Receiving that deflating rejection letter from your dream school during the Early Decision phase can be really disheartening. You’ve poured your heart, soul, sweat, and tears into becoming a standout candidate. It’s really important to keep in mind that this outcome doesn’t reflect your value or your potential. You still have a bright future ahead. College admissions have become incredibly tough. I mean, Harvard’s acceptance rate is about 3%. (3!!!) And by the way, a rejection from Harvard doesn’t mean you’re not a qualified candidate for other Ivy League universities. So, don’t get too discouraged.
A Little Rest
Before doing anything else, it’s important you take a little break and just be sad. You've invested an enormous amount of effort into your Harvard application and your high school journey, overall, from standardized tests, to AP courses, to extracurricular activities, and homework. Take a brief respite to process the situation. Take a few days to recharge—lounge around, hang with friends, and unwind. Allow yourself to be sad if you’re sad. It’s perfectly okay!
Review Your List
After you've had some time to just chill, shift your focus to regrouping. Remember, you're not starting from scratch. Everything you've accomplished thus far still holds value. You'll need to reevaluate your approach a little bit. Start by checking out your list of prospective schools. Take a look at the acceptance ranges for test scores and GPAs for each school on your list. See where you stand on each. Now, make sure you have a good mix of reach, target, and safety schools.
What you do next depends on your comfort level. If you're feeling confident, great! You might want to keep a fair number of Ivies on your reach list. If you need additional reassurance, think about adding another safety school or possibly upgrading a target school to the reach category. In most cases, a complete overhaul isn't recommended. If you conducted thorough research when crafting your list the first time around, trust in your work and just fine-tune it.
Common App Essay
Check out your Common App essay. Read it over twice. It’s worth thinking about how you can improve it and make it stand out. We advise our students to create exceptional essays that let their personality shine. Remember, admissions counselors spend weeks sifting through an avalanche of essays and applications, so your goal should be to capture their attention and stand out.
Craft a captivating narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end that highlights a few of your unique personality traits. Keep it simple. Avoid overly dramatic or grandiose stories. Make it light-hearted, engaging, charming, and funny whenever possible. Imagine you're the admissions counselor and think about the type of essay that would grab your attention after reading countless others. It’s important you come across as a real, 3-dimensional person. You don’t need to worry about how smart or accomplished you sound. (That’s what the GPAs and resume are for!) This is really to connect with the person on the other side of that page.
Get Some Help
Receiving an Early Decision rejection can be tough. It’s normal to feel lost or uncertain about your next steps. Many students find it beneficial to seek guidance from a college consultant. We offer a specialized "It's Going to Be Okay" package tailored for students who have received less-than-ideal news during the Early Decision round. This intensive two-week program is designed to help you devise a solid plan and regain your footing after a rejection.
College admissions have become seriously competitive. However, don’t despair if you face an Early Decision setback. There are actionable steps you can take to remain a strong candidate for other outstanding schools.
Need some help with your college essay? Call us. We’re experts at helping students craft exceptional essays.