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Didn't get accepted.

Hummer

Hummer

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 3, 2006
1,012
0
Queens, New York NY-5
Well you could say its my fault for not having a backup, but the only school I want to go to is NYU. I applied with early decision, but did not get in. Now I'm wondering if I can appeal or apply again for regular decision despite their policy on deferring people to normal decision.

Is anyone familiar with effective methods of appealing a college's decision?
 
I don't think you'll expect much success, other than applying again for next year. If this university is truly the only one you want to go to, try taking a year at a community college and get really outstanding grades. Once you do, they no longer look at high school stuff. At least, thats how I understand it (I got lots of Ds and Fs in high school but I was accepted into a moderately selective D1 private school).
 
Sorry to hear that, but you're not going to have any luck trying to appeal it. You either get in or you don't. If you really want to go there, try going to a state college or community college for the first year or two, get really good grades, and then reapply.

Plus, if you go to a state school for your first couple of years, you can get your general requirements out of the way much cheaper than doing it at a school like NYU.

Lucky for you that you applied early decision and already found out, because you still have time to make deadlines for other schools. But get on that, because some have January 1st deadlines.
 
Have a backup uni.

I'm sorry, but that's life. You'll enjoy yourself at essentially any uni, and as long as you choose another university with a good reputation, you'll do fine in life.
 
I didn't get into the college of my choice, and it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm quite successful and I'm living my life exactly as I had always envisioned. (note: I still did go to college, just at my second choice, which was not quite as good).
 
Hummer said:
Well you could say its my fault for not having a backup, but the only school I want to go to is NYU. I applied with early decision, but did not get in. Now I'm wondering if I can appeal or apply again for regular decision despite their policy on deferring people to normal decision.

Is anyone familiar with effective methods of appealing a college's decision?
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you can make an appeal, but i only would if you are absolutely positive that they misread something in your application or you were passed up unfairly etc.

i was in your shoes a few years ago, but i eventually chose not to argue with stanford's final decision. but only b/c i knew i wasnt one of thier best applicants and i remembered you cant always get what you want. you have to be able to say "you were wrong and heres why". but there must be some extreme circumstances to persuade them, nothing along the lines of "i did this in high school and i scored this on my sat". in all honesty, i would say keep you chin up, and apply to some other schools. i would only make an appeal when you applied to some safety schools. just dont put all of your eggs in one basket, and realize that colleges receive a myriad of appeals from rejected applicants, so it wouldnt hurt to have a plan b.

PS. the first realization you will have when you finally do go off to a university is how little your current perception of college rankings means. you will honestly have a pretty swell time wherever you end up
 
My only thought is that the name of a school is what lands the job. So if I go into an interview and have a degree from a lesser known school I'd be passed up to someone with a degree from a much more prestigious school, despite having the same credentials.

I did apply to many other schools which I have already been accepted to, but I didn't think I'd actually have to go to one of them. I was really aiming at NYU. Especially since I'm paying for my own education, I'm not sure about paying for a college I'm not so enthusiastic about going to.
 
NYU is a great school, but remember there are quite a few other great schools that you could go to as well that will carry the same name power as NYU.
 
dpaanlka said:
I don't think you'll expect much success, other than applying again for next year. If this university is truly the only one you want to go to, try taking a year at a community college and get really outstanding grades. Once you do, they no longer look at high school stuff. At least, thats how I understand it (I got lots of Ds and Fs in high school but I was accepted into a moderately selective D1 private school).
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NYU, Columbia, and all the other Ivies do indeed ask for high school transcripts along with your college transcript for transferring. They also require you to submit your SAT and SAT II scores. However, the thing to note is that they will look for improvement, not just rule you out if you had a rocky start in high school.
Hummer said:
My only thought is that the name of a school is what lands the job. So if I go into an interview and have a degree from a lesser known school I'd be passed up to someone with a degree from a much more prestigious school, despite having the same credentials.

I did apply to many other schools which I have already been accepted to, but I didn't think I'd actually have to go to one of them. I was really aiming at NYU. Especially since I'm paying for my own education, I'm not sure about paying for a college I'm not so enthusiastic about going to.
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Names do have their importance, but don't let it get to you. It all depends on what you want to study. If, for example, your dream is computer science, NYU would be nice, but a state school would also get you the job just as well.

On the other hand, if you want to go into a highly competitive profession (doctor, lawyer, etc) the name means a lot more.

Just out of curiosity (and you DON'T have to answer this if you don't want to publicly) what was your GPA and SAT scores (including SAT IIs)?
 
it may sound cold, but undergrad is overrated. go to a JC if you don't have a backup. have at least 5 backups next year when you apply.

CalBoy said:
On the other hand, if you want to go into a highly competitive profession (doctor, lawyer, etc) the name means a lot more.
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not exactly true. i haven't looked at last year's stats, but my impression is that for medicine, your own standing within your school is more important than the school's name. this is especially true for cal's premeds, and it's also the reason that you'd see a CSU grad (or someone who did the rereqs at at JC) gettin into a highly competitive med school.
 
BiTurboMunkie said:
it may sound cold, but undergrad is overrated. go to a JC if you don't have a backup. have at least 5 backups next year when you apply.
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Much agreed. Backups are always nice.


not exactly true. i haven't looked at last year's stats, but my impression is that for medicine, your own standing within your school is more important than the school's name. this is especially true for cal's premeds, and it's also the reason that you'd see a CSU grad (or someone who did the rereqs at at JC) gettin into a highly competitive med school.
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I actually meant for when you enter the profession. I know for lawyers at least, being able to say "I went to..." will help you get a job a lot easier.
 
CalBoy said:
I actually meant for when you enter the profession. I know for lawyers at least, being able to say "I went to..." will help you get a job a lot easier.
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hmmm... do they still look at undergrad institution if you got a grad degree?
 
Try the CUNY or SUNY systems. Each school has different specializations, and most are outstanding in their field. There's always SUNY Maritime at Throg's Neck. Won't need much more than a bus pass or a bike to get there!
 
BiTurboMunkie said:
it may sound cold, but undergrad is overrated. go to a JC if you don't have a backup. have at least 5 backups next year when you apply.
Click to expand...

Pretty much true. You're not going to get a professional job just based solely on your bachelor's degree anymore. Advanced degrees are a must in many fields, and it's better to get a more general degree in PoliSci or Economics than, say, Pre-Law or Business. Get a well-rounded education now and specialize in grad school if you want to go that route.

I feel for kids today, though. The generation going through college now is much, much larger than my own, and the number of slots available in universities have not increased that much, so the competition to get in to the best schools seems really intense right now. 20 years ago, I feel like I got into some really good schools without trying particularly hard. That would not fly today at all.
 
BiTurboMunkie said:
hmmm... do they still look at undergrad institution if you got a grad degree?
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Huh...I hadn't thought of that. I suppose not. It really all depends on your grad/pro school.
Silencio said:
Pretty much true. You're not going to get a professional job just based solely on your bachelor's degree anymore. Advanced degrees are a must in many fields, and it's better to get a more general degree in PoliSci or Economics than, say, Pre-Law or Business. Get a well-rounded education now and specialize in grad school if you want to go that route.

I feel for kids today, though. The generation going through college now is much, much larger than my own, and the number of slots available in universities have not increased that much, so the competition to get in to the best schools seems really intense right now. 20 years ago, I feel like I got into some really good schools without trying particularly hard. That would not fly today at all.
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Oh yes, it's quite tough these days. So few slots, so many wanting them. Then again, part of the problem is that the current generation (myself included) is the baby boomer's offspring. Once we finish with college, enrollment will decline steadily and return to normal.

BTW, there is no "pre-law" major. ;)
 
Sorry to hear - I know the suspense.

I applied to Mass College of Art and Design with Early Action - It's my first choice school and I'm pretty confident I will get in: I have a solid portfolio, very good board scores, a much higher GPA, a billion legitimate community activities, and over 8 years service with the Boy Scouts to back me up. Plus, we know a few people at admissions. If I don't get accepted at MassArt... Well, I don't know what I will do. Maybe take a year off and work full time or something, as other school's don't interest me all too much (at least right now).

Anyway, I really don't have any other school, aside from RISD, but I'm obviously not so confident about getting in that school... I will apply anyway, but I won't be disappointed if I don't get in there. Really, it will be more a jab at my pride than anything.
 
"My only thought is that the name of a school is what lands the job. So if I go into an interview and have a degree from a lesser known school I'd be passed up to someone with a degree from a much more prestigious school, despite having the same credentials. "

Not true unless it is Harvard, MIT, Sanford, etc. I've interviewed College Grads and don't care one wit what school they went to. Remember... what schools did those who are interviewing you go to? You'll find that some went to very run of the mill schools. What is important in college is how hard you apply yourself. You can get a quality education at 90+ % of the schools out there. Good luck.

Once you do land the job... you're coworkers, managers, etc don't care what school you went to... it's all about performance on the job.
 
BiTurboMunkie said:
it may sound cold, but undergrad is overrated. go to a JC if you don't have a backup. have at least 5 backups next year when you apply.



not exactly true. i haven't looked at last year's stats, but my impression is that for medicine, your own standing within your school is more important than the school's name. this is especially true for cal's premeds, and it's also the reason that you'd see a CSU grad (or someone who did the rereqs at at JC) gettin into a highly competitive med school.
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Hey dont diss CSU (colorado state haha)
 
Plymouthbreezer said:
Sorry to hear - I know the suspense.

I applied to Mass College of Art and Design with Early Action

Anyway, I really don't have any other school, aside from RISD, but I'm obviously not so confident about getting in that school.
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when i went to college, i did NOT get into massart, but i DID get into RISD (on a pretty sizable scholarship, no less).

lesson: don't try and predict what will or won't happen, you just drive yourself crazy. i was sure i had a much better chance getting into massart than risd. i was apparently wrong :)
 
....and/or do something really interesting, even if it's volunteering. The idea is to make your year worthwhile to your target university, but more importantly, to yourself. You may find out that goal of NYU or major of choice may change as you get real world experience.
BTW, I wasn't accepted by NYU or RISD, either. Over the years, I evolved (or de-volved :p) from the fine arts to cognitive science, finally getting my PhD in a field that I wasn't in my vocabulary when I began my undergraduate studies.
 
Honestly, I can't say I have a ton of sympathy. You're just asking for it by only applying to 1 school. At least have some sort of safety - you don't have to go even if you get accepted. Now you're in a harder position and its because you were too stubborn to expand your horizons.

They're even less likely to accept you a 2nd time around. See if you can still get an application in at another school, and failing that, look at Community college and prepare for a transfer into NYU or another school.

I know someone already asked, but what are your numbers? (gpa, act, sat 1/2)
 
Hummer, I'm going to be honest... You're being far too close-minded. There is no reason to think that NYU is the only school worth going to.

Hummer said:
My only thought is that the name of a school is what lands the job...
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Not as important as you may think. Your degree is really what matters.

Plymouthbreezer said:
Scratch that suspense - I got my acceptance letter from MassArt today. =]
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Congratulations, although that announcement in this thread seems somewhat tasteless, in my opinion.
 
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