<p>I completely wasted this summer. I got literally NOTHING done, and it went by so fast. I have spent all my time sleeping, watching netflix, and basically doing nothing. I’m so worried that this will affect my chances of getting into a good college. I’ve applied for around 10 volunteer positions, but I have only heard back from one of them. My school district is ranked extremely high and its extremely competitive to get into any volunteering or extra cirricular, because everyone here is so focused on getting into an Ivy League college! I feel like I’m stupid and will never accomplish anything and I truly truly want to go to Berkeley or Carnegie Mellon. Also I’m only 14, so all the places I called won’t hire me. </p>
<p>In February I spent weeks slaving over my application to a very prestigious 4-week residential pre-college program for the arts, and I was somehow accepted. It has a low acceptance rate, and it’s pretty rare to get in as a freshman. I was so excited, and I spent months preparing for it. My entire summer was going to revolve around it, and I know for a fact it looks AMAZING to colleges. I also have deathly food allergies to a long list of foods, but they told me they could accomodate me so I didn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>The night before I was going to leave, the director of the program called me and advised me not to come. She told me the food would not be safe, and if I did want to come, my parents would have to sign a special waiver saying my family could not sue or take legal action in case I died from eating any food from their cafeteria, and that they had no responsiblility for me. They hired a lawyer just for that. I talked to them for a long time, but they made it clear that it was SUPER risky, and there was nothing they could do to prevent me from having a life-threatening allergic reaction there. They refunded the money, but I spent the rest of the summer being really sad and sleeping all the time. Everyone that goes to that program comes back and says it changed their art completely and it was a life-changing experience. It is an amazing program, and colleges will never know that I could have gone. I haven’t been able to do any art ever since, and I just feel so bad about it. </p>
<p>What can I do to make up for this? Will it look really bad when they see that I did absolutely nothing this summer? I don’t have stellar extracirriculars or a rigorous schedule or perfect GPA to make up for this. I’m scared that I won’t get into to any colleges and it seriously scares me so so much. Please help! </p>
<p>Of course it’s disappointing, but most of the artistic kids in this country also didn’t have the opportunity to go to that program. My daughter is also an artist and I can tell you she didn’t go to it–I can’t even guess what it is. Stop obsessing over what colleges will think and use your remaining time wisely. Also, I think you greatly overestimate how much colleges care about fancy expensive summer programs which aren’t available to most kids anyway. But I do think they’d care about how you respond to a personal setback. </p>
<p>You should perhaps give more thought to how to make your own opportunities. I’m sure there are plenty of ways to contribute to your community without needing to be “accepted” into something. And of course there are plenty of opportunities to do art without a sleep-away summer program.</p>
<p>Actually, the program is only 1,000, and almost all the kids that attend recieve financial aid and only have to pay about 100 dollars. I know a girl that went that didn’t have to pay a penny. The people that go to the program come from everywhere from the state, especially the poorer areas, and there are also many many students from around the world. So it’s not fancy nor expensive. And it is available to any talented artists who can get in.</p>
<p>Sorry, I just saw that you edited it. Like I said, literally every volunteer position is taken in my community. I never said I couldn’t do art without this program, I was just really sad afterwards and it’s been hard for me. I’m not saying that I have to go there to do art. It’s just that I really wanted to and I knew it would help me in a lot of ways. I do make my own oppurtunities, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with being excited that I was accepted into a program at the age of 14, when pretty much everyone else that attends is 17 or 18. I have a right to be upset that I did not go, and I’m sorry if that offends you for some reason. And I’m sorry that your daughter did not go to an art program, but that does not make me wanting to attend one something to be ashamed of.</p>
<p>@mangocollege I don’t think she was trying to make you ashamed… We get that you were upset about not getting into the art summer program, but you seriously just ignored all of her advice there. </p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, I’m an upcoming sophomore as well, and I live in a rural area w/o a car or driver’s license, so everything “productive” I’ve done this summer has pretty much been in my room. Which I can’t put on a college app. I tried to volunteer at a mental hospital where my aunt works, because I figured I could just ride with her whenever she goes to work (like 45 minutes away), but they don’t take volunteers. So I’m in the same boat. </p>
<p>And hey, this might make for a good essay story. 
You still have time, and you still have the potential to get into a good art school. </p>
<p>Yes, it is normal to be excited about the program and normal to be upset when circumstances beyond your control keep you from attending. What happened next is what concerns me. Sounds like you spent the entire summer sulking about it. I’m not offended but you are the one who came on here complaining about how you wasted your summer. It was your “right” as you say, but you also own any consequences of your choices. I think you’re overreacting to the situation. Neither do I think you should be ashamed of wanting to go to the program. Where did I say that? I just said that many kids don’t have that opportunity (and I’m sure many of them go on to great success anyhow.)</p>
<p>Actually, my daughter did attend an art program. Something local, not something that would impress colleges. If she hadn’t gotten in to it I expect she would still have made some art this summer. There actually was a different program (sleep-away) she was really excited about, and it does happen to be a nationally-known program that I expect colleges have a favorable opinion of. When we realized it wouldn’t be possible for her to attend, she was quite disappointed, but she got busy with other things.</p>
<p>My other daughter once applied to a prestigious program she was greatly looking forward to. The people who wrote her recs (and they are very familiar with the process and the program) said she was “perfect” for it and seemed quite confident about her chances. But she didn’t get in. So yes, it was a bit of a shock and of course she was upset for a day or two, then she pulled herself together, lined up an alternative in a hurry as time was very short at that point, and had a great experience that summer.</p>
<p>You do not need a “position” to contribute to your community. Go to a park and pick up the trash. Sell some of your artwork and donate the money to your favorite local charity. Saying you can’t do anything outside of a “position” is part of the problem.</p>
<p>ThatOneWeirdGuy: Thank you! I completely understand what you mean. This made me feel a lot better.</p>
<p>mathyone: Thank you for your criticism. I shouldn’t have sulked, but like I said, this program is a huge deal and I did spend a lot of time on it. And I did get in, after spending weeks working nonstop on my application. I was not rejected, but the program advised me not to come because they didn’t want me to be killed by their cafeteria food. The reason of going to the program wasn’t only to impress colleges, but it would also have been an amazing experience. Now when I go back to school I will have to tell my teachers that spent hours on my recs that I couldn’t go, when they wanted me to so badly. I couldn’t “get busy with other things” right away because I felt really really sad and had trouble sleeping. It’s not like I applied and didn’t get in, I did get in but I didn’t get to go due to medical reasons. I felt like I disappointed everyone, when it wasn’t my fault I was born with multiple life-threatening allergies.I felt like a failure. I don’t think anything about me is a problem, and I never said I needed a position. I appreciate your help, but please stop commenting on this. </p>
<p>I don’t get why you’re giving excuses/reasons for what you didn’t do when you’re being given advice for what to do now. </p>
<p>I thought about your problem last night and it occurred to me that you could supply your own food when there is nothing safe to eat, if you can arrange access to a refrigerator and if your parents are willing to make a trip or two to restock you. This will be my last comment on your thread, because frankly, I don’t like your attitude at all.</p>
<p>you can still get into Harvard if you did nothing the summer between your freshman and sophomore years.</p>
<p>Just curious As far as food allergies do you do in everyday life, and what will you do when you go to college?</p>
<p>OP makes post asking for advice for how to stop feeling sorry for himself. Guy tells him to stop feeling sorry for himself in a pretty kind fashion (much kinder than I would anyways). OP gets pissed and tells him he doesn’t want his advice. LOL</p>
<p>On topic: Get on with your life. Your greatest successes come from how you recover from your worst failures. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something if you actually do care about being successful.</p>
<p>I didn’t write this post so people would feel sorry for me, I just wanted contstuctive criticism. I would really appreciate if people could stop telling me to move on, because I already have. I just wanted to know if it was okay that I didn’t do anything, and I wanted to know what I could do in the future. I asked what I could do to make up for this, if any of you ever bothered to read the last part of my post. I didn’t ask for advice to stop feeling sorry for myself, I asked for advice for what to do to make up for wasting my summer. And they told me I could not bring a refridgerator, nor could they supply me with one. I wouldn’t be able to even go into the dining hall, as my allergies are extremely airborne, and breathing in a tiny bit of peanut dust would send me into anaphylaxis right away. They also told me I could not bring any food. All i’m trying to say is, it’s not my fault that I couldn’t go, and it’s not really the program’s either. I don’t feel sorry for myself, and I don’t want anyone else to,I just wish I could have gone, which is normal. So please don’t tell me things I should have done, because I have thought them over a thousand times. In everyday life it’s easier because I can cook my own food, read every label, and avoid going to restaurants or eating anything suspicious. I can also move when someone around me is eating an allergen. I have been researching colleges that accommodate severe food allergies, and not a lot of them do. But hopefully that will change in a year or two. </p>
<p>I did absolutely nothing in the eyes of colleges until the summer before my senior year summer and had no trouble. Thew whole “you must do all the things in summer” thing is one of the biggest CC to reality differences on here. Can it help? Of course. But it’s summer and you’re a kid. Relax. Don’t do anything to “make up” for it beyond doing something you’d consider more fulfilling or fun next summer.</p>
<p>Thank you! 
That really helped.</p>