As admission decisions start coming out, there's a lot of off-the-charts jubilation going around, but a lot of heartache as well. Throughout the year, the most common question I get from students is 'What do I need to do to get into XYZ University?
This article is priceless and I've shared it with students when things seem particularly dismal. For a student, one rejection letter (even from a high reach school) can feel devastating, even though we adults know that the rest of the schools are more promising and this heartache will turn into over-the-top, on-cloud-nine happiness sooner rather than later.
MIT didn't admit a student who created a fully functional nuclear reactor in his garage. Think about that for a second.
But that's good news. It means you don't have to be a full fledged scientist when you're 17 years old. It means that the rest of us have a chance because these schools are looking at the entire student, and not just the crazy smart, hands on, nuclear reactor creating type of students.
The author goes on to say there's no golden ticket to these prestigious, Ivy League tier schools. Couldn't have said it better myself. Happy reading!