I Didn’t Get Accepted…Now What?

Everything is going to be OK! When you finish swearing and get done burning that sickening letter, begin reading.

Done? Good. Let’s try to get back to reality.

For better or worse, some students simply have to be cut. Colleges are forced to reject hundreds or even thousands of well-qualified candidates. Most of the time this is simply because there are not enough spots for everybody. If you are first in your class with perfect test scores your chances of getting accepted are greatly improved, but you are never guaranteed. It is often just luck of the draw.

Think about why you may or may not have been accepted. There are numerous reasons:

* GPA
* SAT/ACT scores
* Leadership
* Extracurriculars
* Athletics
* Intended Major
* Application Essay(s)
* Etc.

These are only the standard criteria. Admissions representatives try to find people who would be the best fit at their colleges. If you listed certain areas of inclination which could not be accommodated, then some universities may not accept you for your own sake.

If you knew in the first place that getting in was a long shot then you are probably doing just fine. Hopefully you applied to at least one other college and were accepted there.

If you spent your entire high school career carefully crafting each extracurricular activity, maintaining a 4.0, and being president of everything, then the healing process for this will not be as rapid. Try not to let it get you down! Instead of going to a college where you would have had to kill yourself to stand out you can now go to another college where you can be a star with ease.

If you did not apply to a safety school yet you should still be OK. You have time because most colleges with really tough admissions standards let you know with enough time in advance. If it is very late in the year you may have to go to a nearby state school or community college, but it is nothing you cannot change after a year or two. You may even be able to transfer after just one semester.

If you really, really want to go to the college which rejected you, you must do these two things:

1. Retake your ACT/SAT. If you KNOW you can do much better. (Not think, KNOW.) If your SAT/ACT were excellent, continue.

2. Get some practical experience in the field you were wanting to pursue. (You can greatly help yourself with stellar test scores and some experience.)

Good luck!

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