Name: Annie

Home State: Arkansas

HS GPA: 4.11 weighted, 4.0 unweighted

SAT/ACT Scores: 800 CR, 770 M, 760 W; 34 ACT

How many schools did you apply to? 10

Which ones? Bowdoin, Colgate, Gettysburg, Goucher, Mills, Scripps, Swarthmore, Tufts, University of Chicago, Yale

Were you surprised by any of your admissions decisions? I thought I might be wait-listed at Yale, but no such luck. I was a little unsure about getting into the University of Chicago, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Did you apply early decision/early action to any schools? Are you happy with your decision? No

Where did you get in? Bowdoin, Colgate, Gettysburg, Goucher, Mills, Scripps, Tufts, University of Chicago

Did you get waitlisted anywhere? I was waitlisted at Swarthmore and promptly removed my name from their list.

Where will you be next fall? How excited are you? I will be attending the University of Chicago and I am incredibly excited. The school is amazing, the people are pleasantly crazy, and Chicago is a great city!

Why did you choose the school you did? I wanted a school that would challenge me and give me great opportunities, and I believe the University of Chicago is the school that meets these criteria.

What advice do you have for surviving the admissions process? Definitely start on your essays sooner. I would recommend setting a deadline to have your application done at least a week before the actual deadline. I finished many of my applications on the day of the deadline, which caused a lot of stress. Try and have a teacher proofread your essays, which means getting them done before Christmas Break. You might want to make a list of every school you want to apply to and then ask yourself, “Would I actually consider going to every school on this list if I was accepted?”

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently, if anything? I would not have applied to so many schools that I didn't know that much about. I also would have finished my essays before Christmas Break so my English teacher could have helped me with them. I really wish I had finished my applications early so I could have stressed less and had more time to proofread.

Anything else? The college application process does decide the next stage of your life, but remember that getting into a college is not an indicator of success and an acceptance letter is not a trophy. I've seen so many students in my high school get fixated on getting into some of the big name schools, but you still have to attend the school after you get into it. On the other hand, I would recommend applying to "Reach" schools because people often underestimate their chances, but don't choose your college because of its name and prestige, choose your college because of its merits and compatibility with you.

Annie