Ask HN: I got rejected by all the US colleges I applied to. Now what?
39 comments
Your "low" ACT score is in the 89th percentile. You simply should've applied to some state schools as backup—you definitely would've gotten in some. If you're still focused on only going to top private schools, you retake the ACT and try again next year but should really consider applying to others as well.
Crikey. With that experience and that much money why do you want to go to college? You’re so far ahead of the game right now, you could continue your entrepreneurship with a level of freedom and resources that most folks could only dream of.
If you want to learn stuff for your own benefit, or for potential entrepreneurial application, I’ve gotten a lot out of Coursera over the years. There are many great courses covering a broad range of interests.
What is it you’re hoping to get out of college?
If you want to learn stuff for your own benefit, or for potential entrepreneurial application, I’ve gotten a lot out of Coursera over the years. There are many great courses covering a broad range of interests.
What is it you’re hoping to get out of college?
Another path you can take is to enroll at a community college for a year or two to demonstrate your ability to succeed in coursework. Check with the school to be sure that the coursework credits you earn will transfer to a larger school of your choice.
A relative of mine took that path (due to the crappy school he attended as a teen) and graduated as a chemistry honors student from a State University.
Reliance on ACT scores (yours isn't all that low!) is a mechanical, shitty practice. Route around the damage.
A relative of mine took that path (due to the crappy school he attended as a teen) and graduated as a chemistry honors student from a State University.
Reliance on ACT scores (yours isn't all that low!) is a mechanical, shitty practice. Route around the damage.
Take a year and do your company and apply again next year? It seems like the whole university system is kind of wondering what will happen in the fall right now due to the virus. You could have more time to prep and do the ACT over again, and apply to the same schools again and maybe add a couple of others just to widen the net? Seems like you really have a good head on your shoulders. Best of luck.
In context those A-level results are good enough for any of the top 20 if not top 10 universities in the UK, it's a good qualification if not quite top 5 levels ( oxbridge / top london uni's. )
I suspect the Ivy leagues have enough domestic applicants that a very respectable, but not outstanding candidate with less well understood grades would not make the cut here.
I suspect the Ivy leagues have enough domestic applicants that a very respectable, but not outstanding candidate with less well understood grades would not make the cut here.
Grow your business, fuck college. Also, one little known fact is that you can appeal these rejections. Just write a letter to the head of admissions explaining why you think your denial was mistake, tell them about yourself and your experience.
Go to a community college. If you live in a big city, some of the professors are senior manager or executive from some of the largest firms in the area. Not only that, the professors there really care about the students.
East Coast private Schools, also heavily favor SAT Scores over ACT. ACT is preferred in the Midwest and South.
Definitely check out some big state schools like University of Maryland, U of Wisconsin, U of Michigan. These schools have large research grants and funding, and they have access to some of the best large scientific computing platforms (HPC and Mainframes).
They may not have the entrepreneurial prestige, but they all have decent business schools in addition to great compsci programs, so you could dual major or minor.
Definitely check out some big state schools like University of Maryland, U of Wisconsin, U of Michigan. These schools have large research grants and funding, and they have access to some of the best large scientific computing platforms (HPC and Mainframes).
They may not have the entrepreneurial prestige, but they all have decent business schools in addition to great compsci programs, so you could dual major or minor.
Double down on your company. That success will be your credentials and how to make you’re living.
You may not realize it, but you have happy problems.
Many of your peers are starting adulthood with $0. They are about to take on massive debt for a useless degree. All to become an modern day indentured servant to interest payments. For the rest of their life. It makes the old time 7 years of indentured servitude sound like a pretty good deal.
Many of your peers are starting adulthood with $0. They are about to take on massive debt for a useless degree. All to become an modern day indentured servant to interest payments. For the rest of their life. It makes the old time 7 years of indentured servitude sound like a pretty good deal.
Feel free to apply to UW (University of Washington http://www.dailyuw.com/news/article_1219baae-7c21-11ea-99ac-...) for 2021. They will not be requiring SAT/ACT scores. This is assuming you want to spend $$$ for a degree, which may or may not be worth it.
IMO I'd go for a local community college and do the first 2 years there, which is much cheaper. Also schools in EU are cheap/free not mortgage the damn house.
Also you can reapply, it is not the end of the world life for the majority of us is long... I got rejected from all 5 ivy-level biomedcial PHD programs I applied to, barring one with a late application date which I could still get rejected from lol.
IMO I'd go for a local community college and do the first 2 years there, which is much cheaper. Also schools in EU are cheap/free not mortgage the damn house.
Also you can reapply, it is not the end of the world life for the majority of us is long... I got rejected from all 5 ivy-level biomedcial PHD programs I applied to, barring one with a late application date which I could still get rejected from lol.
The question is why is getting into a US college so important for you? Is it academically interesting for you, or is it getting the rights to add some letters at end of your name?
Once you have answered it, it may turn out that it is not so important after all. My advise is to look deeper.
Once you have answered it, it may turn out that it is not so important after all. My advise is to look deeper.
1. Why do you even want to go to college? It'll bore you out of your mind given your credentials.
2. Go to a state college, it's infinitely cheaper for nearly the same thing.
2. Go to a state college, it's infinitely cheaper for nearly the same thing.
I agree with what others have said about the value not being there given your current accomplishments.
If you are one of the rare few looking for the real value in attending an Ivy League college (relationships you’ll make with professors and other students), get a full time job - can probably even be a janitor if nothing else - at your university of choice, then audit your choice of courses as staff are generally allowed to do without any admission requirements.
If you are one of the rare few looking for the real value in attending an Ivy League college (relationships you’ll make with professors and other students), get a full time job - can probably even be a janitor if nothing else - at your university of choice, then audit your choice of courses as staff are generally allowed to do without any admission requirements.
> Now what?
Launch your next company. Invest in your ability to grow capital. Higher education is massively over priced right now, in general. I know firms who have hired lawyers for jack squat to replace paralegals because we have a glut of graduates. Graduates are serving drinks and driving ubers. You have a talent that a college cannot teach. Use it.
Launch your next company. Invest in your ability to grow capital. Higher education is massively over priced right now, in general. I know firms who have hired lawyers for jack squat to replace paralegals because we have a glut of graduates. Graduates are serving drinks and driving ubers. You have a talent that a college cannot teach. Use it.
I’d say you have two options:
1. Look into universities in Continental Europe. Most are free or have low tuition and will still give you a solid education. I recommend somewhere in Germany, Austria, Sweden or the Netherlands. Depending on the city, $100,000 will cover your expenses for 5-10 years.
2. Spend the next year prepping for the SAT. Hire a private tutor, sign up for courses, etc. Then get a high score and reapply next year.
1. Look into universities in Continental Europe. Most are free or have low tuition and will still give you a solid education. I recommend somewhere in Germany, Austria, Sweden or the Netherlands. Depending on the city, $100,000 will cover your expenses for 5-10 years.
2. Spend the next year prepping for the SAT. Hire a private tutor, sign up for courses, etc. Then get a high score and reapply next year.
Woah can $100k really take you 5-10 years? What are cities you're thinking of?
In Austria, you can get a single appartment for 400-600€. A room in a shared flat can be even cheaper. So with 100000$ you can indeed survive for 10 years or live comfortably for 5 years. This mostly applies to Germany as well, although certain cities (like Munich) are rather expensive.
Most smaller university cities in Germany and Austria are very inexpensive. Leipzig, Heidelberg, Kassel, Münster for example. Even Vienna or Berlin are not too bad if you are okay living further out and with roommates.
> Woah can $100k really take you 5-10 years?
In some cities for $100k you can buy your own apartment and have some money to spare.
In some cities for $100k you can buy your own apartment and have some money to spare.
Have you considered The European Union? University education is very affordable, and you can live off 100k USD for 2-3 years comfortably. I can recommend the Netherlands, good tech universities here. It would also be an experience that few of your generation can afford.
A lot of people who care about credentials seem to have done undergrad in a state school, then moved on to graduate school in ivy leagues.
That describes maybe half of my coworkers.
That describes maybe half of my coworkers.
ACT requires prep. Ivy college admissions without legacy typically requires hiring an application coach 2-3+ years before applying.
The big things you lose by not going to college are dorm life and friendships/networking.
The big things you lose by not going to college are dorm life and friendships/networking.
Several schools like Colgate, Vassar, and BU are dropping their ACT/SAT requirements due to coronavirus, so you might not be completely out of options.
That's for next year. But you are right, I think the only aspect OP is missing is standardized test scores. Multiple colleges will go optional next year, so OP should retry again.
Consider applying to a different school, perhaps a state school. A common strategy is to go to a community college for 2 years and then transfer.
I did that on a TAA even though I was GATE, NMS, and had a perfect math SAT I 800.# It loses dorm life and social aspects, doesn't save much money, it messes up course scheduling, and there can be an impedance mismatch in terms of course content/prerequisites. I would recommend against it if at all possible.
# 4-5 years of Boston snow or flambéing in Pasadena didn't seem appealing.
# 4-5 years of Boston snow or flambéing in Pasadena didn't seem appealing.
I think "A levels" implies the UK.
It seems like you are an international student, within the British Education system. Is that correct?
If so, check out /r/intltousa
If so, check out /r/intltousa
Are you international?
If so, not surprised. You need to be einstein to get into anywhere interesting with international status
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Why do you want to go to college? Have you thought about the possibility of studying in Europe instead?
Why do you want to college in the US?
Why do you want to go to college? You already have a career.
Why do you want to go to college? You already have a career.
Ask Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison ... Interesting that a guy with your background would even need to think about going to a college ...
Think about where you want to be 3-5 years from now. From an IRR and ROI perspective, not all colleges are equal and often trade schools yield higher relative returns. You definitely have a lot of capital and can invest in future endeavors. Try to apply for a software internship for the summer -- strong way to gain hard skills and determine whether tech life is a good fit.
- I applied to all the Ivy’s plus half a dozen other private undergraduate colleges. Got rejected from all.
- I assumed my ‘other’ credentials will make up for my low ACT score. I guess i was wrong.
- I scored straight A’s in my A Levels.
- I co-founded a company that has been successfully running for 3+ years now.
- I play a very popular sport at the state level.
- I expected to at least get into Babson (for its entrepreneurship program). But nope.
- Not an expert yet, but i can code (python, javascript).
On the plus side, i have saved 100,000+ USD that i can use as seed capital if i launch my company.