As a second semester senior, it seems that rejection has failed to bedevil almost nobody. Almost every student has had that moment where they open up their email, click on the admission decision, and read a horribly vague letter stating that as much as they were impressed with your application, the school must regretfully inform you that they do not have room for you in their class of 2021. It is nearly impossible not to think of how you have blundered; it is hopeless to make it through the night without thinking of what else you possibly could have done. The truth is, no matter how much we may not want to accept it, denials usually have very little to do with us. It is simply not meant to be. In the moment of dismissal, however, this is hard to accept. So, for all of us hearing in March and April, here is some advice from adults towards dealing with getting rejected, because no matter how much we don’t want it to happen, it will.

Sarah Strassburger – “I think often times in the college process we get really focused on one place we want to go, when it’s actually a relationship. The school should want you as much as you want to be there. I think it’s terribly painful and horrible not to get into a school you really think you want to attend, but I would say in hindsight as someone who is older and has seen many many students go through this process, you will still find a school that is right for you,” Strassburger said.

She continued to speak on the subject that college acceptances and denials do not define or undermine a student’s accomplishments. No matter where you go to college, she said, what you have done in highschool and the barriers you have overcome are still just as important.  “You will still be successful and happy, and you have a great future ahead of you. We have to focus more on a student’s self worth and confidence than a student’s college acceptances.”

Joey Dziedzic – “It’s meant to be,” said Dziedzic, who went for the direct approach.

Shannon Duffy – “It’s not the end of the world. A lot of students put a lot of pressure on getting into their number one school when there’s a variety of schools that will meet their needs. I would say to keep an open mind because remaining open to other opportunities that you may not have had earlier, and following your passion, are some of the most important things I have found in my personal life.” Duffy later added through an email that “the best parts of my life have come out of failures.”

Sarah Benson– “I would probably say that everything happens for a reason, and that’s not the school you were meant to go to. Even though it may seem devastating, there are bigger and better things wherever you land. You’ll get a great education at any school you go to, and it’ll all work out in the end.”