Tips for college rejection

by Morgan Sturdevant

In December, I was rejected from my top school. The second I read the line — “After completing a careful review of your application and supporting credentials…” — I felt like my life was over. The paragraph telling me that they were “honored” to have been placed on my list only stung more. (I can’t imagine how “honored” they were, given the rejection, but let’s just ignore that.)

College rejection isn’t a rare occurrence, but that doesn’t make it feel any less horrible. However — and I didn’t know this then — there are ways to survive this. If this happens to you, here are five tips I wish I knew when I was rejected.

1. It’s OK to admit that it sucks, because it does. For a while, it’s terrible. The only way I could get through the beginning was by drowning myself in episodes of The Office. You will be surrounded by friends and family members who will be trying to force you to stay positive, trying to force you out of the hole your room has become, but it’s OK for you to grieve alone and wallow in self-pity as needed.
2. It’s not the end of the world. It may feel like it is, but I can assure you that your life isn’t over. There are hundreds of other schools that you will love just as much if you attend. My dad was rejected from his dream school and ended up at Penn for graduate school. Also, if you go to another school and end up still having your heart set on the original, transferring is always an option.
3. Don’t take it personally. This rejection is not a measure of your self-worth. You are more than this one “no.” Just because the school doesn’t think that you fit doesn’t mean that you are any less of a person. They know your statistics and maybe a small detail about you from your essay, but they don’t know you. It’s their loss for not accepting you and finding out.
4. It may not have been the school for you. After my rejection, I took a step back and realized that my dream school was only my dream school because of its prestige — not because it was the school for me. If you realize that it truly was your dream school, you have to realize that it wasn’t the dream school, but a dream school. There easily are hundreds of other schools just like it that fit your dream criteria. There isn’t just one college for you — there are dozens. You may find your true calling at your new school, and it may end up being an even better fit for you.
5. It will get better. Life goes on. The rejection will not always hurt this badly. As time goes on, it will become less difficult to think and talk about, and you will be able to look back at it without feeling heartbroken. I couldn’t even stomach the idea of applying to more schools after my rejection, but now I’m ready to look ahead and pursue my other options.

One more thing: Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Barack Obama got rejected from their dream schools. If they can make it, you can, too.