Many seniors will hear back from colleges they applied to under the ED (Early Decision), EA (Early Action), or Priority deadlines. If a school was a target and especially a reach school, seniors will be nervous to receive their decision(s) because they know they may be denied admission. They may also be deferred or accepted which would be better than being denied, but I want to share with you why I think being denied admission to a college can actually be a great opportunity.
I understand that being denied admission to a college is disappointing and even upsetting. You should never think that if you are denied to a college that it is a reflection on your intelligence or the hard work you have put in the last few years. To learn more about why you may be denied admission to a college but also what colleges look for when admitting students please click on the links below:
How College Choose Which Students to Admit
6 Common Reasons Why College Applications Get Denied
Why You Were Denied *New*
Below are four reasons why I think being denied admission to a college can be a great opportunity.
- You now can focus on the colleges you have been accepted to
When you know a certain college is no longer an option, you now can focus on the colleges that you have been accepted to or still are waiting to hear from. If you are deferred (your application is now going to be reviewed under the regular decision deadline), it’s important to let that college know you are still strongly desiring to attend that school. Please click here and go to the “waitlist and being deferred” topic to know what to do after being deferred. Sometimes it is nice not to “hang on” to an option and just move forward with the rest of the colleges you applied to. I tell seniors all the time that once you have received a denial from a college, the college that was 2nd or 3rd on your list now becomes #1 or #2 on your list. You need to apply to a balanced list of colleges where you would be excited to attend all the colleges you apply to. Click here for an article I give to all of my seniors about applying to a balanced list of colleges.
2. You can still apply to a couple more schools you wouldn’t have considered before
I like when I counsel seniors who “discover” and get excited to apply to a couple more colleges after they submit their initial applications before the EA or ED deadline. Be a continual learner about colleges as a senior and if you are, you should find out and learn about a few more colleges that weren’t even on your radar at the beginning of your senior year. One aspect of my job is to make you aware of the many options that are out there and I get excited when a senior get’s excited about a college in December or January. Another part of the college application process that is changing is the amount of colleges that are still trying to fill their freshman classes in March and April. More and more colleges will still be making attempts to get students to enroll at their school later in the spring now.
3. You have the opportunity to go to a college that is a better fit financially
In most cases, you were going to have to pay more to attend the target or reach schools you applied to because you were not going to receive much, if any merit-based scholarship money if you were accepted. A number of reach schools are also “100% meet need” schools so they do not give out any merit scholarships anyway. These schools, however, are also some of the more expensive colleges in the country and most are asked to pay more than they expected. If you do get denied to a target or reach school on your list, this is an opportunity to now look at the colleges you have been accepted to or you haven’t received a decision from and take advantage of a larger scholarship you received from one of these colleges that you can attend for a lot less. You may also still have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship at a college you wouldn’t have considered before you found out you were denied admission to a certain college. If you can take the SAT or ACT again to receive more scholarship money from a college please do it!
4. Hearing the word “no” will motivate you
I don’t know about you but when I hear the word “no”, it motivates me a bit to take advantage of my next best option and in a way “prove wrong” the one who told me “no”. I think this is a natural reaction that we have when we think we are told that we aren’t “good enough” or “we weren’t what someone was looking for”. I don’t think if you were denied at a college that you weren’t “good enough” because colleges can only make decisions on what they know about you and the information that is in your application. You may face the same situation when you apply for grad school, law or medical school, a job or even a home in the future. In a lot of cases it’s not about what you bring to the table but it’s what the person making the decision is looking for. Take the “no” you receive and use it as motivation. Make the best decision on which college to attend after knowing where you have been accepted and be determined to work just a bit harder to avoid hearing the word “no” in the future. I’m not saying you won’t hear it again but if you do, you are better prepared on how to handle it.
Although we like to be in control, there will be plenty of times after your senior year in high school where you are not in control and these times remind us that God is ultimately in control of our lives and we need to be stewards of the gifts, talents and abilities He has given us. Being denied to a college is another reminder that our times are in His hands and it wasn’t in God’s plan for you to go to that college in the first place. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
