<p>I really cant believe that it is already here. We have all been doing this since middle school…researching colleges, obsessing over cc, spending hours studying for standardized tests, and perfecting applications and essays. This process is almost over.</p>
<p>I feel the same exact way.</p>
<p>Agreed x infinity and beyond!</p>
<p><strong><em>sigh</em></strong></p>
<p>I wish you all didn’t feel the pressure that you do. Frankly, I think you’ve missed out on other things. Have confidence in yourselves and your abilities – not in the school that will eventually confer a diploma to you.</p>
<p>Do you really feel your life will be so affected by a UPenn diploma versus excelling at a so-called lesser-ranked college? Do your HS achievements mean so little? Is the trajectory of your academic inquiry only leading to the doors of an Ivy covered entryway?</p>
<p>I’m an HYP alum. Been there done that. I’m really lucky. I was early notified of being accepted at one of the best public Unis around. Then I just applied to some reach schools without much stress nor expectation. As a matter of fact, for the school I eventually attended, I had no intention of applying (nor was it even on my radar) until after Thanksgiving of my Senior year. I really really enjoyed my senior year and all its academic offerings. I loved it. Was doubly blessed to be accepted by all my reach schools too.</p>
<p>But in hindsight, I’m confident that if I had not fired off another application after the first school accepted me, that my life’s trajectory would still have been more or less the same – that the things that matter to me now would still be the things I would be valuing if I didn’t possess my Ivy diploma.</p>
<p>Please de-mystify this Ivy thing. It ain’t all dat. You, however, will likely have a wonderful collegiate career wherever you attend. Please remember that.</p>
<p>@T26E4, you have a great point. Thanks for your wise advice.</p>
<p>t26e4, that means a lot.
Especially for those of us who only see ivies on movies like “The Social Network”
My one reach is Stanford, everything else is ranked 20 or below :’(</p>