ARCHIVE:: JANUARY 2002 :: ON CAMPUS

Dear Applicant…
A College Rejection Letter Might Be Disappointing, but It's Not the End of the World

By Harlan Cohen
Special to The Wall Street Journal

Dear College Applicant:

It is our pleasure to inform you that your application for admission has been enthusiastically rejected. This decision was unusually easy for our committee to make. We concluded that you are not smart enough, not interesting enough, and not attractive enough (we obtained a high school yearbook photo) to attend our institution of higher learning.

In addition to rejecting your application, we ask that you cease cheering for our athletic teams, stop wearing our licensed merchandise (including the boxers), and refrain from saying the name of our institution.

Please do not take this decision personally. We just don't want you.

Warmest Regards,
Dean of Admissions

On Campus Harlan Cohen

Yes, I'm a college reject. The Office of Admissions at Indiana University rejected my application many years ago. Actually, first, they put me on a wait list while they reviewed my final high school transcript. Then they rejected me. They told me to try again next year. It's like waiting in line for a table at a great restaurant only to be told, "You can't eat here. Go away! But please, come back in a year!" Both of my older brothers had feasted on the education at Indiana University. Me, I wasn't even allowed in the door.

The college rejection has taken on new forms in the 21st Century. There is face-to-face rejection, there is e-mail/online ejection, and there is the old-fashioned U.S. Postal Service rejection. But the message is pretty much the same: No, thank you.

Zach Goldberg remembers his. Now a sophomore at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., Mr. Goldberg didn't even need to read his letter from Brown University in Providence, R.I., to know he had been rejected. The small envelope told the whole story. But Jessica Michaud, a senior at Worcester State College in Worcester, Mass., disagrees. "The size of the package doesn't matter," she passionately insists. She was accepted to several colleges via various sizes of envelopes.

To clear up this controversy, I contacted Michael Barron, director of admissions at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. According to Mr. Barron, "The 'yes' letter and the 'no' letter are pretty much the same. There is an admissions packet that follows the first letter. We're not trying to be a sneaky Pete. That's just how we do it."

The conclusion: Big packets in the mail are good. And Mr. Barron is no "sneaky Pete."

Why Reject Me?

Before asking, "Why reject me?" understand that we are all big rejects. Not everyone will want you or me. Not everyone will want to be romantic with you (or me) and not every admissions counselor will want you (or me) to attend his or her college. It's really that simple. It's not that college rejects are flawed or not good enough to succeed. It's simply about choice. No admissions counselor can choose every applicant seeking admission. There's just not enough room.

If you discover that you've been rejected-relax. It's natural to feel disappointed, but know that there are still options. Don't hesitate to contact the office of admissions to find out exactly why your application was denied. Inquire into possible alternatives. Following up on your rejection will help you understand, and it can help you start a relationship with an admissions counselor for the future, should you ever consider transferring.

Mr. Barron strongly encourages rejected University of Iowa applicants to ask, "Why?" Not only will students receive an answer, he says, but they will be pointed in the right direction for possible admission later on. "One-third of new students every year are transfer students," says Mr. Barron. Those who don't want to wait can even try resubmitting their application under "special consideration." This unusual option is available for students who don't necessarily meet the normal admissions criteria, but feel they should be accepted anyway. Applicants can write essays, share additional information and essentially plead their case in writing for a special committee to review. The risk is that it's yet another chance for rejection. On the other hand, it could actually work.

Moving On

Of course, you might find out years later that the rejection letter was actually a blessing in disguise. Megan Svenonius had had her heart set on Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, since she was 12 years old. But she didn't get in, and she took it hard. When that letter arrived, "I didn't want to do homework. I didn't want to eat dinner. I wanted to do nothing," she recalls.

After digesting the rejection, Ms. Svenonius went on to the University of New Hampshire and she loves it. This UNH senior's advice to future college rejects: "At any school you go to, there is going to be at least one person who makes the experience worthwhile-a professor who is very motivating or even an adviser or other student." I couldn't agree more.

Students who want to do great things can be great at most any college. There are so many great schools that will want you. The beauty is that if more than one wants you, you get to reject them. And send a big envelope to tell them!

One quick note: My apologies to the fine folks at Thomas College, which I mentioned in last month's column. We all know you're in Waterville, Maine, not Massachusetts!

Send your comments to harlan@helpmeharlan.com