Josieworld

Well, that just about settles it. Looks like I’ma part of BU ’11

Woot.

Dear Young-Sheng,

We are providing you with our decision on your application for admission to Cornell University. We regret to have to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to Cornell.

This electronic message is not your official notification. You should be receiving an official letter from us in the mail shortly.

We understand that this is not the news you were hoping to hear from Cornell. Given our very large and competitive applicant pool, it is not possible to offer admission to all candidates who would benefit from a Cornell education. If you would like information about transferring to the university after freshman year, please visit: http://admissions.cornell.edu/apply/transfer/.

We wish you the best.

Sincerely,

Jason Locke
Director
Undergraduate Admissions Office
Cornell University

Woot. That just about caps off today’s action.

Dear Young-Sheng,

The Committee on Admissions has carefully reviewed your application to Columbia University and we are sorry to inform you we cannot offer you a place in Columbia’s Class of 2011. This year over 21,000 candidates applied for places in the first-year class, making this the most difficult selection process in our history. The many strengths of the entire applicant pool – as demonstrated by scholastic successes achieved, by community service performed, by activities pursued, by essays written and by books read – made the selection process more competitive than simple numbers could possibly indicate. Indeed, while we are gratified by the number of candidates seeking the excitement and challenge of the Columbia experience, the size of the pool sadly compels us to disappoint a great many talented and appealing young people.

We want you to know that our decision in no way reflects a lack of confidence in your ability to achieve success in your college plans and on through life. Our experience is that the vast majority of students who do not gain admission here go on to distinguish themselves at fine colleges and universities throughout the world, and we are confident that you will do so as well. We must make clear, however, that since our decisions are made after many hours of intense deliberation, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions cannot consider any review of this decision.

We appreciate your interest in Columbia and wish you the best in your pursuit of higher education.

Sincerely,

Signature
Jessica Marinaccio
Executive Director
Undergraduate Admissions

Hm. This was actually a bit shocking.

Dear Young-sheng,

I am sorry to notify you that after reviewing your application thoroughly, our selection committee is unable to offer you admission to the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 2011. All aspects of your application, the academic and the non-academic, were considered carefully and compared to those of the rest of the applicant pool.

Perhaps the most difficult and displeasing part of my job is writing similar letters to thousands of students like you, whose accomplishments are promising and exciting. I assure you that the selection committee gave your application every consideration, but, because of an unprecedented number of outstanding applicants we have to deny admission to a large majority of the remarkable students who seek admission to Penn. Most of our applicants are qualified to pursue successfully a program of study at Penn; however, only a relatively small percentage can be admitted.

We are pleased to have received your application to our University. I am sincerely sorry to disappoint you, yet trust that you will have other opportunities to attend another very good college. I wish you the best in the future.

Sincerely,

Willis J. Stetson, Jr.
Dean of Admissions

Drats. Now my Dell just lost some value. Poobutt.

Dear Mr. Wang:

Congratulations, and welcome to Boston University. You have been admitted to the College of Engineering from a highly talented and remarkably competitive group of applicants. The Board of Admissions believes you will be an excellent addition to the Boston University community and will take full advantage of the wide variety of academic, cultural, and extracurricular opportunities that await you here. Our offer is made with the understanding that your current academic work will be successfully completed.

I hope that you and your family will join us at one of the University’s Open House programs in April. This is a wonderful opportunity to acclimate yourself to our academic community.

Written notification of your admission and all supporting documents will arrive by mail soon. If you have any questions about Boston University, the College of Engineering, or any other matters concerning your admission, you may call us at 617-353-2300 or e-mail us at admissions@bu.edu.

Once again, congratulations on your admission to Boston University. We look forward to seeing you on campus.

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Walter
Executive Director of Admissions

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Woot, also got a cool half-tuition scholarship for 8 admissions. Booyah.

Dear Josiah,

The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application, and I am so sorry to tell you that we are unable to offer you admission to MIT.

Please understand that this is in no way a judgment of you as a student or as a person, since our decision has more to do with the applicant pool than anything else. Most of our applicants, who like you are among the best in the world, are not admitted because we simply do not have enough space in our entering class. This year we had over 12,000 applications for less than 1500 offers of admission, from which will come our 1000 freshmen. Since all of our decisions are made at one time and all available spaces have been committed, all decisions are final.

Despite what you might think, the admissions process is not an exact science. Our applicant pool is more self-selected than most, with a very high percentage of top students, virtually all of whom have distinction in demanding academic programs as well as outstanding achievement in their lives outside of the classroom. We evaluate each applicant’s materials carefully and select those we judge to be the best match for our community.

I am very sorry to bring you such disappointing news when you have worked so hard. You are a terrific student, and I do wish you the very best as you continue with your education.

Sincerely,

Marilee Jones
Dean of Admissions

—

Eh, expected.

Dear Young-Sheng,

Your official notification packet will be arriving via postal mail and provide more information and instructions for enrolling at Rutgers, but we could not wait to say…

Congratulations and welcome to Rutgers!

You have been admitted to at least one college of the university. Visit Your Rutgers Status for details.

In the meantime, to learn more about us:

    * Meet our student ambassadors
    * Read our student blogs
    * Hear our students explain why Rutgers is more than they expected and everything they wanted.
    * Create your own Rutgers Info Packet
    * Visit our campuses

Wishing you a great Rutgers experience,

Deborah H. Epting
Associate Vice President
Enrollment Management

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*phew* at least now I know I’m going to college…