So what gives? I had literally all the credentials for Ohio State but was rejected while I got merit scholarships at schools like Kenyon and Oberlin…
Was it cause I applied late? (latter half of January)
I’m just still really aggravated about this as I knew in the back of my mind I was interested in going to a large school like OSU but instead I was put at the Lima campus, where I’d be much more beyond the top percentile than I want.
Is/was anyone else in a similar position? What did you do to cope? I was rejected nearly a month ago and I’m still feeling quite indignant about the whole situation.
the simplest and easiest answer here is to love the schools that love you (especially the ones that saw enough potential in you to give you a merit scholarship).
Applying late to public universities with rolling admissions can definitely backfire. That does sound like a likely reason.
Why are you indignant? If you really wanted OSU, firing off an app at the first possible opportunity would have been the correct step.
Brush yourself off and move on. No need to do an admission autopsy, IMO.
If you really want OSU. Take a gap year, do something interesting, make some money, and get your application in on time for Fall 2019 admissions.
or transfer
@PurpleTitan Because I feel I should’ve gotten in given my stats, extracurriculars, essays, recommendations, etc. The chances I got in were much greater than the chances I got rejected (according to admission calculators). I suppose it was ignorant of me to apply as late I did though.
You can feel whatever you like, but ultimately, OSU decides. Admission to OSU isn’t a birthright, regardless of your stats, etc. Also, admissions calculators are not infallible.
Finally, if the chances of you getting in were not 100%, that means there was a possibility that you would not get in.
If a school doesn’t guarantee admissions, you should not assume that admission is guaranteed.
Odds drop for all applicants at rolling admission schools as time goes on. They get pickier as the number of available spots dwindle. Don’t get mad at them for your misunderstanding of the process.
Unless an school is a guaranteed admission with certain stats (like UA). there are no guarantees. You have good choices (though Oberlin has had financial and antisemitism problems) . Pick one.
I can’t think of 2 schools more different, in every measure, than OSU and Oberlin, except that they’re both in Ohio. I’m stumped why OP would have applied to both.
One of our biggest takeaways from this process is that at selective institutions where a large percentage of applicants have the same impressive credentials as you, “getting in line early” is incredibly important. It’s too competitive anymore to assume that you will get in just because you apply. The timing of the application has become crucial to locking down your spot. If you wait too long, someone else will have taken it. I suspect that is what happened here.
Indignant shoudl not be how you feel – that intimates you were treated unfairly. What you should be is annoyed at yourself for applying to a rolling school so late in the process when most of the spots would have already been filled.