Disappointed at myself

Applying to College
1

<p>I was really optimistic about my chances going into last week. However, since then I feel really disappointed at myself for not being the best student that i could possible as I got rejected to University of Chicago last week and Northwestern today. </p>

<p>I really felt I had a chance. Here are my academic stats What do yo guys think? Should I have gotten into U of Chicago or Northwestern. </p>

<p>ACT: 31
Class rank: 2/612
3 AP classes junior year
8 AP courses senior year (straight A’s first semester)
Minority (Pakistani)</p>

2

<p>You could have, but nothing stands out; Pakistani is not a minority for college application purposes.</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck on your other college admission decisions.</p>

3

<p>you’re probably right…i also felt that nothing about me really stood out…thanks for good luck.</p>

4

<p>woah youre taking 8 ap courses this year??? thats pretty impressive…how were your essays? i wouldn’t give up hope…where are you still waiting to hear from?</p>

5

<p>lamak09,
Your academic stats are solid. I’m sure good news will follow. Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>thanks. i really appreciate it…i did apply to ivy schools like princeton and harvard and also stanford but since being rejected from Northwestern and U of Chicago, i feel i don’t have a chance…</p>

7

<p>If anything stands out, it’s the grades-test score discrepancy. How were your essays, do you think?</p>

8

<p>essays were good. i believe my academic stats were not very good compared to others students who got accepted.</p>

9

<p>you made sure to have safety colleges right? they are the most important because ivies are a crapshoot for anyone…</p>

10

<p>well i also made a mistake there…i real felt that I would at least get into either Northwestern or University of Chicago. Besides there, I only applied to couple of ivy league schools and stanford…I guess I would have to go to community college (Illinois)…</p>

11

<p>2nd in a class of 600+ while carrying an 11 AP courseload ought to impress damn well anybody, in my opinion. If you had a downfall it wasn’t that.</p>

12

<p>Hey, first of all don’t be disappointed in yourself! Those are incredibly difficult schools to get into and after a certain point there is a lot of randomness in the process. It doesn’t say anything about you.</p>

<p>Second, don’t let people tell you that “nothing stands out” when all they see is a few measly stats. I don’t know you, but it’s hard to tell a person’s personality through an app or online or something. I’m sure you’re an awesome person-- just because you didn’t get into those two colleges it doesn’t mean you don’t “stand out” as a person.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

13

<p>Nothing to be ashamed of if you do end up going to community college, itll save you some money and you can probably transfer into some of those great schools you were considering (and actually get some merit aid I’ve heard).</p>

<p>Make the best out of wherever you go, I too am heading off to pretty much my last-choice school (not community college but sometimes I wish it was, at least that way I won’t be losing contact with all my friends/family). Still, I have found a lot to look forward to.</p>

14

<p>Don’t believe that anything is assured in the college admissions process. Your stats are definitely solid but that may be only one side of the picture. Different schools have different admission assessment criteria so just because two schools rejected you doesn’t mean the rest will. Keep your head up and always hope for the best!</p>

15

<p>Don’t worry. You should be able to get into an ivy league now or by transfering from another university.</p>

<p>I got rejected by Northwestern, too. Just hope for better news from other colleges.</p>

16

<p>Well, partially it may be that his APs were almost all in senior year so they never knew how well he actually would DO in those classes or what his AP scores would be… anyway good luck! </p>

<p>And this is a lesson for all current juniors, sophomores, and freshmen… of course, it may turn out all right and you could be accepted to an Ivy/ Stanford, but for the rest of us… make sure to have safeties!!! And matches.</p>

17

<p>

There is no discrepancy. A 31 ACT score puts the OP in the top 2% of all high school students (who took the exam). Having a high rank like his is expected. For your information, when colleges talk about GPA-test score discrepancies they mean like a 4.0 GPA and a 22 ACT.</p>

<p>OP, what were your ECs?</p>

18

<p>hey don’t be sad…everything is done for a reason…</p>

<p>i wish u the best of luck!!!
let us know where u get in!</p>

19

<p>This is the most competitive year in U.S. history in which to gain college admissions due to the number of this year’s graduating high school seniors, a trend that will continue for at least a couple of more years.</p>

<p>Consequently, many students will be rejected by colleges that their scores and grades qualified them for. This appears to be what happened to you. There probably isn’t anything you could have done to change the colleges’ decisions.</p>

<p>Also, particularly the top colleges like the ones that you applied to have so many applicants with outstanding stats that the colleges can afford to pick and choose to create a diverse class in all meanings of the word “diverse”: students representing a variety of majors, regions, countries, religions, EC interests, etc.</p>

<p>If you didn’t apply to any safeties, you still should be able to get into a 4-year college particularly if you don’t need financial aid. There always are some colleges, including a few excellent ones, who have openings after May 1. Info about this will be posted on, I believe, the NACAC site in May.</p>

<p>You also could take a year off and reapply to colleges, making sure that you apply to some match and safety schools that you like and can afford to attend.</p>

20

<p>Even if you have to go to some last choice college, this October you can just apply somewhere a little less selective than Northwestern and transfer there in January. It’s not a big deal.</p>

<p>Or you could just take a few months off and apply again this fall if you really don’t want to go to community college.</p>