To everyone who didn't get into the dream school or program,
Many of you on this subreddit will have just received or will soon receive a rejection letter from your dream program or school, especially with highly competitive programs at Waterloo, UofT, and Mac. Let me start by apologizing, it does really suck and you'll feel shitty and that your work over the past four years has been for nothing, but it's really important that you do not give up. I was rejected from my dream school, the University of Oxford, in November of 2025, meaning that I've known for most of my grade 12 year that I wouldn't be attending my dream school. And it really hurt and almost made me breakdown, but I want to share my experience because it's been a couple of months and I've had the time to think about it. It will feel earth shattering if you spent years working towards one program and school, imagining yourself looking back at your high schools from your dream university thankful that you put so much work in during high school. And there's nothing that I can say that will console the pain or anger that you feel, because it is very frustrating. The first thing is that your self-worth or abilities are not tied to a certain program or school. For the most part, just taking the time to apply to these schools and being in contention for a spot is a huge accomplishment in of itself. Most people don't have such high ambitions or take the time to act on them, so you should be very proud of yourself for taking that step. My next piece of advice is to take a long walk or do something that will allow you to think. Not distract yourself, but acknowledge what didn't happen and recognize that it doesn't change anything about you as a person and your intelligence is really important. I'm not going to downplay the disappointment, because it does matter and can be heartbreaking that you didn't get in, but nothing you do now can really change things. You need to think about moving forward and accept things for what they are. I'm not saying you shouldn't give up on these dreams, because there's always the possibility of reapplying or transferring, but you need avoid obsessing over what could've happened. Focus on your achievements, how far you've come since grade 9, your friends, and hobbies. Taking a break and time to absorb yourself in your other interests once you have a good think about your situation is really important. I don't want anyone to be in the same position as me. I've spent most of my grade 12 year feeling depressed and like I've let myself down. All I think about is reapplying and obsessing over my future application, that I haven't really been able to enjoy my last year of high school. I see my friends celebrating over acceptances and programs, looking forward to next year, all while I've bee sulking in my rejection. And the worst part is that it has diminished all my other achievements, including all the offers I've received from some of the most competitive schools on the continent. I just want to tell you that yes it does really suck, and I'm sorry your dreams were crushed, but it's my no means the end of your career or even shot at achieving your dreams. Year one isn't permanent and we have the chance to reapply next year. But for now, we can't do anything about it, and I encourage you to come to terms that our path to our dreams will be a little more bumpy and challenging that we expect, but that I believe that we'll all get there eventually. While we can have any future applications in the back of our heads, the most important thing now is to enjoy the remainder of high school and take a well deserved break. And if you really need to view it this way, rest up before the comeback when we do achieve our dreams.
