Why you didn't get into Harvard

[warriordaughter]

This is ridiculous on two points:

The sad fact is, most of you are extremely boring. And it shows. Despite how amazing your SAT score is, how great your GPA is, the fact that you have more 5s than there are letters in the alphabet, your Mu Alpha Theta presidency, your 234 hours of volunteer work for the Susan B Kormann Scam for the Cure, your overwhelming mediocrity shines through.

1. All the people who are rejected from Harvard and its ilk are overwhelmingly boring, mediocre people? Really? There have been many debates on this forum regarding how HYPSetc choose their incoming class, but one truth is clear: there are far more wonderful applicants than there are spots. Period. You can be valedictorian, extraordinarily talented singer/dancer, personality and enthusiasm outshining the stars, founder of the most extensive fundraising event the school has seen in two decades, and still be rejected (this was our school valedictorian this year.) As a person who was indeed rejected from a couple of these schools, I take issue with being called overwhelmingly mediocre.

What you should have done no one can tell you definitively. But one thing’s for sure. You should not have done what you did.

2. This may come as a shock, but I wouldn’t do anything differently if I had to do high school over again. If someone told me I should pursue certain unique opportunities to stand out and be a really interesting applicant, I would have run the other way-- because I love what I do, and I do what I love. Had zero interest in music, sports, theatre, or honor societies, but I LOVE competitive speech. I would compete in speech even if everyone and his brother did it (and sometimes it seems like that’s the case), if colleges ignored it or blatantly said they didn’t want to see more speakers because THAT’S what makes me truly happy and excited. Same with classes and other activities

And you know what? Several wonderful colleges saw that and loved that (and even offered very generous merit scholarships). Not trying to sour-grape here, but I really believe that pursuing my passions has allowed me to identify a college that is the absolute perfect fit for me. So if I could say anything to current juniors/underclassmen, it’s this: pursue what you love, and don’t try to spend your four years of high school trying to get accepted. Find the college that fits YOU-- don’t try to make yourself someone you’re not to be accepted.