The day you got accepted to the college of your dreams...
 

What was it like???

I had applied early action to the school I had always dreamed of attending. I'd given strict instructions to my parents not to open any college letters - I wanted to get the good, or bad, news myself.

"The Letter" arrived on my mother's day off, some time in January. She came to school to pick me up after track practice, and just handed me the envelope without a word. It was thin. I was devastated. I tore it open, expecting to see "Your application has been deferred..."

Instead it said "Congratulations on your acceptance into the Class of 1997!" :D

I ran back in, where some of my teammates were still getting dressed, and screamed the good news! My mom followed me in... another student (someone I didn't know) came up to her and said "Excuse me, ma'am, congratulations on your daughter's college acceptance, but you left your car door open." LOL

It turned out that my school informed early applicants in January, but sent out the "thick envelope" in April along with the people who didn't apply early. So I panicked without reason.

So... let's hear your story... :D

Mine wasnt as exciting as I wanted it to be, but it was still nice.......

My parents had just picked me up from school like around 10pm because we had dance competition all day long. When we were going home my mom says "Oh, you got a letter from Baylor telling you you were accepted!!"

So, my parents opened my letter while i wasnt home. Even though they did that i was soo happy that i started screaming!! They were happy for me but not as much as me obviously, especially since they didnt want me going away to college.

As soon as i got home i read everything and called my best friend!!

:cool:

I got 3 other acceptances before I got the one I was waiting for (my parents had other ideas) so I hardly even realized it. But when I opened it and say that I was accepted to Washington State University, I was just to happy, I kept hugging my parents so many times. Then they broke out the champagne.. It was great!

I got the letter from my #1 choice first! I got home from school and found a large envelope from the school in the mailbox.....I tore it open, read the letter and jumped for joy! I ran to my mom's work (she's a crossing guard at the elementary school) As I'm running down the street, my mom saw me coming and yelled "What's wrong? Who's hurt?" Apparently cause I was running like a maniac! LOL! I said "Nothing's wrong....except I'm going to university!!!! I got accepted at X!" She started crying...then proceeded to tell everyone that her baby girl was going to university!:D:D

Unfortunately we ended up not being able to afford for me to go there (I would have had to live on campus...it was 3 hours from my house) So I picked from my other 4 acceptances and went with my #2...which I'm so glad I did, cause that's where I met my sisters and my husband!:D:D

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I remember how excited I was that day!:)

I got my letters from the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida on the same day. I was at work all day and my sister called me at work to let me know the letters arrived.
"They're both really thick," she told me. I told her to open it because the suspence wouldn't let me wait until I got home. I got accepted to both schools! I was so excited that I couldn't wait to go home and call my friends. I had a hard decision of deciding between the two but after a visit to both campuses I ultimately decided on UCF.

I was told by my principal that I wouldn't hear from my colleges until April so when I received a thin letter in March, I didn't think much of it. Much to my surprise I had been accepted to my safety school five weeks early. My mom and I were so happy. I told my principal and he said that it was probably going to be the first of many acceptances. April finally arrives as do my college responses. Four rejection, two wait lists, and one more acceptance. I was mildly disappointed by two of the rejections since they were long shots, very disappointed by the other two rejections, and shocked by the waiting lists. I decided to attend the second college that accepted me. I was really happy when I was invited to visit this school with other students who had been accepted. My mom and I show up and take another tour of the school and participate in all of the festivities. My mother decides to go to the financial aid office and she what type of scholarships I would receive. She returns to me very shaken up and tells me that she needs to talk to me. Apparently, there were no scholarships for me. It was pretty upsetting especially since we had driven several hours to visit this school only to have it taken away from me. Anyway, I went to my 'safety school' and joined my sorority and wound up doing quite well. It all worked out in the end. The funny thing is I received letters from the scholarship-less school for three years as if I were a student there.

I went to a JC for 3 semesters before I transferred to SDSU. I had wanted to go to SDSU since high school, but since it is like 9 hours away my parents said I could not go away right away. When it actually came time for me to apply to go away I only wanted to go to SDSU. Applying was stressful enough. I had my counselor from my JC telling me that I was waiting my time because I would never get into SDSU as a lower division transfer. When I did get my letter it was after school on October 28, 2000. I went to my mailbox and there was a stack of mail. Stocking out of the top was the corner of the envelop, and I saw the SDSU symbol. I pulled it out and it was a large thin envelop. I was like "ITS BIG!!!" like it was a good thing, and "ITS THIN!!!" like it was a bad thing. So I ripped it open and all I saw was congratulations. I ran into my house and up stairs and gave my Mom the biggest hug-she started to cry because she didn't want me to go. It was one of the happiest days of my life!!

I dunno. I am still waiting for Princeton to seriously, seriously change their mind. hahah.

Seriously. it was a good feeling. Dont remember the day, I just busted ass and knew I'd get in. It was a relief tho.

great topic
 

I remember the day I got accepted to vet. school. I had been on the waiting list and didn't expect to get in b/c it was my first time applying and I was only a junior. Anyways, in May I had heard that those that were on the waiting list were now being considered b/c of deferrments or declines by those that had been accepted outrt. I checked my mailbox everyday (which is unusual b/c I usually only check my mail once per week) and finally the letter came-I opened it up and started crying and screaming then I called my mom. I knew people that applied 3-4X and still didn't get in but I had made it.

A day that probably surpasses that one is the day I got my scores from the national boards saying I passed my boards-again I was crying and I ended up smearing the ink everywhere all over the paper. Oh the memories.......

I was actually away at a Model UN Conference. My mother was not home that weekend either. My aunt was at home and she was picking up our mail that weekend.

I knew that all of the early applicants were going to be getting their letters that weekend and was INCREDIBLY nervous, but had decided that I was NOT going to call and would wait til I got home so I could see the size of the letter and keep my humiliation to myself (I was so convinced I wouldn't be accepted, and the more everyone told me I was SO getting in, the more I was certain that I wasn't).

Anyway, all of a sudden people started running around the hotel like MAD screaming "I got in" and I couldn't take it anymore.

Surrounded by four of my best friends (and a couple hundred people from a wedding reception in the hotel lobby) I called my house. My aunt picked up and she was SO coy it was hilarious. Below I will copy the convo verbatim:

Me: Hi Aunt Leoncia, so how is...everything?

Auntie: Fiiiiine...

Me: So umm, yeah I was just calling, you know, to check in..

Auntie: Really.....

Me: So umm, did you check our mail today??

Auntie: Yeeeees....

Me: So um, did any mail come from XYA University??

Auntie: Yeeeesss....

Me: Umm, can you open it for me?

Auntie: Suuuure (FRONTING like she hadn't already opened that letter)

Me: what does it say? what does it say?

Auntie: It says......(dramatic moment where I SWEATED) ..... Congratulations!

Me: SCREAMING!

My friends: SCREAMING!

All the wedding party goers: CONFUSED

So I just ran around Boston screaming that I got in! A brass band that was playing for the wedding party actually played me a song to congratulate me.

It ws totally one of the best moments of my life.

I didn't apply any where that selective with the exception of a 6 year combined BA/MD program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City that I really had no interest in going to anyway. So I wasn't really that worried about getting in considering my test scores.

My main excitement came with my application to the Honors Program here at UNL I don't really remember much about it. I came home from school and saw the plain envelope, and it was thin - like one page thin, but I wasn't so sure that it was supposed to be thick anyways. So I opened it and it said Congratulations yada yada yada... I was ecstatic, but I had to make sure that my friend got in too (she was a girl that I thought I was in love with and had kept a long distance relationship through senior year going, and we dated at the beginning of the year here at college) She did and so it was really exciting because that pretty much cemented the fact that I was going to be heading here to Nebraksa. I ended up going and sending her roses as a congratulations/merry christmas present.

I got into all the schools I applied to: the first ones that came through were UVic and SFU, but I really wanted to go to UBC - anyways it finally arrive in Mid May (early acceptance) - I was so excited when I found out I had been accepted, but to top it off and something I totally was not expecting, was that I was given an uncondtional acceptance! That was really cool, I felt so proud of myself and so did my family :).

The school I attend wasn't my first choice, but when i got my thick
envelope, I ran up the driveway screaming and waving the envelope.

Then I had to deal with my parents, who wanted me to go to the family school (it involves crimson and Cambridge, to give you all a clue - I wasn't interested)

It was great. :D All my friends were happy for me that I got in anywhere. It wasn't really my first choice untill after I got in. I still hadn't heard from the other schools, but realized I would get the best education here. And so far I have.

I applied to 4 schools, 2 of which were not very competitive (LSU and Loyola, New Orleans) and 1 semi-competitive school (Tulane, my "dream school" - HAH) and UVA (which I only applied to b/c my school wanted me to participate in the Jefferson Scholars scholarship competition).

I wasn't worried about acceptance to any place but UVA. I was #2 in my class and had a great SAT score. So I was playing the scholarships game. When the acceptances came, I was pretty nonchalant about them.

I didn't get into UVA, but I think that's because I applied REALLY late. Didn't make sense that I made it to round 2 of the scholarship process and didn't even get in. :confused: So I got over that quickly.

When the scholarship for Loyola came in, I was insulted that it was only half (my scores were WAY higher than their median, and pretty much everyone in my family went there). When Tulane's came in, I was crushed. I spent my entire HS career working for their full Deans Honor Scholarship and only ended up with a partial ride, that they usually give to people with much lower credentials than mine. I cried for about 3 days.

Law School acceptances were also pretty blah for me - all the schools I applied to were in my range, so I wasn't worried at all. Although, I am pretty pleased with getting a 68% scholarship to Loyola, New Orleans. And I expect that LSU has something even bigger in store (or so they're saying in admission) :D

I remember getting accepted to college period, more than to individual schools. One school called me on the day they received my application and told me over the phone that I was accepted. I was ecstatic! I remember hooping and hollering and running around the house. I think that b/c I was fine with going to that school if I didn't get in elsewhere the rest was pretty anti-climatic.

Law school acceptances were a totally different story. I applied to 14 first and second tier law schools. I had ok grades, good LSATs, and tons of extra activities. My first acceptance came on a Saturday morning from my stepmom's law school. One of my sisters came running up the stairs and burst into my bedroom screaming (I think she woke up the whole second floor b/c it was only 8:00 a.m.) and handed me this little letter on executive size stationary. It was a handwritten acceptance letter from the dean. I burst into tears I was so happy!

What a feeling...

For undergrad I applied to 8 schools (U of Mich., Syracuse, Ohio State, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Cortland, U of Delaware, Seton Hall, and Fairleigh-Dickinson,) When I told my guidance counselor that i was applying to UM she asked me if thats what I really wanted to do because it was a really hard school and just wasnt sure. That kinda pissed me off cuz I was an -A/+B student (damn AP Bio) but I told her it was a dream school and I just wanted to see if I could. Wasnt expecting anything.
So im sitting at home doing HW at my desk and the phone rings. I pick it up and the woman on the other libe ask if Im home, I told her it was me speaking. All I know is that she said something about on behalf of the U of Mich, she would like to congratualte me on being accepted into the class of 2001. Right when she said the word accepted is when I screamed right into the phone. She just laughed and said she could tell I was happy and that I would be recieveing acceptance material in the mail soon. After we hung up I called anyone and everyone who was home. My mom came home later and I told her. her response was, "Good... but have you heard from Syracuse yet?" I just stopped and was like "Huh?" Here it is im happy out of my mind I just got into my dream school and you want to know about SU???. My school also puts up all the seniors acceptance letters in the front hall for everyone to see. I brought my UM one in for the counselors to put up. They were all happy but once again I got asked, "Heard from SU yet? What about them?" No darn it. Even though I got mine acceptance letter from them about 2 weeks later. As you can see where I live is nothing but SU fans. Notre Dame and UM came in next :rolleyes:. To this day though, I have no clue whether I got into SUNY Cortland. never got an acceptance/rejection letter or phone call.:confused:

I hope my law or grad school acceptance are just as good as everyone elses. Ive picked 15 and trying to narrow it down to 4 or 5.

hmm
 

I got deferred at Yale and then rejected. I think I've never had a more humbling experience. Soon I started getting the dreaded waitlist letters. After three of those, I got hit with acceptance after acceptance and finally settled on my school after great thought.

-Rudey
--Great is not good enough

I got deferred from Rice and then Rejected. My mother was also given the specific infoormation not to open my envelope. She didn't open the deferrment letter, but when the final letter came, I got home and found the already opened envelope. It looked like it had exploded or something (my mother rips into mail with a vengeance). I was more upset with her for opening the letter than I was that I didn't get in. It turned out to be okay though because they do not even have the degree that I am getting, or the one that I had planned on getting (duh).

It was in November 2000 and I've got accepted in both Tennessee Tech and U of Memphis. In February 2001, I've got accepted to University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. I wanted to go to school out of town, but my mother insisted that I stay in Memphis for school for a year. She said that I can transfer after my freshman year. So I went to U of M and I love it and I never want to leave.

BTW, I've applied to 3 schools. It would have been 6 schools, but I have to choose 3 because the witchy school counselors insisted that I choose 3 schools (one local, one in-state, and one out of state). I wanted to apply to University of Alabama, but the deadline had passes. Same thing with U of Tennessee, Knoxville and U of Kentucky.

My college path has been rather umm.. convoluted... so here's a summary
Senior year I applied to UCLA, UC Davis, Loyola Marymount and CSU Northridge. My DREAM school since like 5th grade was UCLA, REJECTED... Davis... ACCEPTED ... I was excited I was now going to school... LMU... accepted... excited... but now had a decision.. ( wasn't SUPER excited about either one truthfully I had REALLY wanted UCLA) I decided that Davis was too much of a cow town and too close to home.. so I chose Loyola.. which I ended up HATING !! so I came home and went to JC for a year, and applied to Northern Arizona... GOT IN.... SOOOOOO EXCITED (although pretty much, I knew I would with my scores and such) I was SUPER Happy though. I had gone to visit a friend (an A D PI) over spring break and I had LOOOOVVVED it in Flagstaff and was soo happy to get in... alas... too much money for poor me who is VERY much a resident of Cali... (born and raised) and not enough Financial Aid... and my year at LMU had cost a pretty penny... so now my little piece of paper says San Francisco State University.... I am currently awaiting law school letters please send positive thoughts my way so I have a great exciting moment as you all have described !!

I applied to three schools: U. of KY, Duke, and U. of Rochester in New York. I only really applied to Rochester because I got this science award and it was free to apply, but I wasn't ever really wanting to go there. (It's COLD there!!!) I had wanted to go to Duke for forever, it was my dream school, yada yada.
Well I got in, and I was super-excited about that, but then my parents started to get all anti-Duke. I got some decent scholarships there, too, but still would have had to pay something like $13,000 a year. My parents adamently refused to let me go there, and basically blackmailed me into going to UK instead. They refused to help me pay for Duke, very very strongly discouraged me from getting student loans, guilt-tripped me about being so far away from home, etc.
They wanted me to go to UK. They went to UK, as did my grandparents, and I think they were all about keeping the tradition or some nonsense. I had been accepted there months before, but that wasn't really a surprise since I knew I'd get in there. I got a full-ride scholarship to UK, so I accepted that and ended up going to UK. I'm pretty sure I cried when I sent that in, and not tears of joy either.
I ended up being really happy at UK though!
It's kinda funny because one of Duke's many appealing factors was the good biology department, but then I ended up switching majors to geography, and UK has a good geography department. So I guess it all worked out in the end.

I applied early decision to Carolina (UNC Chapel Hill, although NO ONE around here calls it that), but then I also applied to UVA and UGA just to see what would happen.

I was on the yearbook staff during 4th period, and one of our tasks was to go around to area businesses and sell ads in the yearbook. So of course, we did about 30 minutes of selling and an hour of driving around, doing nothing, eating, napping, etc. One of the girls in my class had also applied early decision to Carolina, so we were just WAITING. We would go to her house and check the mailbox to see if her letter had come yet.

The funny part is, I don't even remember WHEN I got the letter now. I have a feeling I didn't find it on one of our mailbox trips. Anyway, I got the letter, it was thick, and I was super excited.

Later, I got into UVA & UGA, but obviously I wasn't going there.

Unfortunately, I ended up going to Carolina and hating it. Last time I checked though, my yearbook friend was president of ZTA at Carolina ;) So I transferred to UNCG. Getting accepted here didn't seem like a big deal at the time- but now, I am so thankful!

When I was seventeen, I had a horrible brain injury that left me with not-so-temporary learning disabilities, behavioral problems and the like. But, based on my scholastic achievements, I was recruited by some schools even so. I was also recruited for full-soccer scholarships to other schools.

By the time I got to "going off to college" I didn't want to do it. It was a combination of discouragement because of my learning problems, as well as a bad attitude (behavioral stuff).

So I applied to one school hoping I wouldn't get in. It was a small private school in Atlanta called Oglethorpe University. Well, fortunately I did get in - I say fortunately because I attribute most of my current success to the fact that I did, in fact, go to college and force my brain to work.

I was absolutely miserable and so I transferred to a 2 year public college and then to a two year private college. At this point, I felt more able (brain-wise) to cope with a university. I applied to UGA under a provisionary/probationary status.

The first letter I got said I wasn't accepted. We appealed.

Then, I remember getting another letter in the mail as my family was sitting down to recuperate from a long day. When I opened it and it said that I got in, I was in total shock and very excited. So UGA's where I got my degree!

I knew that there was no hope for my dream school. None. I was wasting my time and money; even my guidance counselor said so. So when I got into one of my safeties quite early in the process, I was psyched and made all kinds of plans about everything I was going to do there.

Two weeks later, I went through the mail and found the huge envelope with that Harvard-Radcliffe shield in the corner. I thought it had to be a mistake; it must have been for one of my neighbors; they had put my address label on the wrong letter...but then inside, it actually said: "Dear Ms. Spice...please accept my warmest congratulations on your outstanding achievements." So they really meant me! Me! All my years of work got me to the exact spot on the planet I wanted to be! I felt like I had knocked over skyscrapers and torn down mountains. Then I called my parents and cried. I didn't know, then, how happy I was going to be at college, but I did know that I was going to be happier than I'd ever been before.

That was almost ten years ago, and the truth is, it still hasn't sunk in. I still can't believe it really happened.

I had decided to apply early decision, and no one at my school thought I would get in (one of the "really smart guys" was applying too so if they were going to pick one, it would have been him). Anyway, I was interested in doing Crew, and had made it a point to talk to the Crew coach when I visited. She told me that she'd put me on their "list", and call me when they heard a decision. Well, in mid December she called, saying she hadn't heard anything back. I flipped out thinking that they had lost my application or something equally awful. So I called the school, just to see if they were indeed going to mail me something that week. Well, said the receptionist (it was Armanda-- I later worked at the Admissions office and got to know her), I can tell you your decision over the phone. Oh my! Well I was really nervous. It took like 5 min to verify all my information, and make sure I was me. There was a puase, and she said Congrautaions! I was so excited, I started screaming. My Dad was home, and he cried. I don't think I had ever seen him cry before.

And IvySpice- I know what you mean. I still can't believe they took me. Not the "really smart guy" that everyone thought would get in, but me. And it has made a huge difference in my life!

I found out I got into my dream school (not either of the ones I'd attended) when I got home from one of my then-boyfriends swim meets. It was the last school I had to hear from, and when I took my doggie to get the mail I saw the big envelope and started screaming and ran into tell my dad, then I called my mom at the hair salon, then called three of my best friends on the way BACK to the pool to tell my boyfriend.

Then they dicked me over on financial aid. :mad:

I remember when I got into Platteville (like 3 days after I submitted my application) I wasn't even excited because it was a complete safety. I wasn't excited when I got into Marquette either because they made it so obvious that I was a legacy admit "Congrats on continuing your family's Marquette tradition..."

When I got my Rolla letter I was kind of excited because they gave me a full ride, which just boggled me. I was like "ME? I'm smart enough?" I had interviewed with their Dean of Engineering and I guess he loved me.

As for the other school, well, I don't want to talk about it.

I only applied to one school. My guidance counselor pushed me to apply to schools like Northwestern and Notre Dame (yeah, right!) but I knew where I wanted to go and knew that it wouldn't be an issue for me to get in. I don't even remember when I got my acceptance letter, I applied fairly early, and I think it's with my HS scrapbook. Because of financial reasons, I didn't feel I could go to a private school or out-of-state so I stuck to where I knew my heart was.

And I don't regret it one bit.

I recall getting in to just about everywhere but one college.

I applied and got into U of Arkansas, Oklahoma St Univ, UNC Chapel Hill, and Cal Poly Pomona.

I didnt get into UCLA

This just happened to me!
 

Getting in as an undergrad wasn't half as exciting as my most recent journey!

I applied to Ph.D. programs over Christmas break. By the time I left to go home for Spring Break, I still hadn't heard anything at all. I was getting really really anxious!! Driving back (8 hours), I was a wreck. When I opened the door, I saw a big fat envelope in the "mail basket." I jumped. I screamed. I cried. Later that week, I got a phone call from MY FIRST CHOICE, and the crying, jumping, screaming started all over again. Last Friday, my husband got a call from his first choice (the same as mine) saying that he was accepted too!

Hooray! I'll be Dr. Erica812 :)

Dude, you should have gone to Rolla damnit, we could hang out! :D

As for me, I applied to two schools in Texas since my dad lived there at the time and wanted me to go to TCU since he lived like right down the street. I applied to a school in Iowa as my safety school, and then my mom MADE me apply to the Nebraska school's but I refused to go even if they paid me. Then I applied to Mizzou as my first choice b/c I was real big into journalism in high school, it was my life and I really thought that was what I wanted to do forever. Mizzou had also been my dad's first choice school but he couldn't afford to go.

I honestly didn't think I would get in ANYWHERE, I felt like a phony for applying b/c I was so scared that I didn't know enough about anything to be ready to go to college.

I heard back from my Iowa school first and I cried so much when I read the letter b/c it finally hit me that even if it wasn't my first choice, I was actually going to college.

I got acceptance letters to every other place I applied, except Texas A & M and I really didn't care b/c that was just about the LAST place on earth that I wanted to go. My Mizzou letter was last to come and my mom opened it and started screaming for me over the intercom system in our house. It was a fantastic day!!! :D

Ever since I was in elementary school, I wanted to go to Auburn. I even made an Auburn pennant in sixth grade math class (learning about triangles). So in my junior year of high school, I started looking at colleges. I wasn't sure I wanted to go too far away from home, so I looked at my dad's alma mater, Berry College, about 40 minutes from home. While I loved the campus, the student population was smaller than my high school and that wouldn't do.

So the summer before my senior year, I went visiting 2 colleges: Western Carolina University, and Auburn. Western Carolina was a nice campus, but it just didn't feel like "the one". So then we went to Auburn. The moment Samford Hall came into view, I knew this is where I belonged. When we were on top of Haley Center, the highest building on campus, it had to be close to 100 degrees. I leaned over to my mom and said "this is where I'm going". She said I still needed to look around instate (because of tuition and the HOPE scholarship) but my mind was made up.

After the tour, we visited an admissions counselor. I had my transcript with me and my SAT/ACT scores. I sat in front of him. He looked at my stuff and looked at me and said "Do you know what I like best about my job?" I said no, and he said "When I can look at the student right in front of me and say, Congratulations, you've been accepted"! I was thrilled!!! I got the official letter in the mail a week later :)

In February of 2000, I was going to a dance competition at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. My dad took me over there a day early to visit USF. I had applied, but hadn't received anything back from them yet. I went on the tour, and LOVED it. After the tour, my dad and I went back to the admissions office. He asked if they had any idea when letters would be sent out. The lady said, well, let me check and see if your file is complete. (I had sent it in like 2 months ago). She asks for my name and soc. and stuff. She types some stuff in, and then looks up and says "Congratulations, you've been admitted into the University of South Florida!" I started jumping up and down screaming, right in the middle of the office. Then I promptly went to the bookstore to buy my very first USF shirt, which I wore to meet my team at our hotel room. They take one look at me getting out of the car, and my best friend goes "Shae got into college!"

(I also got into UF, but I didn't like the campus, and the University of Miami, but my parents said it was too expensive. It was my dream school, and I got on the waiting list for law school, so maybe I'll end up there in the long run!)

Cool, I got accepted. That was it. It was a little let down because the size of the letters tell you if you got in or not. Not like in the movie where all the letters were the same size, so there was going to be drama.

Well I just go to Arkansas State...GREAT school with a fabulous music department, but it's not like they'll turn you down when you apply. :p

Although I hope to have that moment when I apply to grad schools, especially since I'm aiming high! :D

I'm still waiting for the Clown College to let me in.

The college of my dreams wasn't the college of my dreams back then. In fact, I didn't even want to apply at first! Growing up, I was all about the University of Illinois. Everyone in my family, and I do mean EVERYONE, went there. I would have been the first member of the third generation to go. When the time came to start looking at schools, I was going to a private college counselor who introduced me to several schools I wouldn't have looked at otherwise, mostly private schools. My dad then said if I was going to apply to out-of-state private schools, I should apply to out-of-state public schools too. Anyhow, I ended up applying to 8 schools: Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, American (in DC), Tulane, Oberlin, Washington University (in St. Louis), and University of Pennsylvania. (That was my reach, just-to-see-if-I-could-get-into-the-Ivy-League school) I applied enthusiastically to six of them and only applied to Indiana and Wisconsin because my dad wanted me to apply to public schools out of state. I had no intention of going to either one.

IU was the first place I got accepted to. I remember I got the envelope and thought "Okay, cool, at least I got in somewhere." That was it. No big deal, I wasn't going. I was more excited to hear from the other schools. My first choice was Tulane, followed by American and Illinois. I visited Tulane and loved it, but they decided I was too rich to qualify for financial aid. (yeah, right!) So there went that. American did offer me a pretty nice scholarship, but even with that it would have been fairly expensive.

My dad is a high school golf coach, and every year he went to the Indiana Invitational women's golf tournament because several of his former golfers played in it. That year, the tournament just happened to coincide with IU's Red Carpet Days for admitted students...therefore, I went down to IU with him for that, not entirely happily. Well. As soon as I got down to campus, I immediately knew I was where I belonged. I was on the tour planning where I was going to live, how I'd get from place to place, etc. TOTALLY took me by surprise. The rest is history. :D

All in all, I got into all the schools I applied to except for University of Pennsylvania. But that was the last school I heard from so I wasn't too disappointed. :)

My choices were really narrowed down for me when I applied nearly twenty years ago: architecture program, and my parent's decreed that it must be public and within a day's drive of St. Louis; and of course, one I could realistically have a chance of getting into! At my high school's college night the recruiter told me as an in-state student I had no chance of getting into U of I unless I tried to transfer in from the Ag School ! So I wound up looking at Ball State, Arkansas (Fayetteville), Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Kansas and Kansas State. In the end I wound up applying only to Ball State and Arkansas, as those were the two I liked the best. I knew I was already accepted for admission to both schools, but had to wait for admission to the school of architecture.
In high school I worked at the local catholic hospital, and my supervisor, Sister Wenceslaus (this funny, German nun) would let me call on break to see if my acceptance came in the mail. Both came in the mail the same week. I was practically bouncing off the walls! My decision to go to Ball State was mostly on the fact that I got a much bigger scholarship to go there, but I'm glad I did (even if I did get cut from the architecture school at the end of my third year), but the rest is history.

Hmm, I applied to only four schools, all in Chicago - Northwestern Univ, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, and DePaul. I got into all 4 and didnt really think I wouldn't (yeah, kinda smug of me) but I was valedictorian, 4.0GPA, and high SAT/ACT scores, and a minority. No, lets not get into the whole affirmative action discussion even though I think that factored into my acceptance, but I am consoled by the fact that I had the grades to back it up. I ended up going to Loyola, because I couldn't afford NWU, or U of C, but at least I got in. I still have the acceptance letters.

Awww, that is the CUTEST story ever!