throat environment," poor social life, etc, and had no intention of attending the school.
When I visited, however, I had the best time of my entire life. What I had read online was inconsistent with the charismatic, fun students before my eyes, students who appeared to LOVE their school. I ecstatically and impetuously submitted my deposit the day I returned. Now I'm really regretting it. I can't even search my school on a student-review type sight without seeing an amassment of complaints from unhappy students! I am extremely grateful that I was accepted to the institution and that my family has the means to send me, but was it wrong of me to discount the TONS of negative reviews about the school merely because I happened to have a "fun" weekend?
Was I really stupid to choose a school that is KNOWN for not being fun, or was I right to rely on observations rather than anonymous slander? I feel bad that my family is paying such a huge fee to send me to a school about which I am so ambivalent. Please weigh in because I am really panicking.
23 repliesThis fall I will depart for a certain top 15 university on the East Coast. I knew before I even attended the admitted students weekend that the school has a reputation for churning out unhappy students. I've read post after post after post on various internet forums about the "cut-throat environment," poor social life, etc, and had no intention of attending the school.
When I visited, however, I had the best time of my entire life. What I had read online was inconsistent with the charismatic, fun students before my eyes, students who appeared to LOVE their school. I ecstatically and impetuously submitted my deposit the day I returned. Now I'm really regretting it. I can't even search my school on a student-review type sight without seeing an amassment of complaints from unhappy students! I am extremely grateful that I was accepted to the institution and that my family has the means to send me, but was it wrong of me to discount the TONS of negative reviews about the school merely because I happened to have a "fun" weekend?
Was I really stupid to choose a school that is KNOWN for not being fun, or was I right to rely on observations rather than anonymous slander? I feel bad that my family is paying such a huge fee to send me to a school about which I am so ambivalent. Please weigh in because I am really panicking.
Post edited by waywardson on
This discussion has been closed.
Replies to: Buyer's Remorse/ Extreme Panic
Trust your gut. You liked what you experienced...for a reason.
According to the reviews, my new school is supposed to be incredibly Greek dominated, and you can't have fun without joining a fraternity or sorority. Yet most undergrads in my department would be surprised to find this out, as would the roughly 75% of students who don't don greek letters.
Did you pick UChi? Great school.
I agree with Nova2nola. And choose your classes wisely.
If so, read this:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/johns-hopkins-university/486918-jhus-cutthroat-reputation-earned-not.html
Hopkins has been typecast for years as a school for "cut-throat" pre-meds, just as Chicago has been typecast as the place "where fun goes to die". In fact, both schools have very high freshmen retention and 4-year graduation rates. If students really are so unhappy, why don't they leave?
Hopkins has many strong humanities and social science departments. If there is any element of truth to its pre-med and STEM reputation, I doubt the music, art history, and English departments all have the same vibe, year after year.
Are you going to trust what you read online over what you have seen with your own eyes? Regardless of which school you are referring to, you are certain to find your niche and thrive. Give the school a fair chance and approach college with the right spirit. Forget the negativity.
If you were determined to hate the school, you would have ignored the happy students and seen the sullen ones sulking in the corners. And your preconceptions would have been "proven".
Bottom line: trust your experience, not anonymous haters on a website. And have a very fun year!