Tell me your worst rejection stories

<p>Just got waitlisted/deferred (kind of complicated) from a school that I thought I had a good chance for. I'm trying to keep it out of my mind, but it really has gotten me a little bit discouraged. Right now, I'm just hoping I don't see a dozen rejection letters in my inbox April 1st. Considering how I applied to so many schools, I figure I should get accepted to at least one school I like, right? However, I don't think this is automatically true. For example, I know one girl who applied to 11 schools. She was rejected by seven, waitlisted at three, and was only accepted by her safety. Another similar thing happened to last year's school president. I'm not sure how many schools he applied to, but he ended up accepted by nowhere, as he apparently lacked a safety. I think both people really love where they are, so I know it's not the end of the world if I have to go to one of my great safeties schools. However, I have to admit, I would feel at least a little bit crushed if I didn't get accepted anywhere. I'm just curious to hear if anyone has any other brutal rejection stories they'd like to share, especially if they could tell me how the rejectees are doing now.</p>

<p>I think that your friend was unrealistic in her college choices based on her results. By the numbers, our kids can get into every college in the country, will they, no. They are applying to one or two HIGHLY selective schools and if they get in and get the right money, great, have a good time. Every other school they are looking at they are about 90% sure to get in with several where they are coming in at the top end of the applicant pool. I see no need to go 100,000 in debt when the schools they are looking at will get them where they need to be down the road.</p>

<p>Ihave always said its a roll of the dice and hard to tell from year to year. It is hard when the first school defers you always anxiety [rovoking. waiting for results. dont assume you wont get in anywhere.</p>

<p>If you search on the whole site on “rejected everywhere” you will find all the stories. It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while kids have a list that doesn’t yield for one reason or another. College applications are not about “mass” applications that is like splattering stuff and hoping something will stick it’s about a very well thought out and crafted list. As long as you have a true safety you are willing to attend you have nothing to worry about. If you have good solid target colleges then you should have some acceptances in the spring.</p>

<p>I think what takes the cake is someone who got 16 rejections on this fourm. Ouch. Some of the schools who they applied to were a bit unrealistic though. I didn’t apply to HYPS etc. so maybe I won’t repeat their experience.</p>

<p>However, I know someone at my school who applied to 20 selective colleges (the limit on the common app). He’s gotten rejected from one already (Williams ED), and if he gets what he deserves, I think he’ll be rejected at the other 19. He has a good hook though.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I thought my list was well-constructed, if a little bit arbitrary. Let’s face it, I think I could be happy anywhere and it really is hard to distinguish schools with similar resources and academic rigor. I thought they were in line for my stats, but I feel like I ended up making so many careless mistakes in the admissions process that I really will be rejected everywhere.</p>

<p>You’ll probably be fine. It’s just that anxious time.</p>

<p>I went to high school at an exclusive New England prep school where I did not really fit in and was very unhappy and it showed in my grades. At the end of my junior year the guidance counselor informed me I had a cummulative GPA of 1.6 and out of 64 students in my class I was number 64. I did a lot of soul searching over the summer and determined I was not going to throw my life away. I entered senior year with a determination to excell and started to get good grades. I applied to a number of colleges and obviously no school was a safety school for me. The first college I heard from was the University of Dayton and on the standard rejection letter someone there had prominently scrawled in pen “EXTREMELY POOR HIGH SCHOOL RECORD!”. The rejection was not unexpected but that someone in the admissions office was would go out of their way to add that gratuitious insult still rankles 40 years later.</p>

<p>I did indeed turn my grades around senior year and was finally accepted at a college in late spring after at least 8 rejection letters. I flourished in college, got into a good US medical school and am a practicing physician today.</p>

<p>I guess I am a very pessimistic person. I always think I do badly on tests when it turns out I really don’t. And for example, at my last debate competition, I kept bugging my partner about losing all five of our debate rounds, when it turned out we won enough to make it to the next round. But right now, I am reading some really shocking rejection stories. I guess they make up a small fraction of people’s experiences, but I think it is still disheartening to see people who have good stats not get accepted anywhere. (Although I think they could’ve made a better list with more less selective colleges) Right now, I think I will try to put this out of my mind as much as possible and be thankful that I had the opportunity to realistically consider the schools I applied to. </p>

<p>Still, if anyone is curious to see what I’m talking about:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>This person got into Duke later though</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>And so on.</p>

<p>Old timers here know D1’s story, pardon me for repeating it again…</p>

<p>She was deferred by her ED, a school her GC thought was a shoo-in for her. She then applied to many schools RD which had the same notification day. In a matter of 5 minutes she was rejected and WL by every school which had the same notification day. I was on a business trip overseas, so I wasn’t there for her. According to H, she was so upset he had to hold a brown bag over her face. As he was doing that, our house phone rang. It was from one of her safety schools. She was able to compose herself, spoke with the admission person who asked her if it was one of her top choices. She said, “Yes, of course because …” (meanwhile thinking oh yes, you are all I’ve got).</p>

<p>When I returned that night (I asked my boss to let me go back early), she was all curled up and I could see she was crying before. I couldn’t sleep (jetleg), so I broke into one of her top pick school’s site (different notification day) found out she was accepted there. Few days later, the school that called her gave her a full ride. A month later, 2 schools which WL her took her off the WL. She went on to one of those WL schools, had very good 4 years and just graduated last year with a full time job waiting for her. </p>

<p>D1 said to me at one point that omeone up there was watching out for her when she got deferred and rejected from her ED school because she couldn’t have been happier with her WL school. A lot of times, things happen for a reason, and most people end up where they belong.</p>

<p>That’s what happens when you get kids who apply to only extremely selective schools. Even with very good numbers, they still can get rejected from all of them. I don’t see the problem with applying to at least one state school you KNOW you’ll get into.</p>

<p>For the person that got waitlisted by Duke and later got accepted, do you think it’s possible that Duke took him/her partly because Duke was that applicant’s last hope for going to an undergraduate university at the time? Or, if Duke found out, that would have counted against that applicant?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Good to hear! </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I wouldn’t know, to be honest. I do think the people in the thread got into other schools, but they didn’t bother to list them.</p>

<p>Another old timer here. Dont get discouraged if you dont get into your dream school.</p>

<p>You are to young to understand this statement: but eveything happens for a reason. Go to the best school that did accept you. And when you get there make the most of it. Dont sleep in, dont party too much, go to class, study hard and kick azz.</p>

<p>The formula for success: are you ready? Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. Honest it is true.</p>

<p>My older son was rejected by MIT, Caltech and Stanford and waitlisted by Harvey Mudd. He was accepted by Harvard and ended up going to Carnegie Mellon, which hadn’t been on our radar at the start of the process, but ended up being just about the perfect place for a comp sci nerd.</p>

<p>@lemaitre1 That’s a great story to tell high schoolers freaking out over grades or acceptances. OP, everything will turn out ok in the end. I read a book written by a high school counselor who had a student get rejected by all of his schools (I think it was 16 or something?). He called some college admissions offices and got him into a very good school within a day or so. Even the worst case scenario will turn out ok.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I know that this is a very stressful time, but it’s best not to be so concerned with what is happening to others. Specifically the comment about what someone else “deserves” is uncalled for. You may not like this person and you may have a good reason for that but please do not get caught up in who does and doesn’t deserve something. I hope that whatever happens you will be gracious to others and they will be gracious to you.</p>

<p>That said, good luck!</p>

<p>lemaitre, that’s just astonishing. But I really believe that people who are that mean get what’s coming to them sooner or later.</p>

<p>OP, my D applied to only 5 schools, 4 LACs that she wanted, and 1 state school at my insistence. No super-reaches, not even any reaches. According to the stats, she should have been easily accepted at all of them. Her GC even thought there was a good chance that most of the LACs, if not all, would offer her significant merit money. Results: 2 waitlists, 1 rejection, 2 acceptances. However, one of the acceptances was at the state school which offered her a grand total of $500 in grants, so it might as well have been a rejection. She was pretty upset until we got the financial letter from the one LAC that accepted her – a generous scholarship and an even more generous grant. Happy ending: She’s a junior at that school, and loves it. She cannot imagine being anywhere else.</p>

<p>For HS juniors reading this: Learn the lesson. Re-read the “Rejected everywhere” quotes that the OP posted – you don’t want that to be you. Don’t get fixated on those elite schools which, statistically speaking, you probably won’t get into no matter how great your stats are. Sure, apply to one or two high-reaches if that’s what floats your boat. But for heaven’s sake, don’t apply to 10 or 12, and then ignore your matches and safeties. Spend your time and energy finding schools where you stand a good chance of getting in. Above all, have a safety which you would be happy to attend.</p>

<p>Chaosakita, I don’t have any hard rejection from college stories for you as I got into every college I applied to… However… I applied for at least five or six positions that I felt more then qualified for at my place of employment… I was upset after each denial letter came… And in the end I would up being accepted into an awesome position leaps beyond the others I had originally applied for… And had I been accepted into one of the others I wouldn’t have would up applying for the one I wound up getting… I guess what i’m getting is that it will all work out for you just try to stay positive and keep your head up
. :)</p>

<p>Here’s one of the worst CC rejection stories that happily turned into a good news story in the end, but it’s a cautionary tale.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html?highlight=andison[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html?highlight=andison&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Thanks for the story! It was really inspirational.</p>

<p>Here is another story of no acceptances:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/680648-rejections-waitlist-yes-i-am-kid-no-acceptances.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/680648-rejections-waitlist-yes-i-am-kid-no-acceptances.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>However, it seems like the person got pulled off the waitlist and is now going to Emory.</p>

<p>And here’s another:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1110819-no-acceptances-2-waitlists.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1110819-no-acceptances-2-waitlists.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

</p>

<p>Lucky for them, they managed to appeal their UCSD decision, and that’s where they’re apparently going now.</p>

<p>There will be times such as this in your adult life when you have to wait to hear an outcome with high stakes for you. Examples: a judge or jury is out making a decision on your case; medical lab test results for something important. Some people respond by eating, crying, running. You respond by researching! So do I.</p>