What can you do if you've been rejected from every college you wanted to go?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Going to a CC can be a truly scary experience, because it forces a student to take responsibility for their actions. Many people go the CC route and lose themselves in the masses. They do not transfer out, and resign themselves to a "mediocre" way of life. However, there are some CC's in this country with extremely high transfer rates, and extremely bright students. In California, for example, the Scholars program at most CC's will allow for direct admission into UCLA and UC Berkeley. (This will require a certain GPA) Some schools also have articulation agreements with schools like USC, Loyola Marymount University, Pomona, Chapman, and collaborative agreements with schools like Mount Holyoke, American University, and Smith College. </p>

<p>Do NOT go to a CC if you are a person who needs to leave home because the environment is not conducive to achieving your best.
Do NOT go to a CC if you live in area where opportunities for academic, cultural, and personal growth are scarce.
Do NOT go to a CC if you cannot commit yourself to working really hard for two years, and possibly dealing with incompetent people while waiting to transfer out.
Do NOT go to a CC if you do not have the maturity to stay on track. (Get a high GPA, participate in activities, look outside the box for resources, etc.)
Do NOT go to a CC if you got accepted to your dream school, but the money just doesn’t work out. You will regret it. Try to find a way, and only use the CC as a last resort.
Most importantly, do NOT go to a CC if you think you will “miss out” on the college life you should have had. People really get stuck on this one. You will not have the college experience that most people have when they go away to school if you go to a CC. It’s a fact of this process that you will miss out on the social life, and some of the organized experiences that 4 year students start having as soon as they step on campus as freshmen. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that most of the top schools have their own traditions for transfer students, and that you will have the opportunity to explore all that is “college life” as soon as you transfer out. It won’t be an easy process, and friendships may be scarce at first. The opportunity to succeed will be there, however, and if you work at it you will still be able to make lasting friendships, enjoy the college perks, and prepare for a solid future.</p>

<p>If you NEED to leave your area, and feel that the debt of a “mediocre” college is worth it for the sake of the experience then please look into some of the Colleges That Change Lives Schools. Hiram College in Ohio is still taking applications, and many of the schools in that book would be happy to accept a student who presents themselves well through their essays. Show them that you NEED to leave, and would LOVE to attend their school. (Just keep in mind that some of these schools may not have the social life you are looking for. Make sure to explore, in depth, their environments before you move away from home.) </p>

<p>Also, keep in mind what you might want to major in, and ask yourself why you want to go to college in the first place. Are you going for a mixed social/academic atmosphere? Are you going because you want to study abroad, and have great internships? Or, are you going because its what you are expected to do? Do you want more social opportunities? </p>

<p>Answering these questions will help you to decide which path to follow. A CC will still allow you to study abroad, usually, and internships really depend on how you use your time while in school. Remember that you have a second chance to transfer to a school that really meets your needs. Make sure that you find a school that is strong in your major, and allows for growth in your field after graduation. </p>

<p>I could go on from here, but I will stop prattling now. Lol. If you need anymore help, or would like some more information please PM me. I just went through the process of deciding between a CC and a four year tier 2 or 3 school. I know it can be a difficult choice to make, and wish you the best of luck.</p>

62

<p>MSU Dad is right on. I don't know if deadlines have passed, but Missouri Valley schools like Northern Iowa, Bradley, Evansville etc. in addition to MAC schools and others will offer you a 4 year education with the type of environment you are looking for.</p>

63

<p>Referring back to Post #51, about Florida Atlantic University, you may want to apply ASAP as your safety. There are two international airports 30 minutes drive away. You may even try for its Honors College. There are plenty of possibilities there. You may actually love your safety.
<a href="http://wise.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://wise.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Lady Leonella 07: You sound very wise for your years. All of the things that you listed about CC's is why we suggested that our kids try to earn their way into a smaller university. They do want a college experience (dorm life, relationships, activities, and good courses). It sounds like that's what the OP wants as well. The financial perspective can be very weighty and such decisions are difficult.</p>

65

<p>on the subject of Americorps, from my personal experience, they seem to do less than my school's NHS club, which does very little for the community. Americorps seems like an organization for parents to dump unmotivated kids.</p>

66

<p>"Do NOT go to a CC if you got accepted to your dream school, but the money just doesn't work out. You will regret it. Try to find a way, and only use the CC as a last resort." </p>

<p>Right now, I attend a top public school as an out-of-state student and I very much want to transfer out. It is financially straining and I am not enjoying the experience here. I do not want my parents to pay for an inferior education (OOS tuition). It has helped me realize that I would thrive best at a medium-sized university (~4000-6000 undergraduates). The problem is that the schools I want to go to are difficult to get into with approximately 20% acceptance rates. My grades for my first quarter at college were mediocre by their standards. My HS gpa was strong but my SAT score was mediocre by their standards. </p>

<p>Now my dilemma is this: </p>

<p>I need to decide whether or not I should just leave my current school and go home and go to community college or if I should find a school on weenie's list and transfer there. Of course, by going there, I would have to go to a tier 2/3 school or go to a CC... In any case, I do not want to stay at a tier 2/3 school and would just use it as a stepping stone to get into my dream schools. I am very determined now to make those schools a reality and so I am very lost as to what to do next. Another issue is that I would be transferring down from a more competitive school with decent grades to a "lower" school where grades might be easier to attain. I am worried how this would like to adcoms and if it makes it seems as if I couldn't handle my current school. </p>

<p>I am applying to my dream schools right now and I am trying to prepare for the worst case scenario - not getting in and leaving my current school and trying to figure out what to do next to make those dream schools a reality. </p>

<p>I tried to PM you Lady_Leonella07 but it did not work. It sounds like you had gone through a similar experience. I do not know if I could tolerate being at a CC because I am used to being around motivated individuals at my current school. I would appreciate any advice.</p>

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<p>To the OP:</p>

<p>I'm from Brooklyn as well, so I know exactly how you feel about wanting to leave and have new experiences, especially socially. If I stay here for college, it will simply feel like a continuation of high school- not what I want. It's funny how Brooklyn and NYC in general is so tremendous yet it begins to feel so limiting after a while- but I divulge. My point is I do understand your reasoning, and I have some suggestions for you.</p>

<p>First of all, echoing what many other posters advised, try to scramble and apply to more places! Here is a list of schools which are rolling decision: <a href="http://www.princetonreview.com/college/apply/articles/types/rollingcoll.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princetonreview.com/college/apply/articles/types/rollingcoll.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>You'll see you actually have an array of options! I don't know which SUNYs you already applied to, but according to this list, SUNY Brockport, Stony Brook and a few others offer rolling decision. Another possible option for you that I can see on this list is Long Island University; I know it's in Brooklyn, but it does offer dorms! And according to the College Board website, the priority application deadline for LIU is June 1st! So you actually have time. </p>

<p>My advice is to browse through this list, talk to your guidance counselor if possible, and apply to several of these schools ASAP! Good luck! I'm sure you will end up happy and in a good school, getting the "college experience" you've dreamed of. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.</p>

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<p>Well, look at the USC (I think it's USC at least, or then as one of the previous posters pointed out, the UC system). USC accepts almost as many transfers as they do freshman applicants! It's clear that MANY of the kids that are coming in [and according to my school's trustworthy college counselor] as transfers went to ** community college ** and then transfered their credits in. Community college to USC... that doesn't sound too bad to me!</p>

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<p>@gmail.com: I would be happy to help you in any way I can. I am going to PM you my email. </p>

<p>I have several friends who took the CC route and are now in the process of getting PhD’s at UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, and Stanford. It's really all about what you put into it. The people at a CC will drive you insane for the most part. A lot of them don't know what they are doing, and many of them lack drive to succeed. The upside to that is that you will find more professors who are willing to work with the bright students, and who are willing to go above and beyond for their students come transfer time. CC students who use the resources in front of them will go far. Also keep in mind that most of the top CC's have a small bubble of "extremely talented/smart kids" who WILL challenge you. You might also want to consider contacting your dream schools, and asking them if they prefer honors CC students to tier 2/3 students. I have had schools tell me that they only take students in the same academic range as them, and others tell me that they prefer honors CC students. ANY OTHER type of transfer does not come in with the same fight as top CC students have. They have to compete for two years to keep the GPA high, and the life on track. They prove that they can succeed in the “real world.” At least that is what the Director of Admissions at a top LAC said to me recently. </p>

<p>Email me and we can talk more. I know how hard this decision was for me to make, and would love to help you out.</p>

70

<p>As a current CC student preparing to transfer, I can personally suggest that you not take this route for two years. While I am very pleased with my improvement and have already gained admission to an amazing, exclusive university, I feel like I have missed out on a lot and actually find myself wanting to spend more than 2 years at my next school. It is certainly possible to do well after a CC and there are some smart students and amazing profs, but you would do better to attend a 4-year university with a real campus and at least get some of the college experience.</p>

71

<p>What SUNY schools did you apply too? I have a worse GPA but a better SAT/ACT and got into 3/4 of my SUNY schools. Did you apply to the harder to get into SUNY schools?(Stony Brook, Buffalo,Geneseo?)</p>

72

<p>except brandon's gonna get accepted to University of Chicago and will get like 20 different job offers before he graduaets and will live a very high-class life.</p>

73

<p>"on the subject of Americorps, from my personal experience, they seem to do less than my school's NHS club, which does very little for the community. Americorps seems like an organization for parents to dump unmotivated kids."</p>

<p>It may depend on where one does Americorps and how one is supervised.</p>

<p>I visited City Year in Boston several years ago, spending time with some Americorps workers, and was very impressed.</p>

<p>S is in Americorps Vista in our city, and is extremely busy. He also is far from unmotivated since last year, he was our county's teen volunteer of the year for things he had done throughout h.s. including projects that he initiated himself.</p>

<p>S often is at work from 8 a.m. until late in the evening. I often have run into people who met S while he was doing his volunteer work which includes: serving on a local nonprofit's board and helping them create a teen leadership program; facilitating nonviolence groups; handling emergency phone calls when there have been weather disasters in the state; working with the assistant school superintendent on projects involving h.s. students; directing a day-long service project with h.s. students; getting certified in supervising volunteers; speaking in several college classes; representing his agency at volunteer fairs, etc.</p>

<p>Lots does depend on the motivation of the volunteer, though, because I am aware of a situation in which an Americorps volunteer seemed to spend the workday "working" on her My Space account.</p>

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<p>Footballplayer - not sure if your question was directed at me or not as I haven't kept up with all the posts in the thread. I am a student at a Texas CC and I did not apply to any SUNYs; disregard this if it wasn't meant for me.</p>

<p>Dhl3 - that is very kind of you :D but I don't think I'll be applying to UChicago anymore. It all depends on whether I can bring myself to write that weird essay.</p>

75

<p>Well, I came home today to find out I got accepted to University At Buffalo! I know for CC standards it isn't the best, but I'm glad I got accepted.
Thank you for all your support! Seriously, thank you so much. You helped me out a lot. But I'm betting there's gonna be some poor sap who would be in that same situation I (luckily) got out of. I feel kinda like a fool for making myself look like such a drama queen, but the suggestions in this thread is very useful to anyone who does actually get rejected from his or her dream schools. This thread has some amazing responses from some insightful posters.</p>

<p>So yeah. I really can't say thank you enough. :) :)</p>

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<p>Congratulations! I'm sure it's a relief to know that you'll be able to go to a 4-year college.</p>

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<p>Congratulations!!! Good luck there!</p>

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<p>mozillameister....I thought u were the thread starter! Anyway, Congrats and just keep a broad perspective...........it's not all about getting into the top notch college....just keep that in mind if u hear some sarcastic comments (not really intended but yet thrown at u from some of ur 'smart' friends if u've any! I don't know whether I'm really off topic, but to me, it's something worth remembering)</p>

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<p>My cousin did two years of community college before transferring to Cornell...</p>

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<p>From CC to Cornell! I've heard stuffs like that but is it easy to make such a transition!?</p>