Farewell New Haven

As I have mentioned before, applying to Yale was like buying a lotto ticket - knowing you're not going to win, but there's always that chance your $1 could turn into millions, or in this case, the right admissions officer saw the right thing in my essay and looked past my mediocre GPA from a State school. Since there's only a day or two from when you buy the ticket to the big drawing, you must have a plan in place...you know...just in case.

I've had 3 months to plan and dream. I'd have to arrange a cross-country move, lovely wife would try to find work in Connecticut, and I'd have to update my exclusively t-shirt and jeans wardrobe.

Last night I found out that my lucky numbers weren't drawn.

The evil business #10 envelope (the type rejection letters are sent in), was cruelly tucked in the junk mail between the Arby's coupons and the El Torito ads touting Chef Pepe's newest creations, so I missed it completely in the first pass through the mail.

My emotions are quite mixed. Of course I'm sad that this long shot didn't play out, but not in the way that thousands of other rejects are ,who undoubtedly have much more invested in the process than I do.

I'm proud of the fact that I applied, that was a big step for me. I'm also somewhat relieved that I don't have to move to New Haven (although I'd still be happy to move to Cambridge or Palo Alto!).

Around the time I was submitting applications, I stumbled upon a Google TechTalk video on game theory. It stated that an applicant should rank the schools from most to least desirable. The highest school on that list that accepts the applicant would be the ideal match, making the assumptions that the admissions officers know how to choose a good fit for their school, and that the student can aptly assess the schools. This has worked successfully in the medical field matching doctors with residencies.

Instead of betting the farm on one particular school, I am playing the field. My heart is set on the highest school on my list that I get accepted to, not just the first school on my list. I'm tickled pink that I had offers from high up my list before I even applied to the lower end of my list.