<p>cJgrl05,
I concur.</p>
<p>Scherzo, my son goes to a prep school where a large number of the kids, the vast majority go to selective schools. Most of them would love to go to UVA. You would get little sympathy here with your choices as they are considered very good.</p>
<p>I just went back to read the whole thread, I’d only read a snippet yesterday. </p>
<p>Scherzo, I’m glad you’re feeling better. There are thousands of students would virtually kill to get into UVA or W/M. My D was rejected at HYS and is now having the time of her life with opportunities that she wouldn’t have at any of the three. Two weeks ago she said, “Harvard could offer me now and I’d turn them down.” She’s at a moderately highly rated LAC and having a blast, academically and otherwise. I just hope she’s not exhausted by the time finals run around.</p>
<p>Count your blessing you got into three good schools. Now spend the rest of the semester of your high school career kicking back - get a few B’s, go dancing, play tennis, take a walk,loosen up, smile… . You can always do your MA at Princeton if it still means so much to you at that point…but I bet it won’t.</p>
<p>The Revealed Preference Ranking lists UVA 20th among all schools nationally, between Duke and Northwestern.</p>
<p>And you were admitted to the honor program there.</p>
<p>And you have the money to enroll.</p>
<p>There are three thousand colleges in the US. The fact that yours isn’t rated as highly in the 99th percentile as you might have liked ranks pretty low on the scale of human tragedy, in my book.</p>
<p>Your hard work hasn’t been in vain. Your achievements have prepared you to do extremely well in college, if choose to do the work.</p>
<p>Keep doing the work, and you’ll have as good a chance as anybody at grabbing one of the shiniest brass rings when the merry-go-round completes another revolution. </p>
<p>There are kids who were admitted to some of those schools you saw yourself attending who think life is a sprint, and that their fate was sealed when they got their acceptance letter.</p>
<p>Life isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. Four years from now, some of those kids will be bitter because they were one of the ones who got into Harvard, or Yale, or Stanford, or Princeton, so why can’t they get into a single medical school?</p>
<p>Savor the bitterness. Don’t just shake it off. It may come in handy some night when you’re choosing between having another beer, and getting to bed at a reasonable hour.</p>
<p>Hey, Scherzo: First, U VA and W&M are both in the top 25 lists…lots of kids at my S’s competitive/selective HS are agonizing over being rejected-WL’ed by one or both, or over the choice between one of these great schools or a mega-expensive Ivy (or other top selective). Lots to be extremely proud of in your admissions record.</p>
<p>Having said that, I sympathize w/your disappointment…so do all of us who have been there, or who have kids in the spot you’re in. It’s hard to be told “no,” especially when you’ve worked and achieved and succeeded. And even more especially when your record looks like one that “should” get you in to at least one or some of the crapshoot choices. Don’t even try to minimize the disappointment; absorb it and then move on to rejoice in your success–you have some pretty major “bragging rights” in your acceptances to the terrific schools that not only want you, they want you w/honors!</p>
<p>One last point–and it’s HUGE…if you parents are disappointed, or your grandfather, or your friends (and I’m sure they are) it’s NOT because you didn’t get accepted by the Ivies you applied to–it’s because they see you hurting, and nothing–absolutely nothing–hurts as much as watching one’s child/g-child/friend hurt over such a random, stress-filled “bad” outcome. DOn’t forget: they’re hurting with and for you, NOT “about” you!</p>
<p>If you were my kid I’d be so proud I’d bust…and even tho you’re not my kid for real, you’re one of our CC family cyber kids, and all of us parents ARE proud of you…you “done good,” and you will continue to make yourself, your family, and us, your “cyber family” proud, too…</p>
<p>Feel better…</p>
<p>i’d just like to remind all of you one thing: " face reality!"</p>
<p>It is natural to feel as disappointed as you do. In a day or two, you will be ready to move on and recognize that two excellent universities want you very badly.</p>
<p>What do you want to do after you graduate? Whether it is finding a good job or going to grad school, networking and personal connections are the key to getting ahead. You now have the opportunity to go to a first-rate college and shine. You may get the chance to do research or personally assist one of your professors in his/her work – perhaps, co-author a published article. Those professors will be delighted to pick up the phone and call their friends to talk about what an outstanding and interesting person you are. </p>
<p>Or, you could have gone to Harvard and been another brilliant kid among thousands of brilliant kids – just another face in the crowd of undergraduates and graduate students. </p>
<p>Continue to do your best work and go to Harvard or Yale as a Ph.d. candidate. THAT will impress everyone a lot more than your undergrad degree. In the meantime, congratulations on acceptances to some wonderful schools.</p>
<p>Scherzo–first of all, congratulations on being accepted to the 3 schools in the state of Virginia that most Virginia students (and many, many out-of-state students) dream of getting into–and there are huge numbers of Virginia students who are not accepted at any of the 3. You have achieved honors at 2 of them as well (and I expect admission to the VATech honors program as well. ) This was a particularly tough year for admissions at all of those, so you can be really proud of the choices you have in hand. </p>
<p>As for the letters of denial…it is certainly their loss! This was an ugly year for the schools you have mentioned. Our s applied, was deferred, and then rejected at one—no rhyme or reason. It hurts like crazy because you know that you worked hard for your numbers, ec’s, leadership, etc. We weren’t disappointed in our son–and I doubt your family would really be disappointed in you. What we are upset about is that the system has gotten out of control. So many kids applying to multiple schools because they are all a toss of the dice on admissions, and if you don’t have the hook of choice, oh well… Parents are sad to see a child think of themselves as a failure–the parents know better!! You are not a failure in their eyes–you are a hero to have made it through a process that none of us had to deal with when we were applying to college. Most parents today agree that there is no way they could get into their alma mater if they had to apply now!!!</p>
<p>Hold your head up high, smell the Virginia dogwood flowers!! and look at the 3 awesome schools you have as choices. By now I am guessing you have been on the road checking them out, and realizing you are going to have an incredible 4 years when you have decided.</p>
<p>After that, with the money you have saved–pick one of the schools in your original top 5 for grad school–if it even looks good to you in 2009! </p>
<p>Good Luck–we’re all cheering for you!!</p>
<p>Scherzo: This is called an education, and you’ve been taught by some of the “best” universities in the land. Now it’s up to you to live up to it. Had you been accepted, you’ld NEVER have the opportunity that has been set before you. You should be thankful. Time for a revaluation of all values, a prelude to a philosophy of the future! Don’t sink back into that drunken USNWR malaise that afflicts so many. I have high hopes for you. I am absolutely serious. The only successful experiments fail.</p>
<p>Hammer: You speak funny. And you’re right, of course. But oh so wrong, too.</p>
<p>Everyone else: Shame on you. Do you drown babies in bathwater also?</p>
<p>xokandykyssesox had one of the funniest replies – perhaps because he/she got the calculated game plan and the desperation down perfectly --on the thread:</p>
<p>“On a scale of 1-10, how important is it to you to attend an Ivy League School?”</p>
<p>10!!! Prestige Freak!!! I will change myself for Harvard. I will go to Africa and help children with AIDS or work in smelly soup kitchens, study until 5a.m. and get 2 hours of sleep, have no friends, or friends that are just like me, read about the string theory for fun, suck up to my teachers, generate a list of “EC” that looks good on paper, memorize a dictionary for the SAT, practise for ACT every morning at 6a.m. until Im sure i can get a perfect score, kill the teacher if (s)he tries to give me an A- , write my essay during the summer - have every single one of my english teachers since 5th grade review it, hire a professional to review it, and then improve on it. come up with a few hooks, and most of all, i am willing to have no life but prestige…</p>
<p>So sorry! I replied to the wrong thread…it’s getting late and I am getting tired but just can’t seem to quit…</p>
<p>scherzo, any decision? I think we’d all like to celebrate with you…</p>
<p>Scherzo, my D went for an overnight stay at Yale over a year ago, in October. During her visit, the roommate of her hostess told my D that she, a freshman, wanted to transfer from Yale to UVA. She told my D that while Yale was “alright,” she had visited all her friends from UVA and gone to classes there. She said the classes were every bit a good, the students were happy, and, as a VA resident, she believed she would get every bit as good an education than if she were to stay at Yale. She added that the “wow” factor of attending “Yale” had worn off for her in les than 3 months. Now understand that this was coming from a girl how was not upset with Yale, simply looking practically. She recognized that she could get, in her opinion, as excellent an education at a top notch unversity, be closer to friends, and save a bundle if she transferred to UVA, which my D found later she did. I can tell you that this young woman’s candor had a great impact on my D’s choice of school. Not knocking Yale here; merely suggesting that you really aren’t having to “settle” by attending either of these great VA schools!!</p>
<p>And you will shine at UVA or W&M Honors type prorgams. The better internships, advisors, and research projects are often reserved for top students no matter where you go. If you can search down a thread a week or two ago on one of the other forums, I think it was the regular CC parent form, from EVIL ROBOT. He actually turned down some of these schools for a less “prestigious” fit and gives an excellent update as he concludes his Freshamn year. Its a must read!!!</p>
<p>Scherzo, I can see you will excel wherever you go! And I do suspect your special someone is there just waiting to meet you. I went to a small, lower tier LAC (despite being NMF, etc etc) because it was the only place my father would let me go to. My husband went there because he only applied to Brown (his GC told him he was a shoo in) and didn’t get in…and the only brochure of any other college he had kept was to this school. We both ended in top med schools (different ones, but we managed), are faculty at a top med school, and are now getting our junior ready to start this process. It WILL work out for you. It was meant to. Good luck!</p>