Plan ‘B’: How to Deal with Rejection from Your Dream University
When applying to your dream university, you always aim high. And you probably wonder if you are good enough and what to do if you fail. A wise strategy is to prepare a plan ‘B’ in case something goes wrong. And here is my comprehensive guide on assessing your chances, looking for alternative options to full-time university degrees, and getting psychologically prepared for rejection.
Assessing Your Chances of Getting into Your Dream University
When you plan your higher education, you select your dream universities and wonder whether you are good enough to get in. Assess your chances by looking at the class profile. Often, you can find this information on the admissions page of the chosen university. It will include the average grades, work experience, and some information on the background of the students who were accepted to the university in previous years.
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For instance, check the average class profiles for Stanford Undergraduate (BA) programs, MBA programs at Stanford Business School, or MBA programs at Harvard Business School. All these pages offer you the same data on the background of the students that have been accepted, including their age, gender, country of origin/nationality, educational background; the ranges and median scores for GPA and other tests and exams. For Master‘s programs, there is also information about their work or volunteering experience of the applicants, and the sector or professional occupation they come from.
Look at this data and compare the average class profile with your own. If you are 10% better than this average, there are good chances that you will get in and may even qualify for some financial aid. However, if you are 10% worse in each category, then you may consider postponing your application.
Try to analyze if there is a way for you to improve the test scores, GPA, or other criteria to the desired level over the next couple of months. If the answer is yes, you can postpone your application until you improve your application profile. This way, you will win the time needed to improve your profile and get better chances of being accepted.
However, if you feel that you are way behind, maybe consider applying to lower-ranking universities, or identify your weak points and work on them until next year’s applications round.
Don’t panic, however, if you score lower only in one of the areas. Just check that in some other areas you are way above the average class score. For instance, if your test results are a few points lower than the class average, you may easily compensate it with great working experience. Just be sure to present all your strongest sides in the application and try to meet as many expectations of the admissions committee as possible.
If there are no class profiles published by your chosen university, do not hesitate to contact the admissions committee and ask them about the average GPA, the amount of work experience and other achievements of their successful applicants in past years. Ask what the committee is looking at when they consider the applications. This will give you an idea of what to strive for. Another way is to attend some seminars and webinars for applicants arranged by your university. It’s a great way to build connections with the admission committee. You can ask them any questions regarding your chosen program and the application process, as well as to get noticed and remembered by them. Later, this will give you some extra credit because they like people showing a strong interest in their particular university and its program.
Dealing with Rejection
The first and main thing you should remember is that being rejected is not the end of the world. You should not consider it a failure, but rather see it as an opportunity.
Look at all the things you’ve already achieved and learned while applying. You passed the tests and you know now how to improve your scores (or maybe you don’t need to improve them at all, yay!). You know how to submit the application and what parts you should pay special attention to. And if you are not a native English speaker, your language skills have definitely improved during this process. Evaluate all this knowledge and use it if you decide to apply for the same or similar programs again.
Re-applying can be a good option, especially if you aimed for a top-ranking university. Speaking with Stanford students, I discovered that usually, re-applicants make up about 30% of their classes. Another example is the startup accelerator Y-Combinator in Silicon Valley: they say that on average they accept startups after the third application. This means that if there is your dream university and you are sure that you are meant to be there, you should re-apply the next year.
During a gap year, you may try to get some work or volunteer experience. This will be a valuable line in your application, and it is a good way to earn some money for your future education. Maybe, it will help you rely less on financial aid.
Also, reconsider the program you are applying for. Is it really the program you need or there is a better opportunity somewhere else? Try to define what you want to achieve with this program. Then, look around and analyze if there are other ways to reach the same goals. For instance, when I got accepted to an MBA program, I also got a spot in a startup accelerator with my business LinguaTrip.com. Considering both options, I realized that I did not need a degree so much as the chance to get right connections and set up my business. The accelerator was the best way to do that.
If you are certain, however, that you need education, try to explore other opportunities to study subjects of your interest.
Looking for Alternatives to Your Chosen University Degree
Often overseen by applicants, certificate programs are a great and cheaper alternative to a full-time university degree. Taught by the same professors from the same leading universities, these part-time (usually evening) courses are much more accessible. If you’ve applied to a certain University program to gain specific knowledge, you can achieve the same goal with a similar certificate program.
Furthermore, you will be studying on the same campus, have access to the same facilities, and get a chance to become a part of the same community.
And what’s the price? MA programs may cost about $40–60k while certificate programs are priced at $8–10k per year. And it leaves you with enough time to work so you don’t need any loans or additional financial support.
Also, consider short courses. They are perfect for gaining a specific skill. As a blogger, I attended a 6-week-long filmmaking course. In the beginning, I thought maybe I should do a proper Master’s program but then I realized that I can learn everything I need in 6 weeks to become a better YouTuber.
If you are a foreign student, consider studying online. There are plenty of websites where you can find top-university courses with free access, such as Coursera or edX. Of course, studying this way, you are not on campus, you do not meet new people and overall experience is completely different. However, in terms of knowledge, you get exposure to exactly the same materials as at the expensive BA or MA program.
If you were not accepted to a BA program at your dream university, try to research apprenticeship programs. Delivered by industry leaders, these programs offer you a perfect mix of working and studying at the same time. You would not gain the fundamental theoretical knowledge of a chosen subject area this way, but you will acquire practical skills, first-hand experience, and useful industry connections. For some sectors, such as technology, creative industries, or business management, it may be enough to build a successful career and reach your goals. Moreover, during the apprenticeship, you also receive a salary, and while it’s relatively small, it still covers your living expenses during the program.
Summary
When applying to your dream university, always assess your chances and compare your grades and experiences with average class profile. Identify your weaknesses and work on them. Try to understand why exactly you apply for a chosen degree and explore the alternatives. Certificate programs, short courses, online education, startup accelerators, or apprenticeships may be solid plan ‘B’ options. Even if you get rejected, remember, you have so many opportunities. Consider the application process and the rejection a valuable life experience, learn from it and keep moving forward towards your ultimate goals.
