> What if - horror - I don't get into any private college and end up going to the University of California?
>
> Yes, I know that the UCs aren't a bad choice. It's just that I don't want to go somewhere that will give me an experience almost exactly like high school. I want something more than that - I mean, I haven't even seen snow before. I want to remedy that in college.

First of all, what are you talking about? What high school do you go to? I don't know one UC that is almost exactly like high school. I doubt there are any four year colleges much like that but I haven't been to them all.

Second, are you just trying to get away from home or is it really snow that you want to live in? If you are dying to live in the snow, then yes, you need to get out of California. But if you stay in California, snow is only a few hours drive from any of the UCs.

And not just the UC schools, but with any school, you should visit the campus before you form a concrete opinion. I know lots of students who did a complete 180 after visiting. The school either felt like home or it didn't and your gut can tell you a lot. How many of these private schools have you visited? Are all eight really ones you would want to go to or are they ones you think (or others think) you should go to. This is a big chunk of your life and not a decision to make lightly.

Sticking with the UCs, yes, they are similar in a lot of ways but if you visited each campus, you would get a completely different feel at each one. All of them are going to give you a great education in the classroom but they aren't all going to be right for you. As for all colleges, don't let an attitude of feeling that you are better than a certain school get in the way of finding the school that is right for you.

You need to do what is right for you and not look at other people so much, especially when it comes to who got in to where. Once the application leaves your hands, you have no control over what happens next. Pointing your finger at someone and saying you are better than them and should get in over them only makes you look petty. Not an appealing trait to admissions counselors. I guess my main point here is to try not and worry about what you cannot control.

>
> The problem with all these applications is the essays, though.

The essays really can suck, though. It really depends on the school when it comes to how much stock they put into the essay. Always assume that they are being read and can make a difference but realize that it isn't the only thing they look at.

>
> It becomes a vicious cycle that just makes every year's acceptances harder to predict.

Exactly. It is impossible to predict so don't even try. Get that worry out of the way. If you hear that doing "A" will help you, you aren't the only one who has heard this so doing it will probably be moot.

>
> Suffice it to say that I'm nervous because this final score will determine if I have a remote chance at getting into a college.

Again, something that is now out of your hands. At this point, you can only react to the results, you can't change them. Do what you need to do in the situation when it comes up. Don't assume that what you've done will lock you out or make you a shoe-in. There are no guarantees.

>
> "Why do you want to go to so-and-so college?"

Now, for your real question: Why do you want to go to college? What do you want to learn? What do you want to learn besides your major? And what do you want to get out of college that you won't learn in the classroom? Finally, if you go to so-and-so college, how will you make it better by being there? What can you give back to the school and the people around you? If you can answer those questions, then you can begin to tailor your essay to the specific school. Don't say you want to be on the football team if they don't have one. But maybe if they don't have a club you are interested in, you can talk about how you would want to start one.

I know you weren't necessarily looking for comments to all of that but after working in college admissions, I wanted to address some of the things you brought up.

Good luck and Merry Christmas. I hope you can relax during the holiday.

Ferrick