Everyone faces rejection at some point in their life, whether from a job, crush or, most relevantly, from schools. However, getting rejected from a college says nothing about a student’s worth or potential. Schools receive thousands of applicants every year, and there are multiple factors that determine admission. 

First things first, most students apply to at least some “reach schools,” or schools they do not necessarily expect to get into because they have a weaker application compared to the ideal applicant; for example, if the school mostly accepts students with high test scores, and the applicant has low scores, they know they may have somewhat low chances.This is why students should not get their hopes up, and keep their options open. Many kids have a dream school and become crushed when they do not get into it, their self-esteem left in shambles. People should keep in mind the large amount of good schools out there and remind themselves that just because one school rejects them does not mean that others will, too. 

Oftentimes, students with very good applications get rejected from their safety schools but accepted to their reach or goal schools because of yield protection — when great students get rejected because the school they applied to thinks they appear overqualified. Since schools want to maintain a high yield rate, they accept students who may choose to attend.

Another reason why students do not get into schools is because many applicants have similar profiles, so schools must make decisions based on factors outside of applicants’ control. If one acts as a solid candidate for a school and gets rejected, it may have been due to a college’s desire for students with specific characteristics that applicants cannot control or change.  One should remember not to doubt oneself just because of a rejection, and to celebrate the schools they do get into. 

Many current college students who did not get into their first choice choose to view the rejection as the universe guiding them in the right direction, and they feel very satisfied at their new school. Most of the time, any college can help a student achieve their goals, and one’s college experience is determined by what one makes of it, not the actual school, and that depends on the student’s motivation.