Time April 25/May 2 2022 |EDUCATION| “Why college rejections aren’t always bad news” By S. Mitra Kalita
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Summary by 2244
Student ribbon walking at UCLA February 2022
The author S. Mitra Kalita, of this Time article, recalls feeling personal disappointment of not getting into some desired elite schools but then recounts that it all worked out well anyway having landed at Rutgers. Looking back 30 years Kalita comments “I trace so much of who I am, and the career I’ve built, to that awful week”-when the rejections rolled in.
What do the college-admission experts advise if rejected from your preferred institution?
First, don’t take it personally, there’s so many applications the system is overwhelmed and if your application garnered any individual attention at all maybe it “got either minutes of their time and two minutes in a committee room” notes Ron Lieber (Author of The Price You Pay for College).
Second, control what you can. “Not all decisions are in your hands, but one thing in your control is your character.” Succeed in light of failure by rolling-with-the-punches.
Third, for current high school students and their parents, be focused on “cultivating a fulfilling high school career.” It is really about the student figuring out their “‘character story.’” This advice from Hafeez Lakhani (Lakhani Coaching) “The question of what you stand for is asked at life’s every turn: to get into classes, clubs, grad school, jobs, the boardroom.”
Fourth, paradoxically for some not being admitted to their choice a gap year might be the answer. “Research has shown that gap-year students get in less trouble, are more likely to graduate on time, and have higher GPAs, which in turn can lead to stronger job opportunities, Lieber writes.”
Fifth, Jeffery Selingo (Author Who Gets In and Why), notes that after decades of elite schools pushing their agenda “graduates of so-called elite schools vs. state universities are barely distinguishable.” Not surprising to us here at 2244 “majors and skills might count for more in the job market than the college itself.” In fact, some employers are “rethinking elite institutions” and opening internships to be more inclusive.
Lastly, parents should “look beyond admission” because your young person should really feel they are no “more” because they got admitted or no “less” because they didn’t. Becky Munstere Sabky (Author of Valedictorians at the Gate) suggest reminding your student that what matters most “is not the name on their college sweatshirt, but who is wearing it.”
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