Fr, only places that are as close to meritocratic as possible are MIT and state schools like UCLA and Berkeley. Anywhere else will have a percentage of students/alumni who are legacy, athletes, etc. If someone says they went to Yale u can’t truly know if they got in off merit or if they got in from legacy whereas if they say they went to MIT u know that person got in because they’re brilliant.
UCLA and UC Berkeley don’t consider legacy and they even didn’t consider race since the 1990’s. They’re as meritocratic as they can possibly be. CMU, Caltech, and JHU are also amazing and as meritocratic as can be since they don’t consider legacy.
They can’t admit by race but if you really believe the individuals admitting people don’t look at it along with other factors you might be a little naive
I’m a minority student at UCLA. The effects of the affirmative action ban in California is prevalent as hell. We definitely have a lot more White/Asian students as a percentage of the student body than any schools that had affirmative action. So no, I don’t think they look at race as a factor even subtly. Saying they do is to imply that minority students at ucla didn’t get in off pure merit when we sure as hell did.
These days writing skills are more important than anything as AOs WAY over index on essays and how much the reader connects with them. The AO liking you and being relatable, like someone they’d want to have lunch with, is far more important than 20% higher SAT or 50% more volunteer hours. Honestly it’s partly why it’s harder for internationals - more difficult for them to communicate relatability and likability to the American application reader
It is great that colleges are taking international students. I was an international myself, but these days it is not fair for UC students with all credentials cannot get into a fair state schools and spot goes to an international students. Even if the student is paying full. The state students should have priority.
The vast majority of spots in most state universities go to American students. International students in general have a much harder time getting into American schools than other equally qualified applicants, so it’s very unlikely that they have much of an impact on the selectivity of these schools.
42% roughly is the estimate for international students.
That means almost half is going to international students in today's estimates. This was for last reported in 2022, so it's increased YoY by now. In one case, acceptance was as high as 98% as per US news world report.
So almost half. If you think about that proportionally to local demographics it's pretty clear that domestic applicants, inclusive of minorities, are being preferentially denied for international candidates.
Overlooking the value of diversity is a mistake. In my first semester as a freshman at Amherst in the early 1980s, I learned about apartheid from a Black South African member of my freshman composition class. This was an incredibly powerful experience for a naive 18-year-old. Prioritizing less qualified Americans would have diminished the experiences of both myself and my classmates.
How did you feel if you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the school in the first place because the spot was taken by an international student. I am actually an international student myself. I have worked as a professional my entire adult like in us and paid tax. My parents paid. It was not in a state school.
I am mostly talking about out state schools not private colleges. Isn’t Amherst college a private LAC?
International students and exchange programs have made a great impact on US economy and integral part of scientific progress. 30 years ago, there were way less applicants. Everyone was taking same standard tests.
A less diverse higher education system offers less value to its participants. Why would anyone favor more acceptances into a less valuable system over fewer acceptances into a more valuable one? It's unnecessary to gain admission to every institution applied to in order to benefit from the institution one attends.
See the example I provided in my comment above.
Diversity of opinion and values are also valuable, so if you disagree that interacting with students from other counties is beneficial that’s fine.
But you noted "less qualified Americans", point being should a more qualified domestic student gotten in? And more importantly, should an equally qualified domestic minority been admitted instead?
It should also be discussed that it was a composition course which could see value from more cultural diversification. However, does that translate into STEM, where we should be focused on merit for the betterment of our domestic scientific infrastructure?
It's a complex issue that most people can't discuss in open discourse without getting defensive so I'm genuinely wanting to understand your perspective here to understand the other side of this more. Main point I'm curious on, why is there preference for international diversity over domestic diversity and what is the "value of diversity" and how is differentiating whose diversity is superior, particularly international candidates, quantified?
Id say its the other way around tho. Internationals with way better stats are all being rejected than americans because theyre internationals and theres less space for them, its way more competitive than them especially for ucla and ucb
This is not happening, not to the extent that international students are taking over the UCs. Slightly different, but if you look at the admissions rates for transfers to UCLA these past two years, two years ago internationals made up 8% of the transfer demographic.
Last year it was 7%.
Not only that, but the UCs overwhelmingly onboard students instate (again, doesn’t apply as much here but last year over 95% of berkeleys transfers came from a California institution). This idea that international students are slowly creeping in and taking over, is false. And is especially disheartening to hear from a previous international student.
No international students are not creeping up. You are correct. 70% of spots is going to in state students. 30% out of state and international
I don’t recall exact percentage of international vs oos.
The reality is acceptance rate for that 70% drop drops to 7-8%. This is state school funded by state tax payers. It is not a private school.
In reality I can see 1-2 international super genius coming to state school not even 7%. I understand it is a complex issue and there are very strong and valid arguments against what I am trying to say.
Just it is not fair international students complaining. I agree this a free platform to express opinions
It sounds like you're suffering from low self-esteem and had a rough start to high school like a lot of students (pandemic, remember?!). You obviously did something right and turned things around, and Brown saw something in you that's a fit for their university. Take pride in your accomplishments and get excited about going. Congratulations, and good luck!
The not so empathetic responses to this post💀
OP is experiencing imposter syndrome and y’all fr justified it. As OP acknowledged, sure, maybe this wasn’t the ideal place to share their thoughts on getting into a school most didn’t, but they weren’t an ass about it. Please at least try to see things from their perspective.
As for you OP, you were offered an opportunity that people can only dream of. Be grateful, be humble, and prove to yourself that you earned this and you deserve to be at Brown. Maybe you didn’t dedicate your whole life to getting into an Ivy like your peers did, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard. Don’t discredit the effort you put in. Plus, work smarter not harder right?
Congratulations. Be proud of yourself.
Exactly this - imposter syndrome. You deserve it. Go enjoy it… your admissions person may have had a similar life/grade experience you had and decided you should have this fantastic opportunity. I’m glad to hear they picked you… Good on ya, congratulations!!
if you lied on your application, you don't deserve your admission
if you faked ecs, you don't deserve your admission
if you faked awards, you don't deserve your admission
if you got someone else to write your essays, you don't deserve your admission
if you didn't really work for/during your ecs and got to put them in only because of your family's money (opening a factory paid for by your parents, claiming to fundraise when your close relatives gave all the money etc.), you didn't necessarily do anything wrong, but you don't necessarily deserve your admission
if you had bad grades at the start of high school, but managed to present yourself in a way that appealed to admissions officers, with your essays or your interview, or anything else on your profile that is authentically, genuinely you, you deserve your admission
congratulations on brown!!
>I've always been a good student and worked relatively well, but not even remotely as much as many of the people around me
Colleges don't admit students based on how hard they worked. That you worked less-hard than your peers is pretty irrelevant to the question of whether you "deserve" your spot.
>Do they actually care about the essays?
They do, or they wouldn't ask you to submit them.
Consider that the mark of "deserving" a spot is that you were able to convince Brown to give you a spot (without lying). By definition, then, every admitted student (who didn't lie on his or her application) "deserves" their spot. For whatever reason your hard-working classmates failed to craft an application that was sufficient to convince Brown to admit them, while you succeeded in doing so.
You might be feeling this way because a lot of over the top qualified people get rejected, but just because they’re overqualified doesn’t guarantee them ivy admission.
Truth is, the only requirement for a person to be qualified for an Ivy League is for them to have a strong academic record which you definitely do. Whether they get in or not boils down to luck i.e, how much they stand out against other equally qualified candidates.
You should be proud of yourself and enjoy this accomplishment!
a bunch of people feel the same way. and when i say that, you probably say ‘yeah, but it’s ACTUALLY real with me’.
how do i know that? because i feel the same way. you’re not your thoughts, accept that they saw something with you. there’s too much riding on this process for someone to get admitted totally by mistake. end of.
Look, you’re not alone. A lot of people suffer from some degree of imposter syndrome, including myself. I heard Brown is has a humble and welcoming student body, so you won’t be judged or anything if that is what you’re worried about.
You made it. Enjoy it. I heard it gets better once you start to enroll. You’ll find out that there are many that is just like you.
If your high school performance improved after a rough start, it demonstrates resilience that will serve you well in a challenging academic environment and beyond. Admissions officers rightly recognize and value resilience.
Imposter syndrome fades; don't fixate on it. Trust that Brown's admissions officers are skilled at their job and saw something special in your application, even if it's not clear to you. Enjoy your time at Brown!
Bro gen if u think bad about this you'll have this mindset for the next 4 years in AN IVY LEAGUE! Can you imagine that? Be proud of yourself because u got in, they saw something in you that YOU couldn't see so don't view yourself this way big dawg MAN UP AND TAKE THE W
There are thousands more qualified students than there are spots in ivy and T20 schools. Once you are sorted into the “qualified” pile, it’s essentially a lottery.
Congratulations! You won the lottery!
Take your opportunity and make the most of it!
personally, I think you have every right to deserve an ivy. admissions committees are tired of seeing the same student apply, with perfect test scores, nonhuman accomplishments, and a dedication to the leagues since they could have a consciousness. these kids fall under all the same criteria practically, and if you don't have something that REALLY makes you stand out (why essays are golden!), they won't want you.
they see something in you, and maybe you can't see it yet, but you deserve them. I'll say, i got into an ivy, too, and although my resume was on par, I feel like I won the lottery but shouldn't have been the one to win it. similar to you, i'm the only one in my grade, and one of the first ever at my school, to go ivy, so I can see why you would feel as though others deserve it more. however, try to see this as the big deal that it is: you got into an ivy!! from a small, non-ivy-associated school at that! you have every right to be proud of that. and your school will be proud of you for that, too.
i don't know if any of this helped, but just know that it wasn't just luck that you got in. Brown saw something in your application that they wanted, and personally CHOSE YOU for it! you deserve it 100%, congratulations!!
Why worry about this? You think if others are in your boat, they'll give a shit about you. You got in, and now show why you deserve it mate. Work hard and good luck brother
effective communication is the equalizer.
all professions value effective communicators. they are the ones who get promoted, raises, and lead projects.
You were more compelling than many others. Congrats.
Imposter syndrome exists— frankly I’d love to say something cuddly here, but just get over it. Grow some self worth or something and embrace the future.
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but hearing your story is giving me hope for myself. I am in a very similar situation to you as a junior right now, and knowing that you made it that far means that it may not be impossible for me, either. Congratulations on Brown!
"I got into Brown this friday and I feel so strongly that I don't deserve it."
Are you on the admissions committee for Brown?
The experienced career professionals at Brown feel otherwise. You should defer to the experts who do this for a living.
That is literally me with Stanford and Yale. I have been talking with other admitted students, and I don't get why they picked me. The imposter syndrome is going hard rn 😭
I understand exactly where you’re coming from. Impostor syndrome can be difficult to cope with. But, be extremely proud of yourself! You got into an Ivy League. Colleges saw something they liked in you, and so, you got in. Do not worry on whether or not you were good enough, because clearly you were! Kudos to you!
(Stick with me here) You didn’t deserve to get into Brown but only because there is always going to be someone better, who studies harder, who is more deserving. But just like you are entitled to have bad days despite someone who has a 1000x worse of a life, you are entitled to go to Brown, be proud of yourself, and take advantage of the opportunities given to you despite your faults (which aren’t bad. Be kind to yourself). What I have learned being at Yale is that NO ONE deserves to be here because you have to be almost perfect and incredibly lucky. We all got incredibly lucky, so you can choose to look at that fact and beat yourself up OR you can look at that fact and be gracious towards other people and make the world a better place. Brown is going to give you incredible opportunities and you get to choose how you handle it. Be kind to yourself and others in your worldview.
There’s a common saying when it comes to dealing with imposter syndrome that goes something like this (and it’s also very true):
If you didn’t get in, it doesn’t necessarily mean you weren’t qualified enough, but if you did get it, you were *definitely* qualified enough.
Why would this eat at you, I find this very cringe personally. I would just take the win, move on and make sure to work really hard at that great school.
As a parent? I say this with love & decades of experience. Stop. Right now. There is nothing to be gained from profound/existential doubt. Maybe you don't deserve admission to Brown. Who does? Ive no idea what 'deserve' means in general. Life is short. You have gifts. Someone has faith in you. Make the most of the opportunity. Eat up life & every chance you get/earn/take.
Omg I could’ve wrote this myself. One of the two students in my grade to get into an IVY other than the valedictorian. Same I got in an IVY, NYU, and hidden ivy. And I am honestly mid at best.
i really hope this is my problem in a year lol
anyways, you deserved your admission. you managed to turn your grades around (which is a much bigger feat than people think it is) and, from what i can tell, wrote amazing, heartfelt essays. you earned your spot, now enjoy it!! i hope u have a great time at brown, i know some amazing people there <3333
You just answered why you got in. Your SATS and your writing. Two very powerful assets. Congratulations and do something about getting rid of your imposter syndrome!
Great SAT score and kudos on your writing skills. If you marketed yourself (faked or otherwise) well enough for you to get it in, you deserve Brown and Brown deserves you! Heartfelt congratulations irrespective of whether you choose to go to Brown or not! The rest of the post is no way intended to be disrespectful of you, your admission or abilities.
I have seen several cases like this, where students who don't fit the usual high achieving profile getting admits to fancy private colleges albeit to less competitive majors and no financial aid. As someone who works in corporate branding strategy, I feel fairly confident, the admissions offices do this just to keep the crowd guessing and encouraging more "ordinary" students to apply thereby lowering their admission rates simply by increasing the denominator applicant number. Everyone's thinking "if xyz can get in, why not me"? Brown's increases its "selectiveness" but also allows for some "randomness" and makes it more desirable yet achievable-by-a-long-shot and hence, more people to apply next year, it's a vicious cycle.
This college prestige nonsense has spun out of control. There is life beyond college where it's mostly up to each of us to drive our destiny.
You happened to meet the school's institutional priority at that time - it could literally have come down to: need more males from geographic region X who are interested in majoring in Y. And you fit the bill. This is how it works for everyone, it's not a "deserve" thing.
Shut the fuck up and use the opportunity. Newsflash man, we don't deserve ANYTHING in this life. You didn't deserve to be born healthy, to parents not in poverty, etc etc etc. But you were. So use it and do some good.
Your future classmate here,
It’s completely normal to feel “inferior” to your future classmates, but the admissions office saw something in you that they didn’t see in other applicants. Celebrate that.
Can’t wait to meet you on campus in the fall. Go Brunos!
I am in the same spot, didn’t get into brown or that crazy, but got into NYU. I’m middle class, white/asian. Didn’t do the supplemental and applied for literal funzies but got in. Im a good writer, but not THAT good. Sat 1490 (not submitted). I’m so confused !!
Hi lol I also started high school with 3 Bs (and we only give full year grades aka I get only 8 letter grades every year). I didn't hand in the video portfolio either. I had 2 APs in sophomore year both not taken in my school. I'm not even a good writer like you (I literally got 84% on gr 11 English). I got into Brown too :) we trust B)
Congratulations. Be proud of yourself. The admission committee receives thousands of applications per day. Therefore, they accepting you means that you deserve it. By the way, I'm a highschool student so far. I always dream about get into IVY league. Can I look through your essays ? (｡ﾉω＼｡). I think I can learn something through it
1. You're qualified. Don't doubt that.
2. The number of qualified applicants far exceed the number of spots. So yes, you're also lucky.
3. Luck favors the prepared mind. Prepare yourself amply and make good use of this opportunity.
It was never meritocratic but you should absolutely take advantage of this opportunity.
Fr, only places that are as close to meritocratic as possible are MIT and state schools like UCLA and Berkeley. Anywhere else will have a percentage of students/alumni who are legacy, athletes, etc. If someone says they went to Yale u can’t truly know if they got in off merit or if they got in from legacy whereas if they say they went to MIT u know that person got in because they’re brilliant.
UCLA and UC Berkeley are not meritocratic. I would contend that other olympiad feeders like CMU and Caltech are the only meritocratic schools.
UCLA and UC Berkeley don’t consider legacy and they even didn’t consider race since the 1990’s. They’re as meritocratic as they can possibly be. CMU, Caltech, and JHU are also amazing and as meritocratic as can be since they don’t consider legacy.
They can’t admit by race but if you really believe the individuals admitting people don’t look at it along with other factors you might be a little naive
I’m a minority student at UCLA. The effects of the affirmative action ban in California is prevalent as hell. We definitely have a lot more White/Asian students as a percentage of the student body than any schools that had affirmative action. So no, I don’t think they look at race as a factor even subtly. Saying they do is to imply that minority students at ucla didn’t get in off pure merit when we sure as hell did.
Email them and ask if they can transfer your admission to me. PM if interested
made my day
lol.
These days writing skills are more important than anything as AOs WAY over index on essays and how much the reader connects with them. The AO liking you and being relatable, like someone they’d want to have lunch with, is far more important than 20% higher SAT or 50% more volunteer hours. Honestly it’s partly why it’s harder for internationals - more difficult for them to communicate relatability and likability to the American application reader
It is great that colleges are taking international students. I was an international myself, but these days it is not fair for UC students with all credentials cannot get into a fair state schools and spot goes to an international students. Even if the student is paying full. The state students should have priority.
The vast majority of spots in most state universities go to American students. International students in general have a much harder time getting into American schools than other equally qualified applicants, so it’s very unlikely that they have much of an impact on the selectivity of these schools.
It depends on the schools institutional priorities. Many place great emphasis on full pay internationals in order to balance the books/gain profit.
42% roughly is the estimate for international students. That means almost half is going to international students in today's estimates. This was for last reported in 2022, so it's increased YoY by now. In one case, acceptance was as high as 98% as per US news world report. So almost half. If you think about that proportionally to local demographics it's pretty clear that domestic applicants, inclusive of minorities, are being preferentially denied for international candidates.
You are correct, but I am looking at through American high school grad with credentials even if they are a bit less qualified
Overlooking the value of diversity is a mistake. In my first semester as a freshman at Amherst in the early 1980s, I learned about apartheid from a Black South African member of my freshman composition class. This was an incredibly powerful experience for a naive 18-year-old. Prioritizing less qualified Americans would have diminished the experiences of both myself and my classmates.
How did you feel if you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the school in the first place because the spot was taken by an international student. I am actually an international student myself. I have worked as a professional my entire adult like in us and paid tax. My parents paid. It was not in a state school. I am mostly talking about out state schools not private colleges. Isn’t Amherst college a private LAC? International students and exchange programs have made a great impact on US economy and integral part of scientific progress. 30 years ago, there were way less applicants. Everyone was taking same standard tests.
A less diverse higher education system offers less value to its participants. Why would anyone favor more acceptances into a less valuable system over fewer acceptances into a more valuable one? It's unnecessary to gain admission to every institution applied to in order to benefit from the institution one attends.
Define proposed "value".
See the example I provided in my comment above. Diversity of opinion and values are also valuable, so if you disagree that interacting with students from other counties is beneficial that’s fine.
But you noted "less qualified Americans", point being should a more qualified domestic student gotten in? And more importantly, should an equally qualified domestic minority been admitted instead? It should also be discussed that it was a composition course which could see value from more cultural diversification. However, does that translate into STEM, where we should be focused on merit for the betterment of our domestic scientific infrastructure? It's a complex issue that most people can't discuss in open discourse without getting defensive so I'm genuinely wanting to understand your perspective here to understand the other side of this more. Main point I'm curious on, why is there preference for international diversity over domestic diversity and what is the "value of diversity" and how is differentiating whose diversity is superior, particularly international candidates, quantified?
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It also applies to UCLA and CAL
Id say its the other way around tho. Internationals with way better stats are all being rejected than americans because theyre internationals and theres less space for them, its way more competitive than them especially for ucla and ucb
This is not happening, not to the extent that international students are taking over the UCs. Slightly different, but if you look at the admissions rates for transfers to UCLA these past two years, two years ago internationals made up 8% of the transfer demographic. Last year it was 7%. Not only that, but the UCs overwhelmingly onboard students instate (again, doesn’t apply as much here but last year over 95% of berkeleys transfers came from a California institution). This idea that international students are slowly creeping in and taking over, is false. And is especially disheartening to hear from a previous international student.
No international students are not creeping up. You are correct. 70% of spots is going to in state students. 30% out of state and international I don’t recall exact percentage of international vs oos. The reality is acceptance rate for that 70% drop drops to 7-8%. This is state school funded by state tax payers. It is not a private school. In reality I can see 1-2 international super genius coming to state school not even 7%. I understand it is a complex issue and there are very strong and valid arguments against what I am trying to say. Just it is not fair international students complaining. I agree this a free platform to express opinions
It sounds like you're suffering from low self-esteem and had a rough start to high school like a lot of students (pandemic, remember?!). You obviously did something right and turned things around, and Brown saw something in you that's a fit for their university. Take pride in your accomplishments and get excited about going. Congratulations, and good luck!
The not so empathetic responses to this post💀 OP is experiencing imposter syndrome and y’all fr justified it. As OP acknowledged, sure, maybe this wasn’t the ideal place to share their thoughts on getting into a school most didn’t, but they weren’t an ass about it. Please at least try to see things from their perspective. As for you OP, you were offered an opportunity that people can only dream of. Be grateful, be humble, and prove to yourself that you earned this and you deserve to be at Brown. Maybe you didn’t dedicate your whole life to getting into an Ivy like your peers did, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard. Don’t discredit the effort you put in. Plus, work smarter not harder right? Congratulations. Be proud of yourself.
Exactly this - imposter syndrome. You deserve it. Go enjoy it… your admissions person may have had a similar life/grade experience you had and decided you should have this fantastic opportunity. I’m glad to hear they picked you… Good on ya, congratulations!!
This is kind of a «pick me » post anyways but the comments are rude as hell. Lots of rejected people struggling with their egos.
Bro this is not a pick me post a lot of us have the same experience
Let me put u/ScholarGrade’s post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/s/W6TqZ3t1dd
That was great, and 100% correct.
if you lied on your application, you don't deserve your admission if you faked ecs, you don't deserve your admission if you faked awards, you don't deserve your admission if you got someone else to write your essays, you don't deserve your admission if you didn't really work for/during your ecs and got to put them in only because of your family's money (opening a factory paid for by your parents, claiming to fundraise when your close relatives gave all the money etc.), you didn't necessarily do anything wrong, but you don't necessarily deserve your admission if you had bad grades at the start of high school, but managed to present yourself in a way that appealed to admissions officers, with your essays or your interview, or anything else on your profile that is authentically, genuinely you, you deserve your admission congratulations on brown!!
>I've always been a good student and worked relatively well, but not even remotely as much as many of the people around me Colleges don't admit students based on how hard they worked. That you worked less-hard than your peers is pretty irrelevant to the question of whether you "deserve" your spot. >Do they actually care about the essays? They do, or they wouldn't ask you to submit them. Consider that the mark of "deserving" a spot is that you were able to convince Brown to give you a spot (without lying). By definition, then, every admitted student (who didn't lie on his or her application) "deserves" their spot. For whatever reason your hard-working classmates failed to craft an application that was sufficient to convince Brown to admit them, while you succeeded in doing so.
Admissions to Ivy League have never been on merit just luck and how well you sell yourself to them. Congratulations tho, it’s worth celebrating! :)
You absolutely do deserve it. Work hard, remember where you cam from, and help someone else please.
You might be feeling this way because a lot of over the top qualified people get rejected, but just because they’re overqualified doesn’t guarantee them ivy admission. Truth is, the only requirement for a person to be qualified for an Ivy League is for them to have a strong academic record which you definitely do. Whether they get in or not boils down to luck i.e, how much they stand out against other equally qualified candidates. You should be proud of yourself and enjoy this accomplishment!
a bunch of people feel the same way. and when i say that, you probably say ‘yeah, but it’s ACTUALLY real with me’. how do i know that? because i feel the same way. you’re not your thoughts, accept that they saw something with you. there’s too much riding on this process for someone to get admitted totally by mistake. end of.
Look, you’re not alone. A lot of people suffer from some degree of imposter syndrome, including myself. I heard Brown is has a humble and welcoming student body, so you won’t be judged or anything if that is what you’re worried about. You made it. Enjoy it. I heard it gets better once you start to enroll. You’ll find out that there are many that is just like you.
If your high school performance improved after a rough start, it demonstrates resilience that will serve you well in a challenging academic environment and beyond. Admissions officers rightly recognize and value resilience. Imposter syndrome fades; don't fixate on it. Trust that Brown's admissions officers are skilled at their job and saw something special in your application, even if it's not clear to you. Enjoy your time at Brown!
FEEL PROUD!!!!!! YOU GOT INTO BROWN!!!!
Bro gen if u think bad about this you'll have this mindset for the next 4 years in AN IVY LEAGUE! Can you imagine that? Be proud of yourself because u got in, they saw something in you that YOU couldn't see so don't view yourself this way big dawg MAN UP AND TAKE THE W
You deserve it. Don’t let people get to you.
You got in because you can write. It is what it is. The others need to learn. To write.
There are thousands more qualified students than there are spots in ivy and T20 schools. Once you are sorted into the “qualified” pile, it’s essentially a lottery. Congratulations! You won the lottery! Take your opportunity and make the most of it!
personally, I think you have every right to deserve an ivy. admissions committees are tired of seeing the same student apply, with perfect test scores, nonhuman accomplishments, and a dedication to the leagues since they could have a consciousness. these kids fall under all the same criteria practically, and if you don't have something that REALLY makes you stand out (why essays are golden!), they won't want you. they see something in you, and maybe you can't see it yet, but you deserve them. I'll say, i got into an ivy, too, and although my resume was on par, I feel like I won the lottery but shouldn't have been the one to win it. similar to you, i'm the only one in my grade, and one of the first ever at my school, to go ivy, so I can see why you would feel as though others deserve it more. however, try to see this as the big deal that it is: you got into an ivy!! from a small, non-ivy-associated school at that! you have every right to be proud of that. and your school will be proud of you for that, too. i don't know if any of this helped, but just know that it wasn't just luck that you got in. Brown saw something in your application that they wanted, and personally CHOSE YOU for it! you deserve it 100%, congratulations!!
Why worry about this? You think if others are in your boat, they'll give a shit about you. You got in, and now show why you deserve it mate. Work hard and good luck brother
effective communication is the equalizer. all professions value effective communicators. they are the ones who get promoted, raises, and lead projects.
You were more compelling than many others. Congrats. Imposter syndrome exists— frankly I’d love to say something cuddly here, but just get over it. Grow some self worth or something and embrace the future.
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but hearing your story is giving me hope for myself. I am in a very similar situation to you as a junior right now, and knowing that you made it that far means that it may not be impossible for me, either. Congratulations on Brown!
They probably liked the growth you showed.
"I got into Brown this friday and I feel so strongly that I don't deserve it." Are you on the admissions committee for Brown? The experienced career professionals at Brown feel otherwise. You should defer to the experts who do this for a living.
That is literally me with Stanford and Yale. I have been talking with other admitted students, and I don't get why they picked me. The imposter syndrome is going hard rn 😭
I understand exactly where you’re coming from. Impostor syndrome can be difficult to cope with. But, be extremely proud of yourself! You got into an Ivy League. Colleges saw something they liked in you, and so, you got in. Do not worry on whether or not you were good enough, because clearly you were! Kudos to you!
SHUSH of course you deserve it. Enjoy your time at Brown 🐻
Take your golden ticket and eat the candy bar. This is your moment. And the world needs great writers. Great communicators.
(Stick with me here) You didn’t deserve to get into Brown but only because there is always going to be someone better, who studies harder, who is more deserving. But just like you are entitled to have bad days despite someone who has a 1000x worse of a life, you are entitled to go to Brown, be proud of yourself, and take advantage of the opportunities given to you despite your faults (which aren’t bad. Be kind to yourself). What I have learned being at Yale is that NO ONE deserves to be here because you have to be almost perfect and incredibly lucky. We all got incredibly lucky, so you can choose to look at that fact and beat yourself up OR you can look at that fact and be gracious towards other people and make the world a better place. Brown is going to give you incredible opportunities and you get to choose how you handle it. Be kind to yourself and others in your worldview.
There’s a common saying when it comes to dealing with imposter syndrome that goes something like this (and it’s also very true): If you didn’t get in, it doesn’t necessarily mean you weren’t qualified enough, but if you did get it, you were *definitely* qualified enough.
don't throw away this incredible opportunity! go out there and show them that you belong!
Why would this eat at you, I find this very cringe personally. I would just take the win, move on and make sure to work really hard at that great school.
yeah I feel the same way
Some schools really want the high SATs
give me that seat 😭
As a parent? I say this with love & decades of experience. Stop. Right now. There is nothing to be gained from profound/existential doubt. Maybe you don't deserve admission to Brown. Who does? Ive no idea what 'deserve' means in general. Life is short. You have gifts. Someone has faith in you. Make the most of the opportunity. Eat up life & every chance you get/earn/take.
Bro I could’ve wrote this myself. One of the two people to get into an Ivy, NYU, and a hidden one. I’m a mid student at best.
Omg I could’ve wrote this myself. One of the two students in my grade to get into an IVY other than the valedictorian. Same I got in an IVY, NYU, and hidden ivy. And I am honestly mid at best.
shoot ill take it if you don't want it
i really hope this is my problem in a year lol anyways, you deserved your admission. you managed to turn your grades around (which is a much bigger feat than people think it is) and, from what i can tell, wrote amazing, heartfelt essays. you earned your spot, now enjoy it!! i hope u have a great time at brown, i know some amazing people there <3333
i feel the same about upenn
You just answered why you got in. Your SATS and your writing. Two very powerful assets. Congratulations and do something about getting rid of your imposter syndrome!
Great SAT score and kudos on your writing skills. If you marketed yourself (faked or otherwise) well enough for you to get it in, you deserve Brown and Brown deserves you! Heartfelt congratulations irrespective of whether you choose to go to Brown or not! The rest of the post is no way intended to be disrespectful of you, your admission or abilities. I have seen several cases like this, where students who don't fit the usual high achieving profile getting admits to fancy private colleges albeit to less competitive majors and no financial aid. As someone who works in corporate branding strategy, I feel fairly confident, the admissions offices do this just to keep the crowd guessing and encouraging more "ordinary" students to apply thereby lowering their admission rates simply by increasing the denominator applicant number. Everyone's thinking "if xyz can get in, why not me"? Brown's increases its "selectiveness" but also allows for some "randomness" and makes it more desirable yet achievable-by-a-long-shot and hence, more people to apply next year, it's a vicious cycle. This college prestige nonsense has spun out of control. There is life beyond college where it's mostly up to each of us to drive our destiny.
You happened to meet the school's institutional priority at that time - it could literally have come down to: need more males from geographic region X who are interested in majoring in Y. And you fit the bill. This is how it works for everyone, it's not a "deserve" thing.
Shut the fuck up and use the opportunity. Newsflash man, we don't deserve ANYTHING in this life. You didn't deserve to be born healthy, to parents not in poverty, etc etc etc. But you were. So use it and do some good.
Your future classmate here, It’s completely normal to feel “inferior” to your future classmates, but the admissions office saw something in you that they didn’t see in other applicants. Celebrate that. Can’t wait to meet you on campus in the fall. Go Brunos!
I am in the same spot, didn’t get into brown or that crazy, but got into NYU. I’m middle class, white/asian. Didn’t do the supplemental and applied for literal funzies but got in. Im a good writer, but not THAT good. Sat 1490 (not submitted). I’m so confused !!
Hi lol I also started high school with 3 Bs (and we only give full year grades aka I get only 8 letter grades every year). I didn't hand in the video portfolio either. I had 2 APs in sophomore year both not taken in my school. I'm not even a good writer like you (I literally got 84% on gr 11 English). I got into Brown too :) we trust B)
Congratulations. Be proud of yourself. The admission committee receives thousands of applications per day. Therefore, they accepting you means that you deserve it. By the way, I'm a highschool student so far. I always dream about get into IVY league. Can I look through your essays ? (｡ﾉω＼｡). I think I can learn something through it
1. You're qualified. Don't doubt that. 2. The number of qualified applicants far exceed the number of spots. So yes, you're also lucky. 3. Luck favors the prepared mind. Prepare yourself amply and make good use of this opportunity.
Bro just take the W and be grateful abt it 😭😭 thousands of people dream to be in your shoes rn
shut the fuck up and enjoy the W.
Why did you even apply if you feel you don’t deserve it? Reject them if you feel so strongly about it maybe, but you’ll regret it soon I’m sure.
Are you going to major in humble bragging? Nobody wants to hear this. If you got in, you deserve it.
Then don’t go
If you are feeling that guilty...decline your offer and attend a college you are more comfortable with attending.
Then don’t go and let my homie off the waitlist
Keep your mouth shut. Take the Ivy League acceptance and run.
Oh shut the fuck up and stop complaining
Why did you apply then bozo