Dr. Nancy J. Cable, former Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Davidson College in North Carolina, reminds students that not every applicant, however qualified, can be admitted.

Each year, she explains, a college is “shaping a freshman class” and therefore looking not only for academically capable students but also for a well-rounded student population—that is, for students from certain geographic areas or ethnic backgrounds or for students with particular skills or interests.

“Good admissions staffs exist to fit the aspiration levels of students with the rigor of the institution,” she says. “If the process works well, the student will not be set up to be denied.”

According to Rev. Bernard McIlhenny, S.J., retired Dean of Admissions at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, non-admitted students “shouldn’t feel personally rejected. It’s just that we can’t, for a variety of reasons, offer a particular student a place in the class.”

If you are turned down by your number one choice, and you have your heart set on it, contact the college to find out if the decision will be reconsidered. “Most schools,” says Dr. Cable, “are not in a position to reconsider admissions decisions.” McIlhenny adds, however, that an admissions dean or director usually will explain the decision. “We owe it to a student who has gone through the whole rigamarole of applying to answer his or her questions,” he says.

If you have such a discussion, and if you approach the discussion openly—as a chance to learn how the college viewed you as a candidate for admission (not just as a last chance to persuade the college to admit you)—you could come away with a better understanding of yourself.

If you’re still passionate about your first choice, ask about transferring in your sophomore year; you may have a better chance of acceptance if you can earn stand-out grades, win some academic awards, and show involvement in clubs or groups during your senior high school and freshman college years.

If you can’t get over your disappointment about “having” to attend your second- or third-choice college, you may need to give some honest thought to the source of your disappointment. Were you focused on your first choice because of its prestige, because it would impress your friends or teachers, or because admission would be a kind of “trophy”? Or was it because your first-choice school truly offered a unique educational opportunity that you want for yourself? If the latter is the real reason, keep your focus on that choice and re-apply or go else-where and transfer.

But if any part of your disappointment involves the other reasons, you may be better off getting over it and going to your second- or third-choice college fully committed to doing well and having fun.

“Don’t approach the next four years as a letdown,” McIlhenny says. “Each school has its positives.” It’s very likely you’ll enjoy your experience every bit as much as if you had attended your first-choice college.

The black pit that you have to walk across to exit from the admissions funhouse is really just an optical illusion: wonders (in the form of experiences, friends, professors, and accomplishments) await you at whatever college or university you attend.

Paul Adams writes about education and business issues from his home in Brimfield, Massachusetts .

Source: careersandcolleges.com