Getting rejected early decision is undeniably difficult. We suggest that you take a day or two to be upset! It’s not an easy situation to be in, but it does provide true clarity – and you have no choice but to move forward. Setting those wheels in motion, and ASAP, is the best way to figure out more realistic next steps that will result in acceptances at other colleges.
After you’ve collected yourself, here are the following steps you should take:
Make a list of the things you loved about your early decision school.
Think: academic programs, location, size, special opportunities, etc. By getting clear on what you liked about your original top choice school, you can start to find schools with similar offerings.
Create a balanced school list.
This is where reality comes into play. Admissions viability should top your list, meaning that you should be within range at every single school on your list, even your reach schools. Look back at the list you created during step one and try to find schools that have what you’re looking for. Remember, every single school on your list is not going to be an absolutely perfect fit. But all schools on your final school list should be both exciting and realistic choices.
Get organized.
It’s early November and sadly, you don’t have much time. We suggest creating a google doc, or using a pen and paper if you’re old school, to keep track of all of the deadlines. Then, copy and paste the supplements onto the document. This will be hugely helpful for when you start writing because you’ll likely find some overlap between the supplements.
Send all necessary supporting documents to the new schools on your list.
This means making sure your scores are sent in (if you’re sending scores), your college counselor at school knows to send transcripts, and your recommendations are lined up.
Revisit your common app essay.
Brutal, we know. We’ve written countless guides on how to brainstorm, write, and edit your common app essay. What personality trait are you trying to express? Is your entire essay told in story form, with a beginning, middle, and end? Don’t stop editing until you’re sure you’re getting your point across.
Finish the supplements.
Hot tip: look through every single tab on the common app website. Schools are out here hiding supplements in the general section! Please, please, don’t copy and paste responses from one school to another. We would never suggest that. But we’re also not fans of doing double work, so you might be able to write an origin story, or a blurb about your extracurricular activities, that can be used at multiple schools. Create a plan for finishing the supplements, and stick to the schedule that you create. Yes, it will be time-consuming and your eyes will burn from the insane amount of screen time. But the pay-off will be huge, so it’s worth taking the necessary time to finish everything by the end of the year.
We feel for those students who are struggling to complete everything in time. Contact us here if you’d like to work with someone from our team.