Even if youre a straight A student with perfect SAT scores who volunteers ten hours a week, your odds of getting into an Ivy League college are pretty slim. And even though youre well aware that colleges and universities use a wide variety of factors to determine which students they decide to accept, rejection hurts.
Its easy to get upset if you receive a college rejection letter. Feeling bad is completely understandablewe all want to be wanted. Although it might feel like the Earth has stopped spinning, it hasnt. Youve got to pull yourself together and figure out where to go from here.
Three important suggestions:
Lets be realistic. The world is chock-full of incredibly smart, talented and successful people who didnt attend an Ivy League college yet seem to be doing just fine. The world is also full of disappointments. Even though you might have had your heart set on being accepted to a particular college or university, deep down you knew that there was a chance you wouldnt be chosen. Just like the song says, You cant always get what you want. It doesnt mean you arent smart, a good student, or a good person.
Attending a prestigious school may look good on paper, but good students can thrive just about anywhere. That means you can still earn a degree and have an amazing college experience even if you werent accepted to your first choice school. As long as you enroll in a respected, accredited program you can be on your way to an exciting career and have a blast along the way. If you received a college rejection letter, yes, youll be upset but then youll have to figure out where you will be going to college and start planning! Many students wind up falling in love with their second choice or even third choice colleges and realize that sometimes, things happen for a reason.
If your heart is set on going to a particular school, consider re-applying as a transfer student. Many students decide to earn a two-year associates degree at a local community college before moving on to a four-year college or university as junior. Not only will this allow you to show you have what it takes to succeed at the college level, it can help save you money as tuition is typically lower at two-year schools.
Interested in attending a college or university that is profiled on 911勛圖厙? Although a variety of other factors are considered, entering your class rank, GPA and standardized test scores in our simple Chance of Admission calculator form can help us estimate your chances of admission.
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the 911勛圖厙 of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.