Yeah, honestly, I always say it’s normal not to get accepted… nobody gets accepted. Bright, not bright, everyone gets rejected. Except once in a blue moon somebody makes it through… that’s not the norm at all. It’s like hoping to win the lottery… no matter how many tickets you buy, you just probably won’t make it and it has almost nothing to do with you. Yes, I was accepted, but I attribute a large portion of that to luck… I was qualified, but it depended on so many other factors (like where I was in the stack, what admissions officer read my application, etc. ) that I honestly don’t think I’m that much more qualified than like 20% of applicants.
Also, I barely know anyone who isn’t happy at the college they’re at… whether they’re in their safeties or top choices. The few people I know who are unhappy are actually spread pretty evenly among top choices (Yale), realistic choices (Northwestern and Notre Dame) and safeties (state school). And it’s mostly their fault… it’s all about your perception. Not so much as what college you go to as what you do there.