i'm freaking out with college admissions!!!?

Question

i'm applying to a lot of the selective colleges, like harvard, mit, upenn, and uc-berkeley. i just took my sats, and i got 1970 on sat I, and 800, 720, 710 on the sat IIs. i have excellent extracurricular stuff, but my gpa is only about 3.7, and because i attend a small school, i took only one ap class. the more i look at the "successful cases" the more i feel that i can't get into any of these colleges. i'm so worried, it's what i think about all day long. my parents and everyone is putting a lot of pressure on me, and i'm putting even more pressure on myself. i just want to get into those colleges, to prove that i'm good, at least i'm not as bad as some people think of me. i'm so frustrated right now, i just don't think that i'll have a chance at getting in.

i'm scared to death. i don't want to be a failure...like my sat scores, but it's too late to take it again.....i'm just so upset

Answer 1

Even if you don't get into college the first time you try it doesn't make you a failure. Since you have already applied there is no point freaking out now; it is in the hands of the admission officers and there isn't much you can do. So relax, take a deep breath and calm down ... seriously, breathe!

There are plenty you can do AFTER you hear the colleges' decisions. You can laugh about how ridiculous it was for you to freak out because you got accepted at all the schools you wanted to attend. But if you don't get into the schools you want you can: 1) appeal the decision; 2) take a gap year to do something worthwhile (that will enrich your application essay) and reapply next year; 3) attend a community college and apply in two years as a transfer; or 4) attend one of your backup schools.

Until then, keep breathing ... stress isn't going to do you any good now. You can contact me if you need help with the appeal process or gap year options.

Answer 2

Ya know, you might not believe this now, but test scores and grades, and all that crap at the end of the day don't mean so much. The Harvard and MIT's of this world are just big, inflated names. The school that a person goes to has nothing to do with the quality of that person, and in reality you're not going to learn anything from a Harvard that can't be learned from any other school. I think you need to really think about the reasons WHY you want to get into these schools, because it sounds like it has more to do with fulfilling other people's desires(parents, peers) than your own. At the end of the day, for your first job a person may pick a Harvard graduate over something else, but after that the diploma has a less influence and it becomes the person's influence that matters. I hope that will make you feel more relaxed....

Answer 3

OK, wait!

First, you're on here typing questions to people who mostly went to schools like Ohio State and Baylor, which are great schools, but clearly are at least a tier below Harvard. And you want us to feel sorry for you because you're not absolutely sure you can get in to Harvard. Wow. That's almost a little arrogant. Gee, maybe you belong in an Ivy League school after all.

Let us inform you that those of us who attended other schools are NOT worthless, nor are we worth less than those who DO get in to the MIT's of the world. In fact, I've seen a lot more creativity and real world ability from students from more mainstream schools than from all the Harvard grads I've met.

What it really sounds like is you're letting some of your arrogant friends tear your self esteem apart. The school you get into doesn't prove your worth, or even that you're good enough. It just says that some admissions counselor thinks you might fit in to their system. Really, whether you get into the "right" school or not is of relatively small importance in the greater view of the world. Even if you are fixated on getting a Harvard degree, most people don't do Harvard for undergrad. They go to places like Emory and apply to Harvard for grad school. But even if you don't, it isn't the end of the world. Sure, you probably won't become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and it will reduce your chance of getting elected President of the U.S., and you might not even get to be President of Coca-Cola. But other than that, you're still able to have a pretty outstanding life. That is, unless you're planning on going through life with the "woe is me" approach, and always use the excuse that you can't succeed because you didn't get in to Harvard.

Get a life, and apply to some decent "safety schools", and STOP PANICKING!!!!

Answer 4

Hmm, you're SAT II's are good enough. GPA's not as important as class rank. Are you in the top 5%? Your SAT I's could be higher, on the old scale you got a 1340ish on average. As far as extracurriculars go, if your extracurriculars take you outside of your particular school, then they are good. For example, state competitions and other activities that pit you against those from other schools.

Answer 5

Don't be upset!! I'll give you two reasons to cheer up:

1) Things aren't always as bad as it seems. They give you their stats and yo think "OMG all of those bastards are smart!" But wait; did they say that 100% graduated at the top of their class? Or 50%? You don't have to be that top-of-the-class student to get in!! This comes from personal experience. I had grades that were SLIGHTLY above average, but I think that my school was more concerned with what I wrote in my essay, and my musical audition.

2) Let's say you don't get in. Just apply again! It's easier to get in as a transfer. Imagine yourself making straight As at the college that wasn't really your first choice. Well, when other colleges see that, they will want to admit you!!

Before you know it, you'll be frustrated because all of them accepted you and you can't choose which one to go to!

Answer 6

Unfortunatly, those schools that you listed are very competitive and there are lots of other outstanding students in high schools across the country. Apply to some safety schools...just because you're going to a state school doesnt mean that you're a loser! You may have more fun at a larger school with more social activities. College isn't just about academics, it's about growing up and finding yourself. RELAX!

Answer 7

I hate to tell you this, but you probably shouldn't have put all of your eggs into the "selective school" basket. When I was in high school I had a lot of friends who went to ivy league schools but all of them had GPAs way over 4.0 (because of AP classes).
Apply to some lower ranking schools ASAP just to take some pressure off.

Answer 8

i can totally empathize with you! i just went through the whole college admissions thing. your 1520 w/o writing is REALLY good, so i don't think you need to worry so much. you've applied to a lot of schools, and about 80% (maybe more?) of college-bound students get into their first choice school.

just take a day off from worrying; go to the movies, hang out with friends, go shopping or something like that. you'll be just fine, don't worry!

also, you don't need to prove anything; you're just fine and doing great the way that you already are. : )