Any rejection is upsetting, but college rejections — especially in the Early Decision round — have a particular sting to them. There is so much hope, optimism, and hard work wrapped up in college applications, that having a dream school like Northwestern shut down that potential future is frustrating, to put it lightly.

Swarthmore College is a small, elite liberal arts institution located just outside of Philadelphia. Founded in 1864 by Quakers, the school has long been known for its academic rigor, commitment to social responsibility, and close-knit campus culture. Swarthmore is part of both the Tri-College consortium (with Bryn Mawr and Haverford) and the Quaker Consortium with Penn – which means you have a lot of flexibility and can take classes at any of these schools.

If you recently received a notice of rejection from Boston College in the Early Decision round, that is a major downer. It wasn’t the plan. You picked Boston College for Early Decision because it is a dream school that seemed feasible. You didn’t assume you would get in, but you also thought that you had a solid chance to at least be deferred. Unfortunately, this ED rejection tells us that Boston College didn’t assess your application as “highly competitive.” In this post, we’re going to break down what this means, why it may have happened, and what you need to do next to get into a dream school.

Northeastern University is a fairly large, urban, private research university located in Boston, MA. Popular programs for undergrads here include business, sciences, engineering, and computer sciences, but what draws most people to Northeastern is their unique opportunities. The co-op program, their study abroad and satellite campuses, and their service-learning programs are really popular with students, especially those looking for career placement after graduation.

If you recently received a rejection decision from Notre Dame in the Restrictive Early Action round, that is a massive bummer. Notre Dame does not offer a binding admissions option, like Early Decision, but the Restrictive Early Action avenue did put some limits on you. You could not apply to an Early Decision school, but maybe you submitted a few regular EA applications and have some acceptances in your pocket. If so, awesome — and you may be very happy with the options you have. If you don’t have any EA acceptances, or simply want more or better options, that’s what we are here for.

Receiving a rejection in the Early Decision round from Vanderbilt is a gut punch. You took a swing at a dream school — and it may not have even felt like that big of a swing. But yet you are here, reading this post, trying to figure out what to do next.

Receiving a rejection from Williams in the Early Decision round is more than frustrating. For many, it is devastating. Williams is a highly-selective school, and it is also a self-selecting one. Students who apply to Williams want Williams, even more so when they decide to apply ED. We’ll go into some numbers in a moment, but the chances of getting into Williams are low enough that it isn’t a safe ED option for anyone. So, what does a rejection tell us and what should you do next?

Any rejection is disappointing, but it’s especially frustrating when that rejection comes from a dream school in the early application rounds. Most majors at USC offer Early Action admissions, and no binding option. For the Marshall School of Business, though, there is an ED route to admission. However, whether you were rejected ED or EA, the result is the same. You’re having to figure out what comes next, and that’s where we can help.

New York University is a large, private research university located in New York, New York. The school is unique because they don’t really have a true campus – but most of the main school buildings are centered around Washington Square Park. The school is extremely famous for Tisch (their school of the arts), Stern (business) and Gallatin (individualized majors). NYU also offers numerous global opportunities, with degree-granting campuses in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, as well as study abroad outposts on every continent except Antarctica.