Ivy League-bound? Maybe

// June 1st, 2009 // Academic

Last summer, I was devastated to find out I couldn’t attend UC Berkeley for financial reasons. This entire year, I stayed in Canada studying commerce and wondering what was so fundamentally wrong with me that 1) the Ivy League universities rejected me and 2) I’m unable to go to the wonderful schools like UCLA and UC Berkeley that DID accept me. Suffice to say, my desire to get a better education beyond UBC was never fully snuffed out.

I spent months dwelling on the issue and due to a series of wonderfully-timed events and opportunities, I decided to apply for transfer application to just a single US school. What’s with me and one-shot deals? I spent weeks perfecting my essay and days chasing after professors to get them to write me recommendation letters and give midterm grades. I did all of this in secret. Not a single one of my friends know. My PARENTS did not know. About a month ago, the only people who knew I applied for transfer was probably a handful of profs, a counsellor, the admissions committee, and the mailman.

This time it wasn’t randomly applying for the prestige, but rather, the result of intensive research into a program that matched my interests and aspirations perfectly. I remember that morning vividly, calling the Admissions Office trying to find my decision. When the lady on the other end replied, all I could say was “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD”.

I have been accepted into Cornell University for Fall 2009 transfer!!

*Runs around the house in ecstasy* I will be studying a mixture of management, economics, government, and history at Industrial and Labor Relations!!! At this point I haven’t gotten a paper copy of my acceptance and financial aid yet, so I don’t know if I’ll be going. BUT OH, MY, GOD, five years of high school, two years of IB, a year of university, it wasn’t all in vain! The application process taught me so much about myself too :D I will really have to weigh all the commitments and leadership potential I have at my current school against a totally different path in the States. I hope to bring further good news.

P.S. - shhh, no one at my current school knows! They’ll kill me if they find out XD

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11 Responses to “Ivy League-bound? Maybe”

  1. Holly says:
    June 1, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    Congratulations! :D

  2. Manda says:
    June 2, 2009 at 11:42 am

    Congrats on Cornell! One of my friends goes there and loves it :D

  3. Erin says:
    June 2, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    Awesome! Congratulations, Crystal! :) One of my old high school friends goes there, and Dan actually got a guaranteed transfer for Fall 2009. (He was so mad that they didn’t accept him for Fall 2008. And he’s choosing not to take the opportunity.) I hope that you get a good financial aid package from them. It’s a great school, and the campus is lovely. Strange to think our schools would only be an hour away from each other…

  4. Robmarie says:
    June 2, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    Holy crap — that’s amazing! Congratulations! :D Best of luck with the financial aid as well.

  5. Amanda says:
    June 2, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    Congratulations Crystal! I know how shattered you were when you couldn’t go to Berkeley, so this is a great opportunity for you!

  6. Yingna says:
    June 2, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    Congrats! I hope you can go there. You’ll be able to experience NY weather (though maybe colder since it’s up north) and come down to NYC!

  7. Regina says:
    June 3, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    CONGRATULATIONS! My goodness, that’s awesome!

  8. Meg says:
    June 5, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Oh my god, CONGRATULATIONS! I’m so happy for you :) I hope they give you an awesome financial aid package so you can for sure go there, because it sounds like it’s what you really want. That was my problem when I was applying — I really didn’t know what I want, and I didn’t do enough research, but oh well, that’s all in the past now!

  9. Mimi says:
    June 7, 2009 at 9:20 am

    Congratulations on your acceptance! :D I hope you’ll get the financial aid and be able to go!

  10. Sabbi says:
    June 12, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    CONGRATLATIONS!
    I hope your near future turns out well!
    If anyone has time, I’d love for you to visit my blog. As you can see in my posts, I am extremely out spoken..
    Congratulations again!!!
    sabbits.blog.com (or google sab Bits)

  11. Al, formerly "IB Student" says:
    September 18, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    Congrats on your acceptance! (Although this is quite a bit late, haha). I really hope you enjoy your time at Cornell!

    But I must say…

    Are our lives running parallel to each other or something…?

    Two years of IB, and also the same problem this summer with my first choice university (at which I was accepted, which of course made me tremendously happy). I was devastated when I found out I couldn’t attend after all because of financial reasons. Oddly enough, I am also somehow at a university now that I tried to avoid. I am happier here than I ever imagined I would be, but still.

    Your news gave me hope, though. I forgot about transfer applications! :)

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