Getting a rejection
information from a college or university doesn't make you a
bad person. Unfortunately, some high school seniors see themselves
in a less-than-positive light when they read the bad news from
a highly desired institution.
Dealing with rejection is difficult. Most students
tend to take being turned down by a college or university on
a personal level.
The truth is that in a lot of cases some rejected
students could have done as well, if not better, than those
who were accepted. This isn't a rationalization or sour grapes.
At schools where there are a significantly larger number of
applications than seats (schools whose acceptance rate is 50
percent or less), there just isn't room for all the qualified
applicants. This fact is borne out by the so-called Wait List.
A wait list is a group of "in-betweeners" who haven't
been rejected but haven't been admitted. They will be offered
admission if the number of enrollments doesn't meet expectations
for the incoming freshman class.
One famous dean of admission said that his
institution received so many outstanding applications that he
didn't have the heart to send rejection letters. He noted that
placing these fine young men and women on the wait list was
his way of saying, "We should have admitted you, but we
didn't have room." Such is the case with many good colleges.
Everyone who is good enough to get in isn't always offered admission.
Take a little time to feel disappointed about
not getting into your most-desired college. It's perfectly natural
to feel bad. Don't dwell on it, though, and, by all means, don't
develop an obsessive and passive attitude about it. Don't hate
that school from this moment on. Don't view successful candidates
as elitist snobs. Accept the fact that you didn't make the cut--for
whatever reason--and get on with your life.
Embrace those colleges that have embraced you.
Select the one that best suits your needs and prepare to have
a great higher-education experience. Yes, indeed; there is life
after rejection. |