Coyle College Advising
  • Home
  • About Me
    • About Me
    • Colleges Toured
  • Services
    • Why Work With A College Advisor?
    • How It Works
    • Advising Options
    • 12 Questions To Ask
  • Successes
    • Student Acceptances
    • Testimonials
  • Resources
    • Helpful Resources
    • Testing
    • College Applications
    • Financial Aid
    • Recommended Reading
  • Blog
  • Sign-In

Coping With Denials and Waitlists

3/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Mid-March can be a time of high anxiety for high school seniors and transfer students as they await notification from those last few colleges. Often, the most selective schools notify the latest and the end of March holds denials and waitlist notifications for many. How do you cope with having your dreams dashed by your top pick school?

Denials

Picture
Picture
It may be a little shocking. You may feel sad or angry--definitely disappointed. Try not to take it personally. The most selective schools deny numerous qualified candidates. Remember that the most selective schools are a statistical reach for all students. But, whether you were denied at a top-tier school or Big State U, they can’t accommodate all applicants. In this case it’s them not you!

Take Some Time for Yourself
Allow yourself some time to grieve your dream. You may want to talk it over with friends, family, or your school counselor. You may not want to tell anybody at first, and that’s ok too. The first few days are the worst as you process the fact that you won’t be going to the school you’ve pictured yourself at for months. Take care of yourself with exercise, friends, a little TLC, and realize that this disappointment will fade over time.

No Regrets
Don’t blame yourself and go over “would’ve, should’ve, could’ve-s.” Retracing your academic or extra-curricular path is not going to change the result, but it will make you feel worse thinking about how things might have turned out if only you had been more motivated your sophomore year. You can’t change that lazy summer or “C” in algebra, so looking toward the future will help you move on.

Appeals
Appealing an admission decision is usually strongly discouraged by universities.  Appeals can be successful in rare occasions such as a violation of admission policy. You may be able to appeal an admissions decision early in the process if you have compelling new information to offer such as significantly improved test scores, grades, or a circumstance you left out of your application. However, this generally applies to less selective schools which still have seats to fill. Appeals also keep you “stuck in the dream,” and make it hard to move on and embrace your Plan B. So while it might be tempting to try an appeal, most of the time it is best to accept the decision and move on.

Keep Perspective

What you do with your education and opportunities is so much more important than the name on your diploma. There is no “golden ticket” school. A Harvard degree is not a guarantee for a successful life. This article, entitled How to Survive College Madness, has a wonderful take on how being denied can be an opportunity-in-disguise for many students. http://www.nytimes.com/…/frank-bruni-how-to-survive-the-col…

Moving On

Now that you have eliminated “Dream School U” from your list, take a look at the schools that have accepted you. Are there any you haven’t visited or need look at again? Attending the admitted student events that are available in late March and throughout April can give you a new perspective. When you attend the admitted student event you are the one being wooed by the school. It feels pretty good to know that they want you and are trying to entice you to say yes. It will be easier to picture yourself there knowing you are “in.” While you are there, spend time on campus, eat in the dining commons, talk with students, sit in on a class, or meet with a professor in your major. These are all good ways to get a deeper feel for the college.

Waitlisted

Being waitlisted may actually feel more challenging than getting an outright denial. It prolongs the unknown and keeps you from “going all in” on a final decision. Keep in mind that the waitlist is devised for the benefit of the college, not the student. The college has seats to fill, the waitlist ensures this. Most colleges will not start admitting off the waitlist until after May 1. It is possible you will not know the final outcome of the waitlist until June or July and remember, many students do not get admitted at all. Here are the steps to take if you are waitlisted:

1. Opt-in: most schools will have a procedure for indicating that you would like to remain on the waitlist. It could be an essay to write, a survey to fill out or a mouse click. If you want to stay on the waitlist, be sure you follow the instructions.

2. Find a viable second choice school you can be happy with. Remember back in the fall when you applied? You should have only applied to schools that you would want to attend—so go visit if necessary and pick another school.

3. Submit an enrollment deposit at “Second Choice U” by May 1. Then sign up for orientation, choose your housing and make a housing deposit. Submitting an enrollment deposit by the May 1st deadline is essential so that you will be able to go to college. (You may only deposit at one school.)

4. Start picturing yourself at “Second Choice U”—it may become your first choice! If you do end up getting the call from “First Choice U” that you have been admitted, you will have to make an enrollment deposit with them. After your spot is secured with First Choice, then you can call Second Choice and let them know that you were admitted off the waitlist at another school and you will not be enrolling there. It is important to note that you will forfeit your enrollment deposit at that point. You should, however, be able to get your housing deposit refunded. You will also have to notify the college housing department to get that initiated.

Handling disappointment and failure is part of life’s journey. However, the old saying, “When one door closes another one opens,” is the perfect metaphor. Sometimes the best journey is the one we didn’t expect.
Picture
0 Comments

Is a Liberal Arts College Right for You?

3/2/2015

2 Comments

 
One of the important aspects of choosing a college that is “the right fit” is understanding how colleges and universities differ. A liberal arts college focuses on a well-rounded education as opposed to a career-based education. It offers a philosophy of education that goes back to the ancient Greeks, emphasizing ideas and ways of thinking that aren’t specific to a particular job. Liberal arts colleges value communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork--all of which are valuable assets in the work-force and society as a whole.

Liberal Arts in a Technical World?

Picture
Liberal arts colleges still offer degrees in science and mathematics as well as the behavioral sciences, arts, and languages. A liberal arts education is an excellent springboard to medical school, graduate school, and the world of work. Even people with technical degrees can benefit from a liberal arts experience. As my engineer friend put it, “Engineers should all have liberal arts educations because the world is full of well-trained people who can solve technological problems. Innovation will come from the people who solve social problems, not technical problems.” He used the iPhone as an example, “The problems that drove its desirability were social problems; the value is what the phone does for you and how you interact with it, not how it is made.” He emphasized, “A person needs both a liberal arts view point and a technical specialty. The former, to have the perspective, persuasion, and critical thinking skills; the latter is to have enough credibility that people will hire and listen to you.”  Michael Dickerson, of Etsy summed it up this way, “You need to understand how people think and how people live, and knowing calculus isn’t going to help you with that.” There are many successful CEOs of tech companies that have a liberal arts degree. Having those “soft-skills,” such as communication and problem solving abilities helped position them for success, even when their degree was not related to the company’s product.  This article goes into more detail: http://www.inc.com/laura-entis/6-cases-for-the-value-of-a-liberal-arts-education.html Even if you opt for a research institution, getting a liberal arts foundation will be beneficial for any field you choose.


Characteristics of a Liberal Arts College

Another benefit to liberal arts colleges is that they usually offer small class sizes that are taught by professors.  Undergraduates are the focus and since graduate programs are limited, if they exist at all, undergrads get to participate in professor lead research as early as their freshman and sophomore years. The professors are there to teach and interact with students. Students will get to know their professors, and more importantly, the professors get to know their students, this enables students to get excellent guidance and recommendations towards career paths or graduate programs.

Isn't a Liberal Arts College Expensive?

While many liberal arts colleges are private, there are also some public liberal arts institutions, which can help manage costs. The west coast includes these budget friendly options: Sonoma State University, Southern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, and The Evergreen State College in Washington. Many private liberal arts colleges have generous merit-base scholarships and have merit money for “B” students, so you shouldn’t count the private option out until you’ve explored the possibilities. The book Colleges that Change Lives, by Loren Pope, is an excellent resource for exploration. Here is a link to the website: http://www.ctcl.org/.

Picture

Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education

A liberal arts college might be right for you if you are looking for a college experience that enhances the following:
  • Effective oral and written communication skills
  • Critical thinking skills such as:        
            analysis
            synthesis of new ideas
            creativity
            evaluation
  • Problem-solving
  • Effective research skills
  • Ethics
  • Teamwork
  • Sensitivity  and tolerance
  • Self-confidence and understanding
Who wouldn’t want to hire someone with attributes such as these? I recommend that you go visit a liberal arts college or two and see if it might be the right fit for you!

Picture
Willamette University in Salem, Oregon,--one of the colleges that changes lives!
2 Comments

    Notes from Beth

    Helpful insights to finding your perfect college match. 

    Coyle College Advising Beth Coyle

    Archives

    February 2020
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Coyle College Advising Logo

    Categories

    All
    College Applications
    College Confusion
    Common App
    Coyle College Advising
    CSU
    Dates And Deadlines
    Early Action
    Early Decision
    Seniors
    UC

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Picture
Picture
Picture

Beth@CoyleCollegeAdvising.com
Home | About Me | Services | How It Works | Advising Options | Colleges Toured | Successes | Student Acceptances Testimonials  | Coyle College Advising Blog
HECA Member
WACAC Member
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map
Website by  Nicolette A. Munoz Consulting
© 2014 Coyle College Advising.  All Rights Reserved.