We have all heard the classical tales of the 8 Ivy League Institutions.

Located on the north-eastern United States, these universities are known for their gorgeous campuses, amazing academics, social elitism, and, unfortunately for most students, the lowest percentages in acceptance rates.

In case you do not know, these are the 8 wonders of the college world:

Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

All these schools are of course, no doubt, amazing, but I find that many of my friends refused to apply to these universities because they “simply wouldn’t get in,” or because “there is no point to just get rejected.”

That is why I will tell you this:

Myself, as a senior applying to college had always known where I wanted to go, but afraid that I would never get in, I always created alternate top choices of schools that I would be more likely to attend.

My top was Yale University.

Yep, just the name makes me so happy!

The beautiful brick buildings, the intriguing classroom environments, and yes whoever watched Gilmore Girls would understand that Rory had a large impact on me.

Since I was young I had constantly heard the gasp of astonishment when people acclaimed they would attend Yale, and thus decided that this institution would be the place for me.

So I applied.

However, once I received my tiny little rejection letter in the mail, I felt crushed.

So I can be a bit of a drama queen, but honestly it did kind of hurt.

But the thing I realized is that although I was upset, I would have been more upset if I never even tried.

Even if you think you may not have the grades, or the extracurricular activities, you honestly don’t know what each college is looking for and there is always a chance to be pleasantly surprised.

Today, I am so happy with my college decision, even though it might not be Yale, and I do wish that all prospective college students apply to at least one of these eight institutions.

“If you never try, you’ll never know.”

: )