College Admissions Decisions: Rejected? What to Do!

The Ivies reported their decisions on March 31st and I am now receiving a deluge of calls from anxious, stunned, perplexed, worried and/or angry parents inquiring about my admissions advisory services. They ask: How could this happen? What can and should we do? For many students and families who were certain that they knew all the correct steps and had the right connections, this may be a new experience. This may be the first time in their lives, where, through a selective process they have been rejected based on their qualifications or lack thereof. This is akin to learning, then perfecting all “the steps” to dance hip hop, only to discover that you are expected to dance to the mazurka.

Admissions committees give careful, individual attention to each applicant. They review each applicant with a magnifying glass and compare each applicant to other qualified applicants. They accept applicants who will inspire those around them during their college years and beyond. Colleges accept applicants holistically.

My firm’s strategies involve widening the lens through which our applicant-clients are viewed, recognizing and valuing the different dimensions that shape each student. We understand in real time how an admissions committee at a particular college may view each dimension separately and collectively in comparison to other students during the selection process. As an alternative to settling for a rejection or a waitlist decision to a student’s first choice school, I posit two possible solutions:

1. Colleges – rejection: The student may consider reapplying as a transfer student. It is not too early for a high school senior to consider this. I call it our Admissions Second Chance Program. I review and investigate what went wrong. Usually I find several mistakes or homogeneity on the Common Application and/or school-specific supplemental essays. Many times I have discovered that no matter how “amazing” the student sounds on paper (top grades, high GPA and SATs, volunteerism, extracurricular activities, recommendations, ESE (Expensive Summer Experiences), to me, they were unconvincing to the admissions committee at a specific school. In these cases, we make recommendations to improve the student’s profile and properly connect the dots within their application and beyond. In unique cases, we have been retained by clients who were initially rejected and after our review and intervention the student’s application was reconsidered and ultimately accepted for admission. By visiting the Ivies and highly selective schools, understanding the dynamic changes and nuances in individual colleges, my team and I gain an insightful perspective of each school.

2. Colleges – waitlist: I use our waitlist-to-acceptance strategies. I try to discover why and how the student was not rejected, what they did to be waitlisted, build upon their current student profile and accomplishments and re-energize their application so that they are removed from the waitlist to the accepted list. If I discover that they need additional information and time, then I may employ an alternative transfer strategy.

In both cases, tempus fugit and every minute matters! Successful admissions strategies require planning and implementation. I advise my clients to act with immediate action. They must make well-timed decisions quickly, communicate them clearly to admissions (and others where necessary), and implement them rapidly. It is knowing when, how and where to act that acceptances can occur.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center located on Amity Road. Tel. (203) 387-1574, and founder of Woodbridge Admissions Advisors.

Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive admissions advisory services for families and students who are interested in applying to and experiencing the unique educational environment and communities of Ivy League and highly selective colleges and elite private day and boarding schools.