When Life Hands You Lemons: How to Handle College Admission Rejection

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, at least so the saying goes. I feel that can be applied to college admission rejection. When I first entered the college admission field I didn’t think I had the heart nor handle the pressure of actually telling a student “no” and denying them. I have since learned in my nine years that it is in the best interest of the student and their academic success to offer alternate paths to their career. Denial letters are never fun to receive and no matter how fancy and soft the marketing language, it doesn’t erase the sting of rejection.

I will share that admission counselors do not sit back in their offices enjoying the denial process. We really take the time to evaluate the student and their ability to be successful at our institution. I have had many tough conversations with students and families over the years about why our school wasn’t an option for them. I always tell them, I am here not to be a gatekeeper, but rather to ensure that you will be academically successful here. I never want to set a student up for failure. College is a big investment and I would hate to see a student have to leave because they couldn’t cut it academically and then have a huge amount of debt on their shoulders. That would be doing a major disservice to the student.

My advice to those who receive denial letters, don’t let it bring you down. There are many options out there for you. Never let one “no” deter you from achieving your dreams.

There are alternate ways to reach your dream school. One, consider enrolling at another college for a year or two and then reapply as a transfer student. This shows your sincere interest in the school and drive to get there. It is also a testament of your maturity and growth as a student and person. Often that time at another school provides you with valuable skills that will set you up to be an even better student at your dream college. Sometimes, you have to go with your plan b: move forward with a school that will truly be a better fit for you: academically, socially and financially.

So, while rejection stings and can leave a sour taste in your mouth, I encourage you to explore your options and add some sugar to those lemons. Take it as a learning experience — you will end up walking away with the best lemonade because of it.

Written by Nicole Martinez. Nicole is an associate director of undergraduate admission at Valparaiso University. Read more from Nicole at theadmissioncounselornextdoor.blogspot.com