What To Do If You’re Rejected By Your Favorite School
Rejection is something that no one likes to deal with, and yet it is a perfectly normal part of life. What if after countless hours (or years!) of hard work toward one particular goal, you find yourself facing rejection rather than admission? As scary as it is, the possibility of rejection is something that most students have to deal with at some point in the admissions process. Here are our tips for how to deal with getting rejected from your dream school (or worse, from every school!).
Remember to Choose a Solid Match School to Apply to
For students who are still early in the admissions process, we emphasize the necessity of choosing at least one or two “match” (also known “safety”) schools to apply to. A match school could be an institution that guarantees admission as long as a student fits any number of basic requirements (such as a minimum high school GPA, a minimum ACT or SAT score, or perhaps simply having a high school diploma or GED). Many large public schools, state universities, and community colleges can provide a solid educational experience with a low barrier to entry.
Remember your goals for higher education — What career do you envision for yourself? How do you want to grow as a person? These goals can often be accomplished at any number of institutions. Even if you prefer a certain institution as your “dream school,” it’s certainly possible to find success and happiness elsewhere. Keep all of your options open by remembering to apply to schools that you will be guaranteed entry to.
Don’t Take Rejection Personally
One of the biggest issues that students face during the admissions process is viewing their applications as extensions of themselves, rather than simply an academic record. When so much weight is placed on a piece of paper, it’s easy to feel like a rejection from a school is a rejection of a student’s personality. This is absolutely not true.
Like it or not, higher education is still a business, and every year colleges make huge business decisions. They simply do not have enough resources to accept every student who applies. In order to determine which students to admit, they use a range of objectifying factors, and only very few of these factors are capable of accurately assessing a student’s full personality.
If you’ve received rejection from a particular school, do not take it personally. People who know very little about you made a business decision. It will not be the first time that this happens. Every job you apply for will follow a similar process and you won’t always receive the result that you want. This is part of life and not a condemnation of who you are.
Focus on “Yes” instead of “No”
Rejection hurts. There’s no way around that. If you opened your email or logged into your admissions portal to see an admissions decision you don’t like or weren’t expecting, the resulting shock and disappointment can be painful. Give yourself time to feel these feelings appropriately. Accept whatever sadness, anger, embarrassment or frustration you may feel and once you’ve had enough time to reflect, move on.
Keep in mind that even if other schools have said no, there are others who have said yes. Moving forward, these are the schools you should dedicate your energy to. New doors of opportunity have been opened for you, and numerous possibilities exist for you to decide your future.
Looking beyond rejection, focus on the schools that have accepted your application. These are the ones to get excited about! These schools are hoping that you will choose them the same way that they have chosen you. Continue your research, talk with current and former students, and (if possible) visit campus to get an idea of whether or not you could see yourself attending.
If You Were Rejected Everywhere, Consider Applying to Schools with Rolling Admissions
It does occasionally happen that a student is rejected from every school they apply to. This can be both a painful and a frightening result. It is rare, but it does happen. If this happened to you, don’t panic. There are still a number of schools that accept students on the basis of rolling admissions, meaning that you can both apply and receive an admissions decision after the traditional admissions cycle.
Some schools with rolling admissions will accept students as late as a couple of weeks before the start of the fall semester (or quarter, depending on the system). However, we recommend continuing the research process so that you are certain that you’re applying to a school that will continue to be a good match for you and your interests. Although it can feel frustrating and untethered to not know your college plans, do not be in too much of a rush to apply to a place just for the sake of getting an acceptance. Take some time to reflect on your goals and then consider finding another institution that will help you to achieve them.
Consider Appealing
If you were rejected from a school that you deeply believe you should have been admitted to, some schools may offer you the option to appeal that decision. Appeals can take the form of submitting additional essays or interviews, and are as unique as the schools themselves that offer them.
However, keep in mind that more often than not, appeals typically fail, and the original admissions decision is upheld. If it would give you closure to make an extended case for yourself and present an argument for why you should be admitted, feel free to do so. However you should continue to make alternate plans and do not expect to be admitted.
Consider a Gap Year – Then Reapply
Lastly, if you do not think you would be happy or productive at any of the schools that accepted you (or if you do not like the idea of attending any of the schools who admit through rolling admissions), consider taking a gap year. Taking a gap year means that you would start the application process again in the fall (while many of your high school classmates are starting their freshman years) and you would apply as part of the next admissions cycle.
Taking a gap year can be beneficial for many students who may have felt like they weren’t able to present the best cases for themselves for admission, or who feel like they need a break between high school and the rigors of college. (For students who have been offered admission and are considering gap years before matriculating, this is a different situation, and we invite you to read our blog post on that topic). However, it’s necessary that you find some way to be productive during your gap year. Finding a job after graduating high school can be a good way to build finances and gain real life experience. Additionally, if you have the means to do so, taking a year off can be a great time to do volunteer work or embark on a social benefit project.
While productivity can take many forms, it’s important to do something that will help you grow as a person and, as a result, enhance your application.
Remember, this is Part of Life
While no one likes rejection, it’s a completely normal part of life. You’re not alone. Many of the world’s most successful people have received a large number of no’s before finally hearing a yes. While rejection from your dream school may be one of the first major disappointments you face, you still have the ability to find success in other areas.