Being rejected early decision is not easy. We recommend taking a day to feel however you’re feeling and clear your head. It’s understandable that you’re upset, so try doing something to take your mind off of what just happened before diving back into the process. And we aren’t saying that being rejected isn’t painful! Rejection is hard. But you now need to make a lot of moves in a short amount of time, and getting that process started might be a welcome distraction from focusing on what isn’t going to work out. Before you start, remember this: it’s going to be okay. This happens a lot. And while that doesn’t make it any less upsetting, knowing that many other students are in your boat might offer a sense of comfort.
We have found that some students have absolutely no backup plan. There might not be anything set in stone but more often than not, there will be at least a few schools floating around your mind. There are two big steps that you need to take, and a bunch of small steps in between. First, you need to create a new college list and second, you need to complete the supplements.
Create a balanced school list.
Be honest with yourself about why you were rejected by your early decision school. Was it too far of a reach? Of course, it’s possible that the rejection doesn’t quite add up, but you need to add more target and safety schools to your list. A good way to do this is by looking at a few specific aspects of the ED school that you loved--and then finding schools that have similar offerings.
Let’s say you applied early (and were rejected from) Vanderbilt. You loved Vanderbilt because of its size (~7,000 students,) proximity to a city, biomedical engineering major, and emphasis on Greek life and tradition.
What does this list tell you? You’re looking for a medium-sized research university with an engineering program that is ideally in and/or close to a city. Greek life would be a bonus.
Are you going to find everything? Maybe. But probably not. You’re not going to find another Vanderbilt, you might actually find something that you like better. Research is your best friend here. And read this blog post about how to streamline your college list. The most important thing to considering is admissions viability, or else you could end up with another rejection. Do your best to balance out your college list, and be open to considering options that have most (but not all) of the things you’re looking for.
Finish the supplements.
Easier said than done, we know. But there is a way to make the process of writing supplements less painful. But first, and this is news that no one wants to hear, you need to revisit your common app essay. Print it out and read it out loud to yourself. What personality trait are you trying to convey? Now that an admissions counselor read it, and passed (sorry) do you still love it as much? We are not suggesting that you start from scratch, but it can’t hurt to make a few improvements. We have a ton of blog posts about how to write your common app essay, read this one about how to answer our favorite prompt.
Back to the supplements. The first step is to write down (or type out, whatever works) the deadlines. And don’t forget to submit your standardized test scores. Once you have the deadlines figured out, read through every single supplement. Look through every tab, as schools are now hiding supplements in the activities and general section of the common app website.
The good news is that you’re going to find a lot of overlap. Many schools ask you why you want to study what you want to study. Write that story out and use it wherever you can. Do NOT copy and paste supplements, but be smart about not doing double work. A few of your schools might also ask about which activities you plan to continue, so write a draft for that. Researching why you want to go to any given school is going to take a lot of time, so be sure to start that early.
The best advice that we can give about starting this process, is to start now. The deadlines are approaching, and rapidly. Carve out time each day to make your way through the work, and honor the deadlines that you create. It will be worth it in the end!
We offer a package for students who have been rejected early decision. Contact us here if you’d like to work with someone one on one.