Oh hell, this day was depressing

**ThaiGreenTea** · 03-31-2009, 06:40 PM

So I applied to every Ivy League school (except for Columbia), and today I learned my results.

Brown: Rejected
Cornell: Rejected
Dartmouth: Rejected
UPenn (Wharton): Rejected
Princeton: Rejected
Yale: Rejected

I didn't expect to get in many places, but I expected to get in at least one. I got rejected flat-out across the board. I really don't know what to think. I spent four years toiling for college and in return I am effectively told "No."

I wasn't the strongest applicant, but I thought I still had a shot. 1480/1600 SAT's, 780 Biology SAT II, 760 US History SAT II, 750 Math II SAT II. I have a 97 GPA.. rather near the top of my class... I take more AP courses than anyone I know... I have a bunch of leadership positions and invest a lot of time into my school...

And, now, ultimately, I'm fated to a state school. I have to beg the question why I even tried; I could've gotten into the state schools by purely academic merit and I would've received the same scholarship offers. I didn't have to spend all those days afterschool.

I realize this is only undergrad, and graduate schools are much more important -- but I'm still sorely disappointed.

Rudy · 03-31-2009, 06:57 PM

Sorry to hear that.
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If it makes you feel any better, I went to a state school (Maryland,) and am about to attend a top ten grad school in Economics. So, you can get into a top program for grad school no matter where you do your undergraduate.

**Bregen** · 03-31-2009, 07:06 PM

You need to re-examine your goals. Are they to get an education (laudable!) or go to a big name school (elitist?). You can do the former without the latter. People have also managed to do the latter without the former.

**Thinker** · 03-31-2009, 07:16 PM

You may also consider some universities overseas???

I know the ANU (Australia) is ranked higher than many of the ivy league universities you mentioned - depending on which degree you are aiming at.

They take international students.
I am afraid I don't know about the scholarship position, but the fees are typically less than ivy league universities (especially given the relative weakness of the AUD vs USD).

Travel and study????
....just an idea.

**Bobert** · 03-31-2009, 07:19 PM

	Originally Posted by theDoc To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Poor you.

I agree. Sucks to be you.

It's not just grades. Who you know (alumni), family wealth, what extracurricular stuff have you accomplished all helps.

Try one of the Ivy wannabe schools. Georgetown, Rice, Stanford, CMU, Purdue, etc. If you didn't apply to more than you listed and you're past your deadlines, I would have to agree with your aforementioned rejections. You're a product of GenY. You expect, and have not been taught failure.

Maybe it's a good thing in disguise, so to speak.

PS. Harvard?

**ThaiGreenTea** · 03-31-2009, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Bobert
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I agree. Sucks to be you.

It's not just grades. Who you know (alumni), family wealth, what extracurricular stuff have you accomplished all helps.

Try one of the Ivy wannabe schools. Georgetown, Rice, Stanford, CMU, Purdue, etc. If you didn't apply to more than you listed and you're past your deadlines, I would have to agree with your aforementioned rejections. You're a product of GenY. You expect, and have not been taught failure.

Maybe it's a good thing in disguise, so to speak.

PS. Harvard?

I told them not to send my decision by email a long time ago. So there is a small, diced up, and thoroughly minced sliver of hope left.

I somewhat agree that it's a good thing in disguise, I mean it's a strong slap in the face saying - "guess what, whatever you've worked for something that didn't even happen, how about you get your priorities in order."

**WyohKnott** · 03-31-2009, 07:38 PM

Ouch, that is depressing... I'm sorry.

I agree with Rudy, though - state schools can be quite good. I'm going to one by choice. Mine is actually pretty highly rated, and it's large enough to have good resources, and the program I want (plus they offered me money, which always helps
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). I don't know what your state's university is like, but do some research before being too disappointed.

That said, when will you hear from Harvard?

**ThaiGreenTea** · 03-31-2009, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by WyohKnott
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Ouch, that is depressing... I'm sorry.

I agree with Rudy, though - state schools can be quite good. I'm going to one by choice. Mine is actually pretty highly rated, and it's large enough to have good resources, and the program I want (plus they offered me money, which always helps
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). I don't know what your state's university is like, but do some research before being too disappointed.

That said, when will you hear from Harvard?

A few days, likely by Friday. I got in at SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Albany for stateschools.

**Nanashi** · 03-31-2009, 07:48 PM

	Originally Posted by RudyHenkel To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Sorry to hear that. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. If it makes you feel any better, I went to a state school (Maryland,) and am about to attend a top ten grad school in Economics. So, you can get into a top program for grad school no matter where you do your undergraduate.

yay! Encouraging

Rudy · 03-31-2009, 07:59 PM

	Originally Posted by Nanashi To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	yay! Encouraging

To temper what I said a bit, I did work very hard in undergraduate.

I agree with WyohKnott. I also went to Maryland by choice; this was mainly a financial decision, however (they offered me money
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.) It depends on the state, but many of them are quite excellent.

**qwerty123** · 03-31-2009, 08:06 PM

It would be good to do a closer examination of the programs you plan/want to pursue. I would work to find a best fit over just name. Still, it is hard to argue with the power of a Harvard degree. Before getting to college, I would set a goal, or have some idea of what you plan to do in the longer term. This will likely have a bigger effect than where you do undergrad. And in the meantime I would try focusing less on others perceptions. Your grades/test scores are good, so be happy for that. If you are work hard, there is moderate probability that in the long run you will be successful.

OR

If you are dead set on going to an IVY, apply to one of the SUNY schools that has a transfer agreement with Cornell. Some of them nearly guarantee transfer if you do very well in your first year. So go for a year, do well and transfer to Cornell. The reason behind this program is that Cornell loses a certain number of freshman this year (no not suicide, that is a fallacy, the stats are lower than national average, but gorges make better news than sleeping pills in dorm rooms…) they lose the people who can’t do the work, or who hate the winter, or who transfer into a better college. So Cornell partnered with the SUNY Schools to fill up the holes in it’s budget/classrooms. It is good for Cornell, and it is thinly veiled as benefiting NY State, hence the focus on the public colleges at Cornell. Most of the transfers make it, but on average (no offense) they’re dumber than the students already at Cornell. This is fine with Cornell because transfer students do not affect college rankings. So in the end everyone is happy, except for the SUNY schools… who lose their best students. But its better to have a partnership because the transfer would happen anyways, and it shows partnership throughout the system. (I’m not making this up, I took a class on it at Cornell. The professor wrote the book on the subject.)

Cornell Public Colleges that are likely to accept transfers (as far as I know):

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Arts and science, hotel, engineering, and Art Architecture and Planning are private, and from what I understand harder, but they do accept transfers… probably more internally. (That is speculation.) So if you want IVY, maybe try this approach. Cornell is likely to have you subject of interest as good old Ezra said, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Still keep in mind that name isn’t anything, plenty of other schools have much better programs. Cornell has the reputation of being the “easiest IVY to get into, and the hardest at which to stay.” If you have other specific Cornell related questions you can PM me, as I just graduated.

I don't know if you needed financial aid, or are a NY resident, as that has a bearing on decision as well. Especially as colleges are strapped for cash. I'd guess that you're Thai, which also has an affect. I also don't know to which program you applied.

**amyleanne** · 03-31-2009, 10:12 PM

Cheer up! Your problems could be much worse...you are young, intelligent, collegebound--much better off than 90% of the population. I am curious as to why you want Ivy League so bad--is it for the supposed quality of education, the prestige, the money after graduating, or some other reason?

My roommate is 28 and started off at a community college in North Carolina. After a year he transferred into Columbia University...so you aren't fated to a state school. You may be able to make good grades at a state school and transfer to a better one. For my friend, however, (who wasn't born at the top of the status quo these elitist colleges are trying to maintain) money became an issue and now hes living off our charity (rent-free) and trying to raise 14 grand to pay off loans from last year...and he had scholarships! He literally went from Ivy-League student to living in Harlem up to his ears in debt and prevented from further pursuing his education. Columbia won't let him go back to school until he pays off his loan. We rescued him from the ghetto and he is a mess! He fell in love with a fellow student there who was from L.A...dated her for a year...then got dumped because her millionaire daddy didn't approve of his middle class background. In summary: he went Ivy League and now he is completely fucked. Not so glamorous.

I graduated from a mediocre state school in North Carolina. I had some shitty professors and some incredible ones. I loved every moment and graduated debt-free in only three years with a 4.0. My graduate school options are wide open and I'll be able to get a loan because I didn't screw up my credit during undergrad. There are many ways to get where you want to be. You'll get there! The important thing is to enjoy the process no matter what happens. You aren't preparing to live while in college--you're living the best years of your life! Don't make them overly stressful on yourself.

Strangely, I live 20 miles from SUNY Albany.

**DanteFalling** · 03-31-2009, 10:35 PM

That, my dear, sucks a$$.

I'm sorry.

Consider transferring after your first year!

**loosefanbelt** · 04-01-2009, 12:16 AM

To me, this looks like a momentary set-back, though I know the rejection letters can be awful. Rejection, criticism and nay-saying only can make your convictions stronger. Good on you!

**Bobert** · 04-01-2009, 05:29 AM

On a slighlty different personal note, my HS "guidance counselor" said I shouldn't even apply to XYZ U. because they wouldn't accept me. XYZ did accept me.

**OneHertz** · 04-01-2009, 07:21 AM

There really isn't too much difference of where you take your undergrad... Even for graduate, the way your job interview is going to go will make a much larger difference than where you got your education.

I could never relate to people that care deeply about education... As long as you get your diploma somewhere, you are good to go. It really is just a piece of paper saying that you may or may not know something about the subject. Next year I will have my bachelors in financing with a decent average (B+) and I can honestly say that I have not learned anything useful... if anything at all.

What comes after the piece of paper is much more important. Education only teaches you a portion of what you need to know; you learn the majority from experience afterward.

Good luck in whatever you are trying to accomplish!

**ThaiGreenTea** · 04-01-2009, 10:08 AM

Well the real reason I wanted to go to an Ivy for undergraduate is that I don't know what I want to major in. I felt as though an Ivy (usually a really good school) could have presented me with the best resources so I could pick my major. Even if I do transfer out of my undergraduate school, by that time I fear I'll already be forced to choose my major.

nacht · 04-01-2009, 04:13 PM

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	And, now, ultimately, I'm fated to a state school. I have to beg the question why I even tried; I could've gotten into the state schools by purely academic merit and I would've received the same scholarship offers. I didn't have to spend all those days afterschool. I realize this is only undergrad, and graduate schools are much more important -- but I'm still sorely disappointed.

1) You aren't "fated to a state school." Try getting into Tulane, Carnegie Melon, etc.

2) State schools are underrated. Some of the
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in terms of pay at mid-career are state schools--or at the very least not Ivy League (to be specific, none of them are Ivy League, including MIT).

3) Ivy League is overrated for the amount you pay unless you have specific career goals. Since you don't, why are you worried about it?

Go to some other top tier university or a strong 2nd tier university for a couple of years or even get your undergrad there, and then see if you want to try to transfer to an Ivy League if it is that important to you.

**ThaiGreenTea** · 04-01-2009, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by nacht
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1) You aren't "fated to a state school." Try getting into Tulane, Carnegie Melon, etc.

2) State schools are underrated. Some of the
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in terms of pay at mid-career are state schools--or at the very least not Ivy League (to be specific, none of them are Ivy League, including MIT).

3) Ivy League is overrated for the amount you pay unless you have specific career goals. Since you don't, why are you worried about it?

Go to some other top tier university or a strong 2nd tier university for a couple of years or even get your undergrad there, and then see if you want to try to transfer to an Ivy League if it is that important to you.

The deadlines for applying those other schools you spoke of have already past.

**crux** · 04-01-2009, 06:18 PM

Well, I don't want to be the person that cries beta in a pack of depressed wolves. However, I can't ignore this thread because it pretty much explains my situation when applying for colleges last year. "And what happened to you then?", you ask. Well, apart from the fact that I applied to different schools, literally the same situation happened to me last year - been there, done that.

Now, given that I'm living in North Carolina, the most popular state school just happens to be the US's oldest public university that happens to be a little more than half-decent. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that, look, even though you just got rejected by what seems like your only shot at making something out of yourself in terms of academic rigor and acheivement, it is not the end of the road if you have to go to a state school. As long as you do well at that university/college, you will get into whatever graduate program that you want without too much struggle or hardship.

Also, letting yourself sit there and wonder what you did wrong: like maybe saying something that you shouldn't have said on the essay, or if you didn't do enough activities, etc, etc is a terrible thing to do because you will probably feel like you are now permanently stuck in a rut. Pretty much anything that could keep your mind going on and on about how changing something could have changed this outcome that has just come upon you.

As they say, trying hard is the mark of failure, and rejection (like it is in this case) is the mark of success. :-)

nacht · 04-01-2009, 06:24 PM

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	The deadlines for applying those other schools you spoke of have already past.

Not to be blunt, but you should have considered that before you opted to not include a "backup school."

I would never advise anyone, even a friend of mine who graduated from Harvard and who's resume was impeccable compared to yours and had family graduate from there to boot, to apply to only Ivy League schools without a single "I'm sure I can get in." Every guidance counselor on the planet will tell you the same thing.

So now you know. Take a semester off if its that important to you and try for spring admission, or go somewhere else for a semester/year and build up your resume to try and transfer in.

**Undead Bonzi** · 04-01-2009, 06:29 PM

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Well the real reason I wanted to go to an Ivy for undergraduate is that I don't know what I want to major in

Not knowing what you want to do is a reason NOT to go to an Ivy Leauge school. Why pay two or three times more for undergrad classes you are not sure will apply to the major you finially settle on? The Ivy schools typically have a few strong specialties that they are the best for and the rest is little different than a state school, just more expensive.

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I felt as though an Ivy (usually a really good school) could have presented me with the best resources so I could pick my major.

Your thinking of it from the wrong angle. The only thing that will put you on the course of the major you want is time and experience. Time = money. You will have far less time at an Ivy to get on track because of the increased cost. An Ivy school is not the place to 'find yourself' so to speak.

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Even if I do transfer out of my undergraduate school, by that time I fear I'll already be forced to choose my major.

Not true. Go to a state school and take gen eds like math, english and foreign languages. Then transfer and focus just on the specialty classes free from the hassle of make busy work.

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	The deadlines for applying those other schools you spoke of have already past.

Spend a semester at a local community college taking base pre req's for less than even the cost of a state school. Get good grades and spend the rest of your time working and building your war fund for the big time. Time is never lost if you put it to good use.

**ThaiGreenTea** · 04-01-2009, 06:45 PM

nacht and Undead Bonzi, thanks for the advice.

As it stands I've been accepted into SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Albany, and Canisius College (Honors College + Scholarship for each).

The gist of what you're both trying to say is that I should get the requisite courses out of the way at whatever school I choose, and then transfer out as soon as that's over with? AKA I should find what major I want to pursue in the state school and then proceed to conquer that major at either an Ivy or more specialized school?

I should also make note that I have a bunch of AP credits and those likely mean I have knocked some of the prerequisites out of the way.

**firebee** · 04-01-2009, 06:53 PM

Personally, I'd probably go to the school I was accepted to that is most likely to kick the stupid out of me (this has nothing to do with you personally; it speaks to the fundamental nature of the proper college freshman experience) and spend the intervening year a) figuring out what I want to do for the next few years b) figuring out how I can do what I want to do for the next few years and c) having the stupid kicked out of me.

If you have any idea what you think you want to do when you grow up, it would help. If not, accomplishing that should be quite sufficient to occupy your time for the immediate future.

**phej** · 04-01-2009, 07:22 PM

	Originally Posted by ThaiGreenTea To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Well the real reason I wanted to go to an Ivy for undergraduate is that I don't know what I want to major in. I felt as though an Ivy (usually a really good school) could have presented me with the best resources so I could pick my major. Even if I do transfer out of my undergraduate school, by that time I fear I'll already be forced to choose my major.

Actually, this is probably the root reason why none of the Ivy League schools accepted you. They probably discovered that you didn't have a plan going forward in your essay. A high GPA is a neutral factoid. If you come from a non-competitive high school it doesn't mean much.

But, why would you want to go to an Ivy League school? Other than an academic pathway or a pathway including public service, no cares ten years after graduating what university you graduated from.

The one thing that people care about is very simple: "Can this candidate get shit done?"

The BS/BA/MS/MBA/MA/JD are just pieces of paper that say that you can put up with shit-work, and probably get stuff done. A PhD says you can deal with the shit-work, and depending on the PhD you probably do original research.

03-31-2009, 06:40 PM	#1
ThaiGreenTea Member [07%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 280	So I applied to every Ivy League school (except for Columbia), and today I learned my results. Brown: Rejected Cornell: Rejected Dartmouth: Rejected UPenn (Wharton): Rejected Princeton: Rejected Yale: Rejected I didn't expect to get in many places, but I expected to get in at least one. I got rejected flat-out across the board. I really don't know what to think. I spent four years toiling for college and in return I am effectively told "No." I wasn't the strongest applicant, but I thought I still had a shot. 1480/1600 SAT's, 780 Biology SAT II, 760 US History SAT II, 750 Math II SAT II. I have a 97 GPA.. rather near the top of my class... I take more AP courses than anyone I know... I have a bunch of leadership positions and invest a lot of time into my school... And, now, ultimately, I'm fated to a state school. I have to beg the question why I even tried; I could've gotten into the state schools by purely academic merit and I would've received the same scholarship offers. I didn't have to spend all those days afterschool. I realize this is only undergrad, and graduate schools are much more important -- but I'm still sorely disappointed.
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03-31-2009, 06:57 PM	#2
Rudy Administrator MBTI: INfJ Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21,722	Sorry to hear that. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. If it makes you feel any better, I went to a state school (Maryland,) and am about to attend a top ten grad school in Economics. So, you can get into a top program for grad school no matter where you do your undergraduate.
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03-31-2009, 07:06 PM	#3
Bregen Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 124	You need to re-examine your goals. Are they to get an education (laudable!) or go to a big name school (elitist?). You can do the former without the latter. People have also managed to do the latter without the former.
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03-31-2009, 07:16 PM	#4
Thinker Core Member [117%] MBTI: INTj Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4,685	You may also consider some universities overseas??? I know the ANU (Australia) is ranked higher than many of the ivy league universities you mentioned - depending on which degree you are aiming at. They take international students. I am afraid I don't know about the scholarship position, but the fees are typically less than ivy league universities (especially given the relative weakness of the AUD vs USD). Travel and study???? ....just an idea.
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03-31-2009, 07:38 PM	#7
WyohKnott Veteran Member [65%] MBTI: INFJ Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,600	Ouch, that is depressing... I'm sorry. I agree with Rudy, though - state schools can be quite good. I'm going to one by choice. Mine is actually pretty highly rated, and it's large enough to have good resources, and the program I want (plus they offered me money, which always helps To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ). I don't know what your state's university is like, but do some research before being too disappointed. That said, when will you hear from Harvard?
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03-31-2009, 08:06 PM	#11
qwerty123 Member [10%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 416	It would be good to do a closer examination of the programs you plan/want to pursue. I would work to find a best fit over just name. Still, it is hard to argue with the power of a Harvard degree. Before getting to college, I would set a goal, or have some idea of what you plan to do in the longer term. This will likely have a bigger effect than where you do undergrad. And in the meantime I would try focusing less on others perceptions. Your grades/test scores are good, so be happy for that. If you are work hard, there is moderate probability that in the long run you will be successful. OR If you are dead set on going to an IVY, apply to one of the SUNY schools that has a transfer agreement with Cornell. Some of them nearly guarantee transfer if you do very well in your first year. So go for a year, do well and transfer to Cornell. The reason behind this program is that Cornell loses a certain number of freshman this year (no not suicide, that is a fallacy, the stats are lower than national average, but gorges make better news than sleeping pills in dorm rooms…) they lose the people who can’t do the work, or who hate the winter, or who transfer into a better college. So Cornell partnered with the SUNY Schools to fill up the holes in it’s budget/classrooms. It is good for Cornell, and it is thinly veiled as benefiting NY State, hence the focus on the public colleges at Cornell. Most of the transfers make it, but on average (no offense) they’re dumber than the students already at Cornell. This is fine with Cornell because transfer students do not affect college rankings. So in the end everyone is happy, except for the SUNY schools… who lose their best students. But its better to have a partnership because the transfer would happen anyways, and it shows partnership throughout the system. (I’m not making this up, I took a class on it at Cornell. The professor wrote the book on the subject.) Cornell Public Colleges that are likely to accept transfers (as far as I know): To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Arts and science, hotel, engineering, and Art Architecture and Planning are private, and from what I understand harder, but they do accept transfers… probably more internally. (That is speculation.) So if you want IVY, maybe try this approach. Cornell is likely to have you subject of interest as good old Ezra said, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Still keep in mind that name isn’t anything, plenty of other schools have much better programs. Cornell has the reputation of being the “easiest IVY to get into, and the hardest at which to stay.” If you have other specific Cornell related questions you can PM me, as I just graduated. I don't know if you needed financial aid, or are a NY resident, as that has a bearing on decision as well. Especially as colleges are strapped for cash. I'd guess that you're Thai, which also has an affect. I also don't know to which program you applied.
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03-31-2009, 10:12 PM	#12
amyleanne Member [02%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 110	Cheer up! Your problems could be much worse...you are young, intelligent, collegebound--much better off than 90% of the population. I am curious as to why you want Ivy League so bad--is it for the supposed quality of education, the prestige, the money after graduating, or some other reason? My roommate is 28 and started off at a community college in North Carolina. After a year he transferred into Columbia University...so you aren't fated to a state school. You may be able to make good grades at a state school and transfer to a better one. For my friend, however, (who wasn't born at the top of the status quo these elitist colleges are trying to maintain) money became an issue and now hes living off our charity (rent-free) and trying to raise 14 grand to pay off loans from last year...and he had scholarships! He literally went from Ivy-League student to living in Harlem up to his ears in debt and prevented from further pursuing his education. Columbia won't let him go back to school until he pays off his loan. We rescued him from the ghetto and he is a mess! He fell in love with a fellow student there who was from L.A...dated her for a year...then got dumped because her millionaire daddy didn't approve of his middle class background. In summary: he went Ivy League and now he is completely fucked. Not so glamorous. I graduated from a mediocre state school in North Carolina. I had some shitty professors and some incredible ones. I loved every moment and graduated debt-free in only three years with a 4.0. My graduate school options are wide open and I'll be able to get a loan because I didn't screw up my credit during undergrad. There are many ways to get where you want to be. You'll get there! The important thing is to enjoy the process no matter what happens. You aren't preparing to live while in college--you're living the best years of your life! Don't make them overly stressful on yourself. Strangely, I live 20 miles from SUNY Albany.
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03-31-2009, 10:35 PM	#13
DanteFalling Member [28%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,132	That, my dear, sucks a$$. I'm sorry. Consider transferring after your first year!
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04-01-2009, 12:16 AM	#14
loosefanbelt Core Member [174%] MBTI: INFX Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 6,989	To me, this looks like a momentary set-back, though I know the rejection letters can be awful. Rejection, criticism and nay-saying only can make your convictions stronger. Good on you!
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04-01-2009, 05:29 AM	#15
Bobert Member [41%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,671	On a slighlty different personal note, my HS "guidance counselor" said I shouldn't even apply to XYZ U. because they wouldn't accept me. XYZ did accept me.
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04-01-2009, 07:21 AM	#16
OneHertz Member [24%] MBTI: ISTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 995	There really isn't too much difference of where you take your undergrad... Even for graduate, the way your job interview is going to go will make a much larger difference than where you got your education. I could never relate to people that care deeply about education... As long as you get your diploma somewhere, you are good to go. It really is just a piece of paper saying that you may or may not know something about the subject. Next year I will have my bachelors in financing with a decent average (B+) and I can honestly say that I have not learned anything useful... if anything at all. What comes after the piece of paper is much more important. Education only teaches you a portion of what you need to know; you learn the majority from experience afterward. Good luck in whatever you are trying to accomplish!
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04-01-2009, 10:08 AM	#17
ThaiGreenTea Member [07%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 280	Well the real reason I wanted to go to an Ivy for undergraduate is that I don't know what I want to major in. I felt as though an Ivy (usually a really good school) could have presented me with the best resources so I could pick my major. Even if I do transfer out of my undergraduate school, by that time I fear I'll already be forced to choose my major.
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04-01-2009, 06:18 PM	#20
crux Member [06%] MBTI: ENTP Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 277	Well, I don't want to be the person that cries beta in a pack of depressed wolves. However, I can't ignore this thread because it pretty much explains my situation when applying for colleges last year. "And what happened to you then?", you ask. Well, apart from the fact that I applied to different schools, literally the same situation happened to me last year - been there, done that. Now, given that I'm living in North Carolina, the most popular state school just happens to be the US's oldest public university that happens to be a little more than half-decent. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that, look, even though you just got rejected by what seems like your only shot at making something out of yourself in terms of academic rigor and acheivement, it is not the end of the road if you have to go to a state school. As long as you do well at that university/college, you will get into whatever graduate program that you want without too much struggle or hardship. Also, letting yourself sit there and wonder what you did wrong: like maybe saying something that you shouldn't have said on the essay, or if you didn't do enough activities, etc, etc is a terrible thing to do because you will probably feel like you are now permanently stuck in a rut. Pretty much anything that could keep your mind going on and on about how changing something could have changed this outcome that has just come upon you. As they say, trying hard is the mark of failure, and rejection (like it is in this case) is the mark of success. :-)
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04-01-2009, 06:45 PM	#23
ThaiGreenTea Member [07%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 280	nacht and Undead Bonzi, thanks for the advice. As it stands I've been accepted into SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Albany, and Canisius College (Honors College + Scholarship for each). The gist of what you're both trying to say is that I should get the requisite courses out of the way at whatever school I choose, and then transfer out as soon as that's over with? AKA I should find what major I want to pursue in the state school and then proceed to conquer that major at either an Ivy or more specialized school? I should also make note that I have a bunch of AP credits and those likely mean I have knocked some of the prerequisites out of the way.
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04-01-2009, 06:53 PM	#24
firebee Core Member [117%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4,707	Personally, I'd probably go to the school I was accepted to that is most likely to kick the stupid out of me (this has nothing to do with you personally; it speaks to the fundamental nature of the proper college freshman experience) and spend the intervening year a) figuring out what I want to do for the next few years b) figuring out how I can do what I want to do for the next few years and c) having the stupid kicked out of me. If you have any idea what you think you want to do when you grow up, it would help. If not, accomplishing that should be quite sufficient to occupy your time for the immediate future.
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