Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:59     Subject: Re:If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected UCLA, attended UCSD. Really liked it.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:53     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Anonymous wrote:Rejected Wake Forest
Attending UVA


Instate for UVA?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:51     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Rejected Cornell, attending Oberlin

DD's friends from HS
Rejected Cornell, attending Pitt
Rejected Columbia, attending CMU
Rejected MIT, attending Northeastern
Rejected Georgetown, attending Case Western
Rejected Barnard, attending Bryn Mawr
Rejected Penn, attending Wesleyan
Rejected Brown, attending Amherst
Rejected Davidson, attending Case Western
Rejected Stanford, attending WashU
Rejected Oxford, attending St John's College

Friends at college
Rejected Amherst, attending Oberlin
Rejected Brown, attending Oberlin
Rejected Harvard, attending Oberlin
Rejected Wellesley, attending Oberlin
Rejected Northwestern, attending Oberlin
Rejected NYU, attending Oberlin
Rejected Dartmouth, attending Oberlin
Rejected Cornell, attending Oberlin
Rejected Williams, attending Oberlin


This is interesting. Most are pretty big steps down.

I was going to say the opposite: they all ended up doing just fine.

Both are true: the kids took big steps down and also ended up doing just fine. This process makes people hyper focused on tiny gradations in status. It’s not an accident: the richest schools use their enormous marketing budgets to push those distinctions, because otherwise everyone would go for the more affordable “just fine” options.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:40     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Anonymous wrote:Rejected UVA, attending Michigan.


+1

same!
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:38     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected UVA, attending Michigan.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:37     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Rejected Cornell, attending Oberlin

DD's friends from HS
Rejected Cornell, attending Pitt
Rejected Columbia, attending CMU
Rejected MIT, attending Northeastern
Rejected Georgetown, attending Case Western
Rejected Barnard, attending Bryn Mawr
Rejected Penn, attending Wesleyan
Rejected Brown, attending Amherst
Rejected Davidson, attending Case Western
Rejected Stanford, attending WashU
Rejected Oxford, attending St John's College

Friends at college
Rejected Amherst, attending Oberlin
Rejected Brown, attending Oberlin
Rejected Harvard, attending Oberlin
Rejected Wellesley, attending Oberlin
Rejected Northwestern, attending Oberlin
Rejected NYU, attending Oberlin
Rejected Dartmouth, attending Oberlin
Rejected Cornell, attending Oberlin
Rejected Williams, attending Oberlin


This is interesting. Most are pretty big steps down.


NP. Everyone takes a shot somewhere. Half of my DC’s friends are applying to Ivy League schools and they have no chance whatsoever.


Are people supposed to state their pipe dream school or viable dream school here?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 07:31     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Also UMD. Also found it a great fit.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 07:30     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected UVA. Attending UMD. Loves it. Go Terps!
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 07:18     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected UF ( Florida) attending UVA
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 05:32     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected Georgetown, UNC, WF, Yale
Attending UVA
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 05:30     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected Wake Forest
Attending UVA
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 05:26     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Why is this whole board shooting for ivys?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 03:35     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected Princeton, attending Berkeley. Turns out to be much better environment for him (film studies) though initially crushing (multiple generation legacy at Princeton)
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 01:45     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Anonymous wrote:Rejected from first choice, ended up at Harvard (which was never a real possibility in our minds!) The fit has been great, social life excellent, academics great but academic advising and career advising leave a bit to be desired but no real regrets except for $ sometimes. We are full pay but cash flowing 1/2 of it.

What was the 1st choice?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 01:10     Subject: If your child was rejected from their top choice, where did they end up
Rejected from UChicago. Ended up at UPenn.