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

[preciousjeni]

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!

[IvySpice]

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.

[XOMichelle]

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!

[GeekyPenguin]

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.

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.

[ISUKappa]

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

[erica812]

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

[FAB*SpiceySpice]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin

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.

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

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!!!

[AUDeltaGam]

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

[ShaedyKD]

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!)

[moe.ron]

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.

[sairose]

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.

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

[moe.ron]

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

[Sister Havana]

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.

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.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

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.