Navigating College Decision Letters

The day has finally arrived. Whether you open your mailbox to secure your envelope or receive a notification in your email inbox, the decision letter for your dream college awaits you. What does the letter’s decision mean for your future? 

Getting Accepted 

Getting accepted into your dream college is an amazing opportunity. Soon after this letter, the college will reach out with financial aid information. Take the time to review the financial information including merit scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study options.  

Colleges will often invite admitted students to orientation events both in person and online. If attending one of these events, take the opportunity to ask people who work at the college or students who are currently attending any questions about the university. You might also make a few new friends! Take advantage of these events to get a sense of the colleges’ culture.  

Bear in mind that even though you were accepted, you may choose not to attend there. Some reasons students decide not to go to their dream college may be because the financial aid packages don’t align with their financial situations or students may be placed at an alternate campus than the ones they applied to. Read all the information and make an informed decision about whether this college is truly right for you.  

Getting Waitlisted 

A college may waitlist students who meet admission qualifications, but the number of available spots is taken. You can choose to accept or reject your waitlist offer.  If you accept, you might get accepted when spots open.  

Take this time to reflect on your options. It’s possible that you might not get off the waitlist, so it is important to plan. Consider the pros and cons of the waitlisted school in comparison to your other opportunities. In the meantime, you might want to retake some tests to boost your scores.  

Getting deferred means the admissions office needs more time to review your application. This might happen if you applied for an early decision. At this point, you could still be accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.  

Getting Rejected 

One of the most disappointing things to happen to hopeful college applicants is getting rejected from their dream school. Don't lose hope, there are a couple of things to consider: 

• It’s normal to be disappointed. It may take time to recover from the rejection. But remember not to take it personally.  “When one door closes, another one opens” - take this not as the end of your journey but as a chance for something else. Things meant to be will fall into place so take a deep breath. 

• If you are accepted to alternate colleges, consider taking a tour of the campuses. You might have overlooked the place that is right for you.   

• If you are still set on going to this university, consider going to a community college or taking a gap year. Most community colleges offer transferable credit options. Reapply to your dream college for the following year.