Nathaniel Said:

Confused, hurt, anxious. Waitlisted from WASHU, honestly expected to be accepted. Please explain! Stats below.?

We Answered:

Obviously you did everything in your power to be prepared for college, so be proud of yourself. I'm sorry you didn't get in to Wash U, but remember that admissions is an art, not a science - the good schools have to reject thousands of super talented, hardworking, qualified kids, just because there is not enough room. I have no idea why the admissions team accepts certain people and rejects others - it doesn't seem to make much sense. Sometimes I think it's totally arbitrary... because really, when you have 100 equally qualified applicants, how in the world do you choose which 8 get in?

It doesn't mean that you couldn't have done well at Wash U - and it doesn't mean you won't do well somewhere else. You certainly didn't "fail", though that may be how it feels. It really is just the luck of the draw, and completely beyond your control, so please don't beat yourself up about this. I was rejected from a much less prestigious university than I was accepted to... go figure. I was like "you're kidding, right?!" But, I went to the better school and did very well, so all's well that ends well. Your story will end well too.

Little setbacks are part of life, and all things considered, this is a pretty safe way to learn about how to manage disappointment. You can and will get into great schools, and have a very successful college experience.

Melvin Said:

Now that April 1 is impending...I need reassurance. Please chance me!?

We Answered:

The fact that you're this qualified and were waitlisted at Wash U is proof positive that it's *not* about odds or chances. You've done everything possible to make a solid application, and there is absolutely nothing whatsoever you can do to affect the outcome now, so stressing this is a luxury you don't have. In college and life, you can't afford to put any of your precious energy into worrying about things that you can't affect. If you take this opportunity to learn that lesson right now, you will be way ahead of the game.

This is an intensely stressful time - my kid applied to 18 schools, many of the same ones as you, so believe me, I totally get where you're coming from - but to quote the poet Max Ehrmann, "do not distress yourself with dark imaginings - many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness". No doubt your anxiety is also partly residual, from the whole application process. When you're that stressed out for that long, it takes a while for your body to recuperate.

You've worked so hard for four years to make this happen, and these last few weeks are just an emotional minefield. That's okay. Just remember your work is done - your repsonsibility was carried out all throughout high school... now it's the admissions officers' turn to get it together. It will all work out just fine.

I bet you get into 6 or more of these schools - which ones, that's anyone's bet - but I promise you will be very happy with the way things turn out.