“Dear Student, The Admissions Committee has carefully reviewed your application to [College], and after thoughtful consideration, we regret to inform you that we were unable to offer you a place in the Class of [Year].”
This sentence is likely one of the most devastating for a young student to read. They put in years of hard work and dedication to ultimately not receive the decision they had been dreaming about. A college rejection can be disheartening, but it’s essential to know that, in most cases, it is not a personal reflection on a student’s ability to succeed at that university but rather an illustration of the overly competitive admission environment. Because application numbers are constantly rising, universities must be more discerning than ever in their decision-making process. This blog will discuss why “good” students don’t make the final cut and provide insights to help you avoid these pitfalls.
Top 5 Reasons Students May Recieve a College Rejection
Weak Case for Major of Choice
The major you choose on your college application is the central pillar around which your application is considered. Some universities will admit students to a particular major, or they may admit to the university as a whole. Either way, the major you identify on your application will set the tone for what the committee is looking for in terms of your activities. The major you select should be strategic, and your intellectual activities should work to support and develop your case for this major. Every academic department has clear expectations, looks for particular academic flags, and seeks specific students for their majors. This information is shared with the admission committees to identify the best applicants for each major. A significant mistake students make is thinking that by applying to a less popular major, they will have a better chance of getting in; however, they don’t realize that they need to make a genuine or relevant case for that major. For example, an application will be flagged if they apply as an Art History major when every activity on their application is STEM or engineering related, indicating to the committee that the student is attempting to “back door” their way into the university, which is highly frowned upon in selective admission. The best way to mitigate this issue is for students to reflect on their strengths, interests, and current activities to identify their best-fit major and spend time in high school developing this passion through unique and related intellectual pursuits.
Not a Strong Match for the University
In today’s competitive college admission climate, schools are no longer just looking for the best and brightest; they are also looking for students who are the perfect match for their particular institution. Each school prides itself on having a defined and unique culture, and they want to ensure that their admitted students are a good fit for that environment and that their school is where that student will thrive. Suppose a school’s culture highlights a connected community of leaders and change-makers, and they read an applicant’s file that paints a picture of a quiet, studious applicant who chooses not to get involved in extracurriculars or take on initiative or leadership. In that case, the admission committee may determine their university is not the right fit for that student. Students should research and, when possible, visit universities to evaluate which schools best align with their personalities, goals, and desires for their future college experience. College match is a factor that the committee will consider in the admission process. On the same note, evaluating a school’s institutional priorities is essential. When applying to public universities, it is crucial to understand that public funding is often directed towards in-state students, making it exponentially more competitive for out-of-state students to gain admission. These decisions are not a reflection of the student’s strength as an applicant but instead of the institution’s goals and priorities.
Not Applying ED from a Competitive High School
When putting together your college list, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with where your high school classmates plan to apply. You can speak to your guidance counselor to better understand where most of your classmates are planning to apply. This information will help you better identify where it may be best to consider applying Early Decision. If you apply to a university in Regular Decision where many of your peers applied early, your chances of being admitted to Regular Decision get incrementally more difficult. Universities prioritize diversity as a whole, including diversity in high schools. At most, they are only going to take a handful of students from each high school, and if they have already admitted multiple of your classmates through Early Decision, the odds that they will take additional students from your high school in Regular Decision are less likely and may result in more denials or courtesy waitlists.
Lackluster Letters of Recommendation
Recommendations from individuals who have taught, supervised, or worked alongside students can provide solid qualitative assessments of their academic and character strengths. Since most of the application leans heavily on quantitative assessments (i.e., grades, number of rigorous courses, standardized and AP scores), these letters are an essential element of the application, especially at the top colleges when they have more than enough qualified applicants to choose from. Only some teachers are naturally adept at advocating for their students through writing, so it is crucial to identify the individual who will write the strongest, most eloquent letter on their behalf and to provide guidance to the recommender when possible. A recommender can create a more impactful letter by focusing on these areas:
- Indicate the context in which they know a student and their work.
- Share specific, personal stories that indicate their student’s intellectual curiosity, research and writing ability, analytical skills, motivation, work ethic, and capacity to think independently and critically and challenge themselves.
- Discuss the student’s writing and analytical ability through specific examples such as a class project, a written paper, a presentation, their contribution to discussions, and the overall school environment.
- Provide qualitative comparisons to their peers and illustrative anecdotes.
- Discuss their leadership potential illustrated through specific examples.
- Include personal characteristics such as independent thinking, intellectual curiosity, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to learning that goes beyond set boundaries, as illustrated through personal stories and classroom experiences.
Even at the top colleges in the country, most letters of recommendation are mediocre at best. This does not mean that the recommenders write anything negative about the applicant; on the contrary, they are typically very positive. However, they often lack specificity and details, which makes them generic. They also tend to replicate information already provided in a student’s application (i.e., the student’s GPA, listing clubs they participate in, etc). A strong letter of recommendation can help admission committees distinguish between a good student and an exceptional one, which can ultimately tip the scales in a student’s favor.
Insufficient Demonstrated Interest
In today’s admission environment, it is becoming even more common for high school students to apply to somewhere between 8 to 15 colleges, meaning that colleges are seeing application numbers rise, resulting in colleges becoming even more judicious when selecting students who will receive one of their coveted admission spots. Besides being academically strong, passionate, and involved, committees need to assess the odds that, if admitted, a student will choose to enroll in their institution; this is called estimating the yield. Schools use various means to evaluate a student’s genuine interest in attending their institution, all of which fall under one overarching term: demonstrated interest. In general, demonstrated interest refers to how well a student expresses their interest in a university, how they can articulate their knowledge about the institution, and how well they express what sets it apart from other schools. Some universities still track demonstrated interest, meaning they consider a student’s interest based on whether they have attended an official campus visit, participated in a virtual event, attended a high school visit, etc. Others prefer to focus on a student’s supplemental essays to determine an applicant’s interest. In these essays, does the student focus on shallow, generalized topics such as the campus’s beauty, the city in which the school is located, or that it has the #1 ranked program for X major? If so, the committee will be disappointed because they know that students can find these topics with the most straightforward Google search, which requires little effort on behalf of the applicant. Applicants are expected to truly understand and express their desire to attend by speaking to things such as faculty research that inspires them, specific courses they can’t wait to take, and traditions ingrained into the fabric of the university. When the committee finishes reading these essays, there should be no doubt that the applicant feels connected to their college. If you lack this crucial element of the application, ultimately, it can be detrimental to your admission decision.
Conclusion
Understanding and identifying some of the less obvious red flags that admission committees are looking for will help students mitigate these mistakes in their own applications. Solomon Admission Consulting is here to help walk you through the admission process and provide direction in putting together the most robust possible application. If you want to learn more about our services, contact us today to speak to one of our enrollment managers.
Sources:
Former Assistant Director of Admission at Rice University
4 Years in Rice University Admission
14,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated
Jessica has her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from The University of Texas. She also completed her MBA while working full time in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at her alma mater before transitioning to Rice University. As a first-generation college graduate, she is passionate about helping students apply to their dream schools.
