How to Feel Your Best When Admission Decision Time Comes
For students who applied to colleges in the regular round, March and April can feel like an emotional roller coaster. Between waiting for admissions decisions, receiving a verdict from each school on your best fit list, and deciding where to enroll, the spring season marks a major milestone for many high school seniors.
Acceptance, rejection, and being waitlisted each come with their own host of feelings, next steps, and important decisions. Keep reading to learn more about how to cope with every kind of college admissions outcome and finish out the year strong.
If you were accepted
Congratulations! Students who were accepted should take a moment to reflect on their college admissions journey, what they have learned throughout the process and the teachers, friends, and family members that have helped them along the way. Before immediately putting down an enrollment deposit, it may be beneficial to wait to hear back from every school you applied to. Students in need of financial aid should make sure to thoroughly review each aid package they receive and have a clear idea of exactly how much they will be expected to pay. Share the good news with friends and family and be sure to thank everyone who helped you throughout your college admissions journey. Even if you received some acceptances, its not uncommon to also get some rejections or waitlist decisions at other schools. Celebrate the acceptances and also cope with the outcomes that were not what you expected.
If you were rejected
Rejection can be really difficult to cope with, especially for students who had their heart set on a particular school. Give yourself a few days to process your emotions and reflect on your feelings. Consider journaling about what you are going through or talking it out with a family member or close friend. After taking some time to process these emotions, it’s time to redirect and focus on all of the exciting experiences that await. Start to review each of the schools you were accepted to and get excited about the unique opportunities associated with each option. Other students may wish to consider taking a gap year, which can be a great opportunity to expand your horizons and gain real-life experience. No matter what you choose, take pride in your college admissions process and all of the important life lessons that you have learned along the way.
If you were waitlisted
If you were waitlisted at your top choice college, there’s a good chance you’re a little bit unsure about how to feel. Students may feel frustrated by the ongoing uncertainty, disappointed that they were not immediately admitted and maybe at the same time, relieved that they were not directly rejected. In order to cope with a waitlist outcome, it’s important to be realistic about your chances of admission and make an informed decision about what to do next. Some students may choose to remain on a waitlist while others might find it best to move on and focus on the colleges they were accepted to. Even if you decide to stay on a waitlist, it’s important to recognize that there is no guarantee that you will be in admitted off of this list. Start to explore the colleges that accepted you and get excited about each of these options, even if you’re holding out some hope for the school where you were waitlisted. Students who created a balanced list of best-fit schools should feel excited about attending any of the colleges from this selection and celebrate this achievement.
Receiving college admissions decisions can be emotionally overwhelming, but students who create a balanced list of best-fit schools should feel excited about attending any choice on this list. If you are currently compiling your own list of schools to apply to, our team of college admissions experts can help you create a balanced set of exciting options.
