<p>I’m just curious to hear about which colleges, through the whole college admissions process, you’ve developed a soft spot in your heart towards, even though you will not be attending. You hear about colleges rejecting students, but you never hear about students rejecting colleges! What’s your story?</p>
<p>In my case, I had gotten into the University of Michigan early December, and could not have been any more thrilled. It was my first acceptance, and I truly was overjoyed. Something about that first acceptance really is great. I spent a ton of time in the days after frequenting the Michigan board on here, and really liked it a lot. A week or two later, I was accepted ED to Cornell. While I’m happy to attend my first choice, I’ll never forget UMich because of the feeling I felt logging online at 6 in the morning to see the “congratulations” message.</p>
<p>Just recently, I even bought a Michigan sweatshirt to show my affection!</p>
<p>Which college do you have a (not to be corny) spot in your heart for, even though you won’t attend?</p>
<p>U of Michigan, although I’m probably not going there (they stopped giving much merit aid, and my parents would prefer not to have to pay for it), because I do like it even if it’s not my top. I like Rose Hulman for having the best college spam, although I didn’t apply to it.</p>
<p>Chicago, which I never applied to because the “hate” reasons barely outweighed the “love” reasons. Carleton, where I visited for two days and fell in love. Scripps, the most gorgeous campus and highest quality of life I’ve ever encountered.</p>
<p>I was accepted EDII to Swarthmore, with which I fell in love academically AND the other pieces–financial, geographic–fell into place. But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for those three, Carleton especially.</p>
<p>U of Maryland. My dad’s alma mater and I even grew up there off campus until I was 4. There’s a possibility I could go cuz its my cheap in state option, but 'd love to experience a new place.</p>
<p>Well out of my list of schools, four public ( Arizona, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan) and two private ( Boston, George Washington) any of the schools I get accepted into but decide not to attend whether due to preference of others or not affordable it’s only natural for me to develop a soft spot for the school since odds are I could have attended there.</p>
<p>So far, most of my safeties. AIB’s staff has been really nice and intimate, and it’s going to hurt to turn them down next month. ): Hartwick and Goucher have been really sweet too, and all three have offered me awesome merit aid. I’m going to feel terrible when I turn them down.</p>
<p>University of Chicago. Applied EA and was accepted! But because I was ED at my first choice college, I had to decline their offer…almost teared up in declining.</p>
<p>So happy to get into both! But sad to have to let one go.</p>
<p>Duke (mostly because I grew up in NC and, uh, Duke basketball–it’s odd that I may, okay probably not but hopefully, get the opportunity to pick between my soon to be home college and Duke in the big dance next month), Davidson (CLT REPRESENT! Oh, and I was probably going to apply EDII if my 1st choice didn’t work out), Claremont McKenna, Columbia (I would’ve loved to apply, but it didn’t seem like a perfect fit academically, plus I don’t think my parents really wanted me in New York), NYU (love Greenwich Village, hate crappy finaid), and, this is going to be odd, Marquette. They sent me my first piece of college mail (save for Duke, but that was only because I did TIP). Plus, they’re Jesuit (Catholicism REPRESENT!) and for some reason 8th grade me really LOVED the idea of living in Milwaukee.
EDIT: Okay, wait just a second. Did I just see Bucknell and UChicago used in the same sentence, OHKID? I live in Lewisburg and, trust me, if you knew those kids (oh noes looks like angry townie rant is starting), you would NOT be equating their intellectual level with that of UChicago’s student body.</p>
<p>Oh, speaking of college mail–though it was a terrible academic fit for me, I’ll always thank Kenyon for their beautiful bound book that told me about LACs’ existence.</p>
<p>Reed! Amazing school, I loved it from minute one, and I think I would have fit right in there. But my mom would never have let me go to a dreaded LAC “she’d never heard of” over Chicago, because LACs are bad at science and have no money, don’tchaknow.</p>
<p>And, okay, I’m a prestige whore. There, I said it. :x</p>
<p>Stanford. Both parents went there. Dad for graduate education, and Mom for specialization in medical school. But when I went and checked out the place, found everything about the school too superficial. It’s certainly a nice school. But not exactly my type of school for my fit. I did not apply, and would not have gotten in if I did anyway. haha…</p>
<p>Washington University in St. Louis. But that’s not even a soft spot, that’s a school that’s actually going to be tough to turn down (and I’d say there’s even a tiny percentage that I will choose it). My real “soft spot” is Rice. It’s not even a great fit for me; I just feel attracted to the school for some reason.</p>
<p>Oh, I feel you pain so much. I was accepted but would have to go almost 200k in debt. I cried like a baby for days but ended up turning it down in exchange for free tuition at a local tier 3 Uni. <em>hugs</em></p>
<p>Swarthmore. They waitlisted me and I didn’t bother staying on the waitlist because I got into Reed, but I really loved the idea of the college. Especially the “Honors” Programme and the immersion in the seminar system. Oh well, fortunately for me, Reed is Swarthmore’s twin in so many ways, and different in other ways, which I actually appreciate.</p>
<p>There are many more, but Swat is perhaps the most prominent.</p>