If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up

[Anonymous]

Penn was the top choice but is at Berkeley and really loves it.

[Anonymous]

Rejected Cornell. Went to UMD. Hates it and is miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rejected Princeton, attended uc Berkeley.

Hated it, withdrew after freshman year and took a gap year this year with some CC classes, trying to start fresh next fall.

Oh wow. What major

Would you mind elaborating on why your child hated Cal? Was it because of the curriculum or the people or the place? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rejected Cornell. Went to UMD. Hates it and is miserable.

I'm sorry! Hoping it gets better, or kid transfers to a different school.

[Anonymous]

Reject UPenn, goes to NYU Stern...business major. Likes it a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My observation is that kids usually got rejected by schools they think they love but not the best fit, and accepted by the best fit or at least a good fit but not their first choice originally.

Schools see through it they know how to pick.

I think it is great to have a positive attitude - and there is something to love at every school - but this just isn't the case. If you apply to highly rejected schools, regardless of your stats, you will in all likelihood be rejected. The process is much less personal than applicants feel. Students might be rejected because a school has already taken enough chem majors or because they need a trombone player and took the applicant before you or because of some institutional priority we have no clue about. If a kid gets into one ivy over another it's likely the applicant had a strong application all around - all ivies are wildcard.

To answer OP's question, my kid did not get first choice ivy (dual legacy), did get into a different ivy, but chose UVA. He is very happy, loves classes and his EC, and will graduate without any debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reject UPenn, goes to NYU Stern...business major. Likes it a lot.

I would bet that half of the kids at Stern were rejected by Wharton. Not to say Stern is bad (i went there for MBA), it's just not the shining star that is Wharton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My observation is that kids usually got rejected by schools they think they love but not the best fit, and accepted by the best fit or at least a good fit but not their first choice originally.

Schools see through it they know how to pick.

I think it is great to have a positive attitude - and there is something to love at every school - but this just isn't the case. If you apply to highly rejected schools, regardless of your stats, you will in all likelihood be rejected. The process is much less personal than applicants feel. Students might be rejected because a school has already taken enough chem majors or because they need a trombone player and took the applicant before you or because of some institutional priority we have no clue about. If a kid gets into one ivy over another it's likely the applicant had a strong application all around - all ivies are wildcard.

To answer OP's question, my kid did not get first choice ivy (dual legacy), did get into a different ivy, but chose UVA. He is very happy, loves classes and his EC, and will graduate without any debt.

This is my kid too! Did not get into ED/SCEA Ivy, got into a different Ivy RD. Chose UVA and is very happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rejected Cornell. Went to UMD. Hates it and is miserable.

Sorry. Did he have other options?

[Anonymous]

WL Stanford, chose Pomona over Columbia…

[Anonymous]

Rejected Michigan. Attending Wisconsin. Loves it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reject UPenn, goes to NYU Stern...business major. Likes it a lot.

I would bet that half of the kids at Stern were rejected by Wharton. Not to say Stern is bad (i went there for MBA), it's just not the shining star that is Wharton.

Not many compare to Wharton, except HYPMS. Stern is tough admit, as you know, and caliber of students there are great (many just didn't land the lottery vs being inferior).

[Anonymous]

Rejected from Cornell Arts and Sciences. Attended Michigan Engineering CS and loving it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WL Stanford, chose Pomona over Columbia…

NP: can you share your impression of how Stanford, Pomona and Columbia compare to each other? Our DC likes these schools too. Science major if it matters (not engineering or comp sci)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rejected Princeton, attended uc Berkeley.

Hated it, withdrew after freshman year and took a gap year this year with some CC classes, trying to start fresh next fall.

Oh wow. What major

Engineering. It is such an overenrolled weeder major.

The weeder part is correct but engineering is not really overenrolled at Berkeley. The undergraduate program is less than 1/3 the size of truly large engineering programs like Purdue.

Berkeley is very tough for STEM majors, like practically half of the College of Chemistry transfers out - to another school in Berkeley or elsewhere.