Denied Admission: It's Their Loss!

Colleges and universities have made their decisions. By this evening, most high school seniors will have heard whether their applications were accepted or denied. Some high school seniors will have big smiles; others will experience rejection, maybe for the first time. For those denied, rejection hurts! There is little that parents, friends, guidance counselors and educational consultants can say that will take away the initial sting.

On March 29, Jeff Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University posted the following: "If you receive some rejections, you will tend to dwell on them. It's only natural -- what we can't have suddenly seems far more valuable of interesting than what we can have. You will be tempted to revisit every step of your high school career and your application process, pondering what you might have done differently. But there is one and only one good answer to any rejection letter you receive, dream school or not 'Your loss, baby.' Then move on."

Dean Brenzel's advice is sound. Don't let someone, or a committee of someones, color the way you think about yourself. You can, and you should, hold your head high because you put yourself on the line by applying to schools that are at best unpredictable.

College should be less about where you go and, ultimately is more about what you do with the four years you spend there. Do well, and the world can be yours!

Marilyn G. S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP