Rejection can crush your spirit regardless of what shape and size it takes. However, being rejected by your dream college has to be one of the worst experiences. Receiving a college rejection letter usually makes you take a step back and reassess your academic path.
Confusion, sadness, and anger are all common feelings that overwhelm students when faced with rejection from their dream school. Some may even wonder if they are good enough to pursue higher education.
Give yourself some time to recover but understand that your college admission story isn’t over. In fact, college application rejections can turn into powerful learning opportunities if you keep an open mind and a positive attitude.
In this guide, you’ll learn important tips and strategies that will help you to overcome the shock of college rejection. You’ll learn how to:
- Understand the reasons for college rejection
- Deal with the emotions and college rejection depression
- Put yourself together and come up with an action plan for the future
- Strengthen your applications so that you finally receive those anticipated acceptance letters
How Common Is College Rejection?
College rejection rates have slightly gone up in the past few years, Reuters reports. The figures, however, vary greatly from one university to another. Obviously, the most competitive schools are the ones that will turn down the largest number of candidates.
For example, Standford University’s acceptance rate is a shocking four percent. This means 96 percent of applicants will be turned down. Other elite universities with low acceptance rates include Harvard (3.2 percent), and Yale University (4.35 percent). Two percent of American selective colleges alone will turn down 75 percent of candidates or more.
As you can see, rejection can be a fairly common phenomenon, especially if you are pursuing the best and most challenging opportunities out there. Let’s see the most common reasons for rejections and if the admissions committees can be pursued to change their minds.
Potential Reasons Why Your Original Application Was Turned Down
College admissions departments filter college applications using several criteria. Anything that’s missing from the application process increases the likelihood of being turned down. Some of the most common reasons why students are being turned down include:
- A failure to meet GPA and other academic requirements
- Errors in college essays or wrong application tone
- Very high competition, especially in selective schools
- Missing admissions deadlines
- Submitting an incomplete application (for example, not having reference letters if you’re asked to provide such documents)
- An application that’s too vague
- Poor academic fit
All Is Not Lost: Take Some Time to Recover!
You made sure you met all the requirements in your college application process and still got turned down. What next?
Before moving on, give yourself some time to deal with the disappointment. Negative self-talk is not unusual when dealing with rejection but it always stands in the way of personal growth and motivation.
Rejection is a tough pill to swallow but it happens. Very often, it isn’t personal. Chances are the competition was high and some students stood out due to their academic performance or overall profile.
Don’t rush into making decisions. Grieve before considering alternative options. Worrying about deadlines and rushing through a new round of applications will only increase the likelihood of repeating your mistakes.
Spend some quality time with your family and friends. Take a trip. Disconnect and detach, forget that it’s college decision season. Skipping one year may be a good thing because it will allow you to set your priorities straight and boost your application next year.
Discover The Advantages of Gap Year Programs for Pre-College Students.
How to Make the Most of the College Rejection Experience and Succeed
Once you have processed your negative emotions, hop on the college application bandwagon again. Here are a few things you can do after being turned down to score higher with the college admissions officers:
- Consider what went wrong the first time around: Sit down and analyze the factors that impacted your chance of acceptance. Did you miss a strong academic record and enough participation in extracurricular activities? Did you neglect the importance of your admission essay? Acknowledging your mistakes is the most important thing you can do to do better next time.
- Decide if you’ll write a letter of appeal: Most colleges have an appeal process you can employ if you disagree with the rejection. An appeal letter should outline the important details the college admissions office could have missed. Get a teacher to review your appeal letter and send it as quickly as possible – being prompt demonstrates an eagerness to get into the college.
- Get your application reviewed:If you need clarification about what went wrong, consider having a mentor or school counselor review your application and help you strengthen your documentation for an improved college admissions process. Someone who isn’t emotionally involved will offer actionable feedback to help you make the most of an upcoming application opportunity.
- Think of alternatives: The 4-year college you hoped to attend isn’t your only option. Before reapplying, think of other college choices. Always make a list of safety schools if you want to increase your chances of getting that college acceptance letter. Taking a gap year may also make sense for some students. Using the opportunity to find an internship or volunteer can help you build a stronger application next year. Study abroad options are also worth checking out. Some programs let you start your studies at a college abroad and then guarantee a transfer to a partner university in the US.
Read more about How to Transfer Colleges.
Morzep College Coaching: We’re Here for You Every Step of the Way
The Morzep College Coaches have the know-how and the experience to help you unlock your full potential and accomplish your academic dreams. We can help you get into your choice of school and significantly decrease your chance of college rejection.
Consider college coaching a few years before sending your applications to admission officers. However, we can help even if you’ve already applied but didn’t get into your first-choice college or didn’t make it on the list of your backup schools. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Our coaches will teach you how to pick extracurricular activities for an impressive profile, how to select the right colleges to apply to, and what to include in your application package. Together, we will discuss majors, assess admission criteria, consider whether retaking standardized tests is a good idea, and make the most of the admission essay.
Navigating the complexities of college admissions on your own is tough. We will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and explain your college options. Equipped with this knowledge, you’ll find it easier to make your academic dreams come true and avoid those dreadful college denial letters.
