You’re Rejected from Your Top Choice Colleges! What’s the Next Step?

Based on my over 20 years experience as a college admissions advisor and admissions strategist, I thought I would share some advice with students who have been receiving disappointing decision results.

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 decision to a student’s first choice school, I posit this possible solution:

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 and develop strategies to help our clients get accepted.

“Top qualified applicants, after all their hard work (and parents' work) and preparation deserve the best and should not settle for less"- Dr. Paul R. Lowe

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group and co-founder of its affiliate: College Application Rejected. Pinnacle has offices in Woodbridge and Greenwich, CT; Manhattan and White Plains, NY; Fort Lee and Princeton, NJ; Boston and Los Angeles. Dr. Lowe and his team provide in-home consultations on weekdays, weekends and during school holidays.

Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice colleges after they have been waitlisted and rejected.