I was thankfully matched to a wonderful top LAC via Questbridge, that being said, it is impossible not to monday-morning-quarterback the rejections (well, technically deferrals, but…) I had from:
Princeton
Yale
Stanford
Brown
Columbia
UChicago
Penn
In almost all of my supplementals regarding contributions to a campus community, I talked about how I am kind to my peers (typically with a line about being a listening ear and a hand to hold doors open), and I am somewhat curious if, particularly with my first generation low-income background (plus being from Utah), that was a mistake and made me seem like an affable fool or non-serious in some way?
There is no way of knowing for sure, of course, but I highly doubt that choice of theme was a problem at all of those colleges, and I think it is a better bet it wasn’t a problem at any of those colleges.
Those are just really, really hard colleges to get into, with only a limited number of QB matches.
My guess is your deferral came from the fact that gazillions of brilliant kids applied and these schools all have single digit acceptance rates. They may also have a QB quota that they hit (I don’t know).
You got matched - you’re going to a top ranked college for free.
OMG - no Monday Morning quarterback.
Be glad and proud for the opportunity that so many kids would kill for.
To me this sounds like a good topic to write about, and a good way to live your life.
Also, the best LACs provide excellent educations. You can do very well with an education from a smaller school. One daughter attended a small school for her bachelor’s degree and I have become a big fan. As one example, you may be more likely to get to know your professors, which can in some cases help a student to get good internship or research opportunities. Being kind to peers can also help in the same ways!
And the highly ranked schools that you listed in your original post are all very, very difficult to get accepted to, have unpredictable admissions, and turn away a large number of excellent students.
Did you ever share where you did get matched? I don’t see it in your posting history, and I’m sure all of the people who have supported you here would love to celebrate with you… which would be a much better use of energy than Monday morning quarterbacking.
More than 70% of Questbridge finalists don’t match anywhere - you did great! The schools you ranked higher than your match school are the ones that the vast majority of finalists apply to, so they’re choosing a small number of applicants out of a large pool that has already been pre-screened for excellence; every finalist is highly qualified. These schools did not need a reason not to pick you; they assembled the QB Scholar class they wanted, based on a mix of knowable and unknowable criteria.
There is no point in ruminating about what you could have done differently. You could just as easily ask whether a different essay could have caused you not to match at all. You have an enviable opportunity now for a top-tier, debt-free education; try to let the roads-not-taken go and get excited about what’s in front of you. Congrats on matching!
Thank you! I matched to Claremont McKenna College, which I did share in messages with some folks but might not have mentioned on the board. Admittedly I’ve had mixed feelings about it and the process, but have tried to keep my eye on the positives of it all.
You could just as easily ask whether a different essay could have caused you not to match at all.
This is definitely true, and I honestly thought my CMC essays were the worst. If any essay set me back institutionally, though, I chose to write about Richard Nixon for my one of my Questbridge essays, and although I expressed disagreement with his politics, it may have come off as defensive (which, on a personal level, is fair).
try to let the roads-not-taken go and get excited about what’s in front of you.
It is difficult, but I try. Thank you.
This is true, but I admit that I am a bit taken aback when comparing myself to people who were matched to Chicago, Penn, Columbia, and Brown. Particularly a good friend of mine who matched to Brown, and, while she is an amazing person, had a much more minimal extracurricular experience and more typical life story that I do. It’s difficult not to mentally drain oneself over things like this, especially when you have spent as many years stressing about this as I have, and for some places (especially Princeton, which had been a childhood dream of mine, and, unlike other Ivies, is rare as a graduate school destination), it really sinks in that I will never have the experience of being an undergraduate there.
Actually, amusingly, I had an unfortunate and unpleasant misunderstanding with an admissions officer at CMC and I told a friend afterwards that I “have a better chance at being admitted to Princeton and Harvard than Claremont McKenna after that;” was shocked when I received the request for additional financial information weeks later that suggested I was being matched.
You realized that you matched to one of the top LACs in the country that’s also part of a highly sought after Consortium with other fantastic LACs.
It’s fantastic in Econ, the social sciences, math, natural sciences…wow
How can you second guess that?
You should never second guess a school you asked to match you - and you should never second guess a FREE education…that it’s a stellar school is a bonus.
Congrats…be happy, grateful, and take advantage of a stellar opportunity.
If I have second thoughts regarding the match, I’ll use this as an opportunity to foster some incipient pride and point out that CMC is increasingly being ranked as the number one LAC in the country, beating out Pomona on post-graduation prospects, while the access to Pomona and other Consortium schools tops traditional leaders Williams and Amherst in breadth and depth.
The only school I was deferred to in the 80’s was Princeton. I, too, dreamt about attending, but life is unpredictable, and your experiences will be bountiful regardless. Congratulations and do not look back.
So this is part of why it is a good idea not to have specific “dream” schools, and generally to remember these are all just colleges. There truly is nothing uniquely valuable about Princeton, or the other schools that did not match you.
So this is part of why it is a good idea not to have specific “dream” schools, and generally to remember these are all just colleges. There truly is nothing uniquely valuable about Princeton, or the other schools that did not match you.
There are definitely unique programs offered and a unique experience possible there not possible elsewhere, as well as, being honest, a unique perception in the cultural zeitgeist.
Congratulations and do not look back.
I try, it can be difficult though. Even just trying to relax earlier today, I couldn’t help but notice that Conan O’Brien had gone to Harvard and wonder how much that contributed to his success. Although, I suppose it’s somewhat reassuring that I was only watching Conan clips for Norm MacDonald, who was a high school dropout himself.
Oh, CMC seems like a terrific fit - I can see why they picked you; and hopefully you will experience that good fit as well. You don’t have to worry about the “what if my LAC is too small?” question, because the consortium overall is just as big as the universities you listed. I feel like you will really like the “vibe” at CMC; and the opportunities there are fantastic. They have a great DC program, too, which was a priority for you as I recall.
Looking at your original list… okay, you didn’t end up at one of your super-reaches, but that’s how it goes for most people. This outcome is, in my opinion, much better than anything you had in mind for matches or safeties - both academically and financially.
If you don’t mind my saying so, you have a tendency to jump to negative conclusions about your opportunities (for example, the Boy’s State experience that you almost bailed out on but that then turned out well). This would be a really good time to practice not going into a new situation with one foot out the door. There are far more amazing opportunities at the 5C’s than you could possibly avail yourself of in four short years. Don’t waste any of it second-guessing. So many students would (figuratively) kill to be in your shoes. Keep looking forward and make the most of it.
(Also, I know convenience isn’t the most important thing, but there are even nonstops between SLC and Ontario, CA, which is 15 minutes from campus.)
Congratulations! I think you’re not fully understanding how incredibly lucky you are. You wrote about kindness for a good reason. It’s important to you. You can’t feel you’ve made a mistake when a top college has just given you a free education worth close to $300k.
Posts like these should only help you realize the inflated and incorrect emphasis placed on a college name.
Flip this around. You had a lucky escape if you think a college didn’t want you because you are kind.
@ShivomP My daughter submitted one supplemental on kindness and got terrific feedback from two counselors, so absolutely no regrets. They said it would actually set her apart at the school she wrote it for.
That said, she LOVED CMC and the consortium! What an outstanding opportunity! Next to impossible to get in there! Have you visited? The Robert’s Pavilion was the very best rec center we toured. The school has amazing connections for internships and excellent placement for grad school. Graduate Schools | Claremont McKenna College
Lastly, socially, CMC combines with Harvey Mudd and Scripps for athletic teams, so your community is much larger, while academically, you are in the small academic environment of CMC, with the flexibility to take classes at the other consortium schools. The campuses are contiguous to each other, in a grid, so it is logistically unique and far more doable compared to the Amherst and Philly consortiums. And who doesn’t like California weather! Downtown Claremont is lovely also!
I noticed that you have some well-known and recognizable names on your wish list. Being from the east coast, I have noticed that many non-academic people from this area, especially New England don’t know much about the Claremont Consortium, nor much about the Midwestern LACs. Try to look at the environment of each school and ignore the „brand.“ You will have a wonderful future ahead of you in a school that REALLY wants YOU! Congratulations!
CMC may have selected you specifically because you wrote about kindness! This matters a lot at smaller schools with tight communities. Terrific school. Actually, a few years back, a friend’s D was rejected there (her first choice) and accepted to Stanford. She was as disappointed as you. It’s all a little random in terms of what each school is looking for.
I mention this because it may explain the results of the person you know who got into Brown. You also don’t know how she came across on paper.
But mostly, huge congratulations to you on what is sure to be an amazing experience at CMC. You sound like an incredible person who is bright, ambitious, and who cares about the people around them. That’s a recipe for success in life. Don’t sour it with regret!
What you will eventually learn is your experience in college is going to be far less dependent on the exact college you attend, and far more dependent on YOU, than this statement implies.
Attending CMC, which of course is a Claremont College as well, will present far more opportunities for special experiences than any one person can possibly do more than a fraction of. Your exploration of those opportunities, your decisions about which to pursue in depth, and what you then do with those opportunities, will end up defining your college experience.
Similarly, what happens next after college, and on from there, is dependent on YOU, again what you choose to do in college, how well you do it, the networks you develop, and so on. CMC and the Claremont Colleges also have all the opportunities and much more than you could possibly need to support such next steps.
And then very, very quickly, where you went to college is largely just a personal memory. What you will again learn is that advancement through life is a long series of “what have you done for me lately?” questions. College admissions specifically is about what you did as of about 17 years old, and no one is really going to care about that when you are, say, 35 and looking for a promotion, or possibly a change of employers, or so on.
However, I understand you may need to actually experience this before you will believe it. But for what it is worth, I went to one of the colleges on your list, and I know all my college friends agree with me about this. It certainly can be a good experience and good education to go to such a college. It just is not as unique as you are currently imagining, and what actually happens from here is truly going to be about you and not the exact college you attend.
Everyone who went to college - went somewhere. Not sure why you focus on Conan but a million comedians went a million places.
Jay Leno Emerson
Jimmy Kimmel started UNLV and finished ASU
Jimmy Fallon college of st rose
David letterman ball State
The greatest of all Johnny Carson Nebraska
If it’s other fieids also from everywhere and anywhere.
You are way overthinking.
If you qualified for QB, you should feel proud and be appreciative of any opportunity you have. If CMC was a no for you, you wouldn’t have listed it.
Im not sure why you are second guessing AT ALL. The where you go will matter far less than what you do and yet - you’re still at the top 1%-2% of schools.
Life will stink if your expectations are always similar. You are given gifts. Accept, smile, take advantage.
Well over $300K, in fact. CMC estimates the current cost of attendance at $86,500/year, so the total is likely to exceed $350K when annual increases are taken into account. According to the most recent Common Data Set, just over 50% of CMC students are full-paying that amount; it isn’t one of those schools that has a fictional sticker price and gives everyone a discount. The value of this scholarship is huge.