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the four stages of college rejection by marilyn gardner milton MAAs both a parent and education professional, there’s one thing I know never gets any easier: getting rejected from your “dream school”.  On the education blog “chegg”, I recently read an article on the “four stages of getting rejected” from your dream school.  It really struck a chord with me, so I thought I would share them with everybody:

It happens: Waiting for a college letter, whether it’s one of acceptance or rejection, is a nerve-wracking process.  When you get a rejection letter, it’s only natural to feel dejection and sadness, even anger and jealousy.  But you also can’t forget that there are plenty of different factors that play into admissions decisions, something that I know firsthand.  It’s easy to take the decision personally, but the people who read your application often don’t know you and don’t spend more than a few minutes on each application.

Denial: When you get rejected, you often think “it just can’t be”.  Rejection often leaves us bitter, but we need to keep in mind that every rejection is a learning experience.  If you can think of the reason that you didn’t get in, then you can learn from that, which can motivate you to do better in the future and find the best school for you.  Even if this was your “dream school”, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of other great schools for you.  Since college is about experiencing new ideas, places and people, getting used to something new should be a good thing!

Acceptance: While you might want to live in denial, ultimately we need to face the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.  This means going back to the drawing board to assess other options.  As we become focused on the “perfect school” for us, we often overlook the awesome aspects of other schools.  Reevaluate your priorities and look at your college list with a new perspective.  

What will be will be: This might sound cliché, but that’s only because it’s true.  Who knows?  You might meet the love of your life or your best friend at the school you ultimately end up going to, and in the end, the school you go to doesn’t matter in the long run.  Your education is what you make it more than anything else.