Words from a Rejected College Student by Zack Dresser

Rejection is something that every person faces at some point in their life. It is unavoidable and ultimately is a part of success. It is hard to accept that in one way or another you weren’t good enough. That is a very hurtful reality, but certainly does not determine a person’s future, which is the case when one gets a rejection letter from college.

Overly ambitious people, myself included, tend to reach for the stars, which was my case with the college application process. I was incredibly focussed on a school that’s standards were above my personal academic achievement and unfortunately I recently received a rejection e-mail. This was a tough reality, but a learning experience nonetheless.

When I read the e-mail I felt like everything that I did in high school was worthless and that my achievements were meaningless. This was not the case at all and it took a lot of thought and time to realize this. The admissions process greatly involves academic and extracurricular success, but also a number of applications sent to the school and numberless other factors. With this in mind, one cannot feel down or unsuccessful just for getting rejected from a school/schools.

No matter if you are applying to a large internationally renown university or a small local state school, being rejected is not easy. It hurts. For me and for any other people who got rejected form the college of their dreams, life is not over. It seems like everyone that I tell about the news of my rejection says the same thing, “Things will work out, they always do.” This saying couldn’t be more applicable to the college process because it is just so true. At the end of the day, no matter how many college you apply to or rejection letters you receive, something will work out.

This certainly is the case for me and hope that anyone else struggling with the college admissions process can find comfort in knowing that things truly always work out.