Hi everyone. I’m a student from the U.S with a 4.0 and 1590 SAT who applied to the T20 this year. I was subsequently rejected from every single Ivy League, Stanford, and multiple other colleges. I was waitlisted at one T10, and I will be attending my state school (which is a T15, but still) this fall.
I am someone who has written for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. I am also an Intern at the United Nations, and a panelist at multiple international conferences. I also conducted research at Harvard, where I was able to become a STS Scholar. I paid $20K for a private counselor who is an ex admissions officer at Harvard who edited all of my essays. I also had my essays reviewed by two people who write for the NYT. In my opinion, I should have been admitted to an Ivy. And I know many of you feel the same way. But now, reading back on my essays and application theme, I understand why.
I, like many of you, focused on activism and advocacy in my essays. I talked about advocating for groups such as women in STEM, underserved groups, FGLI individuals. I also talked about political activism. Nothing was egoistic in any way, but the point I am trying to make is that this was a red flag in today’s climate. In previous years, things like raising money for a cause, spreading awareness were all elite activities to get into Ivy Leagues/Stanford/MIT. However, what has worked in previous years will not work today. You have to understand that this is a vastly different climate and colleges are looking for people who will not make a stir on campus. Look at what is happening at Columbia. Obviously, I never said I am going to protect/I have protested in my essays, but they may have gotten that vibe, and auto rejected us. Colleges now want someone who is subservient. Smart, but subservient. Under the funding cuts, they care about money and cannot deal with protestors.
I understand many of you must be feeling disappointed. I am too. This is not our fault, and there will always be other paths. Whether it’s transfer, grad school, etc. Good luck and good bye class of 2029.
There are over 27,000 high schools in the US. That means there are at least 54,000 Valedictorians and Salutatorians. With that level of achievement, students expect to land a position. The math is bad though. There are roughly 17,000 freshman seats in all of the Ivy League plus Stanford. There are simply WAY too many highly qualified students for the available spots. Why one gets rejected is only known by the admissions committees, and probably far more related to being a legacy, or having had a heart transplant, or something else only known to them, and not any offense taken by an essay.
Yeah, the unfortunate truth is that you’ll never know why you were rejected, and the other unfortunate truth is that we see this sort of thing happen every year on CC.
I’m sorry you didn’t get the outcome you had hoped for. I can see how hard you’ve worked and how much you’ve achieved. You are going to be an outstanding student and an asset to whichever school you end up at. Continue to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. Good luck. It will all work out in the end.
Two things, since I saw your posts in the Stanford astrology thread today as well.
1: At some point - next month, or (more likely) next year - I think you’re going to look back at what you’ve written in the last 24 hours and absolutely cringe at it. That’s awesome. It’s part of growth. I wrote some cringe-worthy stuff too!
2: I just wrote this to someone else and I’m basically copy-and-pasting it here, since it’s the exact same feedback.
Since I saw that your “T15” is Berkeley, here’s an absolute 100% guarantee: at Berkeley, you’re going to have plenty of classes (virtually all of them) where you are not going to be the smartest person in the room. Some classes you’re going to be in the top 10%. Some top third. Some, probably, middle or bottom third. There are a ton of smart people there, and you will learn from them, engage with them, laugh and yell and (probably) drink with them.
That would also have been true at Stanford or any Ivy. Not only are you incredibly fortunate to be attending one of America’s top academic institutions, but you will have the opportunity to shine, and also to be humbled. That’s a gift. At some point, while working on a problem set or a project or whatever, you (and your Berkeley friends who also got rejected from Stanford) will turn that into just a part of your story. I’m excited for when that moment happens for you.
The truth is, the University doesn’t make the person. That cake is already baked. You’ll likely do well no matter where you go based on the record you’ve achieved.
Also, it sounds like your essay was discordant with your key activity, research. Wouldn’t you want to discuss your research in a significant way in your essay? Otherwise, you diminish the significance of it. Are you really an activist, or a scientist, or a journalist? You need to come across as authentic and let the chips fall where they may.
The numbers of qualified exceptional students are too overwhelming, as indicated by @eyemgh.
My Caltech son got in, according to his HS counselor info, because the comments by his teachers, coaches and employers were too similar: a “strong, quiet, respectful, and courteous student who garnered trust per his actions”. He didn’t ever “seek attention”, but somehow was always nominated by staff and peers. (NMS winner.)
His sister was a recruited athlete who also got into top 20’s, and his eldest sister also got into Top 10’s. All 3 applied regular decision.
They didn’t go out of their way to pad their resumes and just did what they liked. They all had jobs during HS and/or volunteered. You never know why you are accepted or rejected. It just happens.
Clearly you are very smart and accomplished. Hopefully with the passage of time, self reflection and the opportunity to consider that your activities helping others were meaningful beyond the college admissions process, you will be able to appreciate just how fortunate you are and how bright your future will be. Good luck.
Wise words, Catcher. The experiece of rebuff and rejection, OP, is character-building and a good preparation for what even the most brilliant and able person will undergo from time to time in this crazy old world we all uncomfortably inhabit. The trick of making a happy life is to learn the right lessons from experience. You need to keep thinking about this one. We’ve all been there.
Not now, but in the future, maybe you’ll understand that these schools really did get a good idea of who you are and it has nothing to do with politics. Some self reflection would be in order. You’ll be fine.
This! With below 10% acceptance rates, that means 90% or more were not accepted, and really, there is no way to know why. Simply put, there are too many well qualified applicants for the admissions needed to fill a class.
Please be proud of your acceptances. They are terrific ones, and places many students would be ever so proud to attend.
I’ll say…congratulations on those fine acceptances!
"I paid $20K for a private counselor who is an ex admissions officer at Harvard who edited all of my essays. I also had my essays reviewed by two people who write for the NYT. "
Do you get a refund?
Congrats on a fine acceptance to an elite university. I know that HS kids don’t always get to determine how family resources are allocated and spent, but in the fullness of time you will likely come to understand how your privilege came back to bite you.
I cringed when I read my kids essays- even the ones from the kid who was a gifted writer (according to a decade’s worth of English teachers, editors on student publications, etc.). Know why I cringed? Because they sounded like they were written by a HS kid. Which- in fact- they were.
There are some great life’s lessons for you.
1- You never know why someone gets picked for something you really, really want. Debate team in college. Job offer from DE Shaw. Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes fellowships. Good life lesson not to try and speculate, but to do your best-- and move on.
2- Sometimes the very thing you think is going to give you an advantage turns out to sabotage you. You become president of your college’s investment club because allegedly Goldman Sachs looks for “leadership”. But you discover that they’d rather hire the person who organized the city-wide coat drive/food drive for the unhoused, since they already know how to teach smart kids what they need to know about “investment”. And they do it better than a college club. Or you get an elite research spot on a team exploring the genetic variant of liver cancer, only to find that an underfunded group at a university in Chile that nobody has ever heard of beats your team by 3 months with a peer-reviewed and validated study. Which concludes that your team’s hypothesis is incorrect. And therefore the “bragging rights” for your med school application becomes a “that’s nice”.
3- You do you. If you engaged in your activism because you really cared about the causes- fantastic. If you did it because someone told you it would get you into a “better” college- hey, now you know. Do what you care about, the goodies will follow.
I think it helps to understand that admissions is about assembling an interesting mix of students, not about a hierarchy of individuals so much as how each contributes to the whole. There may be many applicants like you, with resources like expensive college counseling and access to things like interning at the UN and serving on a panel at multiple international conferences (how did that come about?). Or maybe there were too many applicants from California.
Now that race can no longer be used in admissions decisions, top schools like the Ivies and Stanford are using other measures to expand access, including expanding financial aid to make attendance free for students whose families make less then $200k- previously $85k.
I am only speculating but do you think you came across as too polished? Or perhaps admissions felt you could do well anywhere with your background of activities and high stats, and that other students would benefit more from the Ivy etc. I actually read an article that suggested that kind of prioritizing.
You will never know, but I would not assume that your emphasis on advocacy hurt you and I certainly hope that students continue to write about social activism.
Berkeley is a fantastic, very selective school. I hope you are happy. Maybe don’t pay so much attention to T this or T that Good luck this fall and enjoy!
(Edited by moderator)
I’ve read other schools stats like BU with similar kids being rejected. It’s amazing how many top kids are out there. Beyond amazing.
And these schools are building diverse classes in every way. Not just the top stats.
Do you understand the methodology used to determine that? Does any of it apply to what matters to you? Many make WAY too much about that specious system.
When I help students with their essays I don’t correct everything and especially prioritize the student’s own “voice” as do others who read essays for free. Authenticity is more important than well-known journalists reviewing and the latter may even interfere. Also it is not just about the quality of writing. For instance, essays should “show not tell” and should avoid focusing on EC’s which are listed elsewhere. Anything close to bragging is a big negative. Not saying essays played a part for the OP but for the sake of future readers here (and since the title of this thread may attract many hopefuls) just wanted to comment that I believe authenticity and likability are the most important ingredients in an essay. You don’t have to want to solve world problems. I have seen great essays on Legos, butterflies and blueberry muffins. Sorry to get off topic a bit!
Good luck this fall and enjoy!