Appblr 2017

......Kate, CA .....book worm! ...main: kekeeb

[body5000-deactivated20180929]

im 12 years old sitting on my bed reading it’s midnight it’s summer my window is open the crickets are very loud but very soothing my room smells dusty and warm and no one else exists. im 12 years old. the feeling never goes away.

[fyeahcooldormrooms]

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Hale Aloha Mokihana

[braintellect]

hey are u considering tulane? im just asking bc i was accepted EA and u seem like someone i would wanna be friends w!

aw that’s sweet! honestly, not really. It’s a great school and they gave me an awesome scholarship, but I went to Top Scholars Weekend and realized that I can’t see myself in New Orleans. Congrats though!

[braintellect]

how exactly did USC tell you that they knew they weren't your first choice? and do you have any tips on how someone should tell their top choice that they are our top choice thanks!

So it was a convoluted process of my mom’s friend, an admissions officer, telling her telling me. When I interviewed in October, my interviewer asked me what other schools I was applying to, and I answered honestly. Because of the nature of the other schools (super elite, mostly out of state), it was obvious that USC was somewhere I’d be “settling” (I’m SO not “above it” or anything, it was just clear that’s not what I wanted for college).

The lesson to learn here is to reiterate that the school you’re interviewing for is your top choice, you love everything about it, etc, even if it is more of a safety/match. USC is a VERY yield focused school, and they don’t want to accept people who they know will turn them down (which is the message my admission officer friend relayed to me). This is true with most schools, so don’t rest on your laurels. And you don’t have to tell them the other schools you applied to apparently :p

[braintellect]

70 days until graduation

35 actual days of school left I CAN DO THIS, IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE

[braintellect]

1//100 I decided to do 100 days of productivity because I like taking pictures and having random people on the internet keep me accountable for actually getting stuff done. As I approach AP tests and graduation, I need all the motivation I can get. :) I'm at Starbucks doing computer science right now after dropping my sister off at ice skating before I start work at 7:30. Have a great day!!

[pkaykim]

im real tired of being so average but i have no idea how to stop

[braintellect]

Am I a jerk if I apply for/accept scholarships even though I'm lucky enough to have parents that can /will pay for my college tuition?

No, as long as they’re merit based and you tell the truth. There’s nothing shameful about being rewarded for your hard work, the real scumbags take scholarships for financially needy students (like Questbridge) under false(ish) pretenses, making it harder for them to attend college. Idk man have a moral compass. But just because you apply for a scholarship doesn’t even mean you’ll get it.

I’d try but it’s up to you! (Also you’re so blessed to have parents that can pay, don’t forget that :))

[braintellect]

seeing all of these ivy day messages has me wondering (im a junior) which has a better polysci program Columbia (my dream school- literally half a mile from where I live) or Georgetown

I honestly didn’t do that much research on Columbia, mainly because I knew I didn’t want to go to school in New York, but I know the program at Georgetown is KILLER, mainly because DC is inherently a hub of political affairs.

You can find a lot of info on how dedicated a school is to their program by finding the number of professors that teach in a certain subject field. i.e. if Georgetown has 50 polisci professors but Columbia has 200, it’s safe to say that Columbia pours more resources into their program.

You can also make some calls, comb through their websites, and look for internships and major related opportunities.

Good luck on your search!

[braintellect]

And with that...

Rejected from Stanford and officially DONE WITH THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS.

Thank you all for your support! I’m choosing between George Washington and UC Berkeley and will be posting soon a few reflective pieces on the whole process :)

Also, let me know if you’re interested in seeing my essays, because I’m honestly so proud of all of them and am willing to share if anybody’s interested.

Thank you appblr, it’s been swell!

[braintellect]

Hi Kate! I just read your post about Ivy admissions, and I have so much respect for you. I'll be applying for college (Class of '23) and I hope I'll find the same grace and strength you have when my decisions come in. Congratulations of Berkeley and GWU! I hope those universities will help your dreams come true. In any case, there's no stopping you.

This is so incredibly sweet! I’m so blessed to have such great people in every aspect of my life cheering me on, including Tumblr. Even though I share only a tiny bit of what’s going on on here, I so appreciate every word!

Feel free to reach out to me as you approach this crazy part of your future, because if I made it through alive with my dignity and self-esteem intact, so can you.

And I’m genuinely so excited. I have great options that I love. And I have people I love. And high school is nearly over. :) 

Dreams come true in ways you don’t expect. Keep working and keep dreaming.

[braintellect]

I got into UCLA and Dartmouth and idk what to do! where would you go out of the two?

First of all, congrats!! Those are great schools! I applied to both as well :)

Try to visit both. They are SO different, so it all depends on what you want! UCLA is HUGE, sports focused, and in sunny southern California (which I love, but want to get away from lol). It can be hard to get the classes you want at a UC, but because it’s public tuition is way lower.

Dartmouth is TINY, and in the middle-of-nowhere rural New Hampshire. I haven’t been, but it seems adorable and Hanover is such a quaint college town. It’s definitely got Ivy League name recognition and a super strong alumni network, if that’s important in your career, though it might be way more expensive if you didn’t get financial aid.

It’s totally up to you, so take anything other people tell you with a grain of salt. I haven’t even decided on a school, but the second I narrowed it down to two, everybody started to give me their (unsolicited) advice (ie “Berkeley is liberal hell, don’t go there!! They’ll ruin you!” or “Go to the more elite school!” etc) and its been LITERALLY A DAY. So don’t let it be anybody’s decision but yours.

And finally, don’t put too much weight on the decision! My mom always told me, “If it’s not immoral or illegal, you can change it.” This applies to deciding on a college -- your whole life won’t end if you decide to transfer out. And let me know when you decide! This is so exciting!! 

Good luck :)

[braintellect]

hey! i saw the colleges you got accepted into and congratulations! those are really great schools! what major did you apply as?

Thank you! I applied as International Relations, and variations of it. (Some schools call it Global Studies, International Government, or just Political Science.) I want to go into foreign policy and work in federal government :)

[braintellect]

Rejection pt. 3... AND ACCEPTANCE

Today I got rejected from every Ivy League school I applied to... and it’s okay! I told myself so frequently throughout the process that the odds were just against me and it’s nothing I had done or could do. I’m still a straight, middle class, white female who wants to go into humanities. And that’s okay! So that’s rejection from: Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, and UPenn (in addition to my previous rejections at Georgetown, UChicago, and USC, and waitlist at Northwestern).

More excitingly... Accepted to George Washington University in the Honors Program and with a presidential scholarship of $25000/year! AND accepted to UC Berkeley! Which is spectacular and actually totally affordable with in-state tuition. Plus, the Bay Area is far enough away from SoCal for me to feel like I’m out of state :)

Now I’m just waiting on Stanford tomorrow (expecting rejection, but fingers crossed!), then I’ll be done with the whole process and onto deciding!

I’m also writing a post of what I wish I knew before this whole process, so that’ll be coming soon. Ah I’m so happy that I have options I love!! Thank you all for your love and support through the whole thing. ❤️

[braintellect]

Rejection pt. 2

Officially rejected from Georgetown, but I definitely expected it after getting deferred EA. Really hoping for one more acceptance just so I have another option, but I'll be okay regardless :)

[hoeflowers]

How to get over college rejection

Listen to Beyoncé explain that you’re never to big too lose.

Play Kanye’s The College Dropout because fuck the system.

Read this actually sincere explanation about college admissions and rejection.

If you find yourself re-reading the email, delete it.

Treat yourself (doesn’t have to be by buying something).

Go offline for a bit. Avoid those losers who got in.

If the “what could I have done better?” question is still on your mind, ask if you can read the recommendation letters your teachers sent. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Sift through Nicki Minaj quotes.

Move on. You’re bigger than one university’s opinion of you.

[inritum]