Not accepted at the college of his choice?

[SW in IL]

My friend's DS got his letter of rejection today and is understandably upset. He was told that the college accepts pretty much anyone. He submitted all the required paperwork, though his ACT scores were a bit low (he was sick when he originally took the test so he retook the ACT last Saturday and the new scores will be sent to the college).

 

Anything he can do? I suggested waiting until his new scores come in and if he did significantly better maybe he can ask them to reconsider. Is that a good idea? Do colleges possibly reject people based on their need for financial aid (the application asked if they'd be applying for need-based aid and they said yes, plus the questions asked at the interview mainly had to do with financial aid)? What reasons are there that colleges reject applicants?

 

Thanks,

Sue

[TravelingChris]

yes, they are rejecting students who have need. Most schools cannot afford to be need-blind. If it doesn't say it is, and hardly any are, that means that they do consider how much you pay versus how good you are to the school. DOes that mean that most of their students are full pay? No, maybe hardly any are. But they will look at how much the student needs along with their grades, scores, etc.

[LibraryLover]

First he needs to understand that these things happen. For some hsing kids, this might be the first rejection of their lives. It's hard, but not the end of the world. By far. It really may not have been the right match. Perhaps the admissions people saw something the family missed?

 

Was he wait-listed? He might still have a chance. Who wrote his recommendations? (Parental recommendations are not worth as much as others, fi) . Did he show one lab science instead of two or three? How was his interview? I know you said he met all of the requirements, but perhaps there was something there that was missed? Perhaps his interview wasn't great? Might he need more experience there?

 

Even schools which take 'almost everyone' need to say no to some. It could be something significant that kept him out or not. He can call and ask for feedback (there is nothing wrong with doing this) so that he has ore info next time around.

Edited December 19, 2009 by LibraryLover

[newbie]

I am sorry, that would be heartbreaking, I keep trying to remind dd not to put all her eggs in one basket.

 

Perhaps when the good scores come in, colleges will be pounding on his door. Could be a great silver lining.

[Laurie4b]

Keep in mind, too, that students can take the route of transferring into their preferred school. Many schools that are not accessible to a student as a freshman are much more likely to accept that same student as a junior transfer. There is more than one route to acceptance.

[SW in IL]

I suggested that he do 2 years at a junior college and then transfer over to culinary school (since that's his ultimate goal). He had planned on doing 2 years at the school that didn't accept him and then transfer.

 

Part of the problem is that his choices are quite limited. 3 colleges within driving distance... 1 private (the one that turned him down), 1 public (really too large for him... he'd hate it, though that's where my friend says he should go since he didn't get into the private school), and 1 junior. Due to financial limitations, he'll have to live at home and these are the only schools within driving distance.

 

We'll see what happens when his new round of ACT scores comes in and in the mean time I'll be encouraging him to pursue his other options.

 

Sue

[hsmamainva]

My oldest dd fell in love with one college, out of the 12 we visited. She decided then that she wanted to go there, and nowhere else, so she didn't submit any other applications.

 

They received over 20,000 applications for 3,000 slots and she was waitlisted. :(

 

But the community college has a guaranteed admission program. If she completes an AA degree with a 3.0 gpa or greater, she's guaranteed to be accepted by her favorite 4 year college, and will be admitted as a Junior.

 

So that's what she decided to do! She has 9 more classes left to go (after her upcoming Spring semester is completed).

 

It's been a blessing in disguise for us, as we're able to send her to the community college for around $5,000 a year (books, tuition, and gas expense), compared to $15,000 a year + for her to attend her favorite 4 year public college.

 

Sending him best wishes and positive thoughts as he makes his decision!

[creekland]

I do suspect the ACT scores had a bit to do with it. In my research for colleges many admissions folks have been telling me they need a way to determine the level of my boys' ability outside of mommy grades - or even other homeschooling grades (co-op, etc). If this was the only outside source he had (or even the major one), I could easily see where it would make a difference.

 

If it were my son, I'd try again if his scores are better this time around.

 

Many successful people are rejected or fail at first, then pick themselves up and succeed. (A blanket statement, not just about college apps.) The key is not staying down when you fall.

[Piano&ViolinMom]

The key is not staying down when you fall.

@creekland, I like the statement you just made.

[SW in IL]

Would he need to reapply for admission or can he ask that they reconsider their decision in light of the new test scores?

 

Should he redo anything else in the application? He probably only had one letter of recommendation but he really had no choice. He hasn't taken any outside classes nor has he done any activities or volunteer work or the like. His travel/experiences have been limited. His parents keep him busy helping around the house, taking care of his nieces and nephews, etc. Plus they live in a very small town (about 500 people) which is somewhat isolated. His writing skills probably aren't as strong as they should be.

 

The deadline for applying without having to pay the application fee was December 1st. While the app fee isn't all that much, it does make an impact on their budget.

 

He really does have his heart set on going to this one college. It's a small 4-year private liberal arts school that seems to cater towards his learning style (learning by reading and discussion). He plans on going there for at least 2 years and then transferring to a school that offers a bachelor's degree in culinary arts (there are actually very few that offer the degree he wants). As much as he'd like to do all 4 years at the culinary school, finances and family issues/responsibilities prevent him from moving that far away at this time.

 

Any other advice or ideas?

 

Thanks,

Sue

[Anna]

Anything he can do?

 

He needs to understand that these things happen and move on to Plan B. Colleges have a number of reasons for rejecting applicants.

 

My oldest had her heart set on Hillsdale. They offered her a decent scholarship but she would have been living on campus. She couldn't afford to pay room and board and the scholarship wouldn't have covered it so she had to turn them down. She went with her second choice and we see that it's been a very good fit for her. We may not see it right away but sometimes there is a good reason when things don't go our way.

Edited December 20, 2009 by Anna

[Laurie4b]

He probably only had one letter of recommendation but he really had no choice. He hasn't taken any outside classes nor has he done any activities or volunteer work or the like. His travel/experiences have been limited. His parents keep him busy helping around the house, taking care of his nieces and nephews, etc. His writing skills probably aren't as strong as they should be.

 

Any other advice or ideas?

 

 

 

I think this information puts new light on the issue. It's more than just ACT scores. The school has no way at all of knowing this young man.

 

Additionally, colleges are looking for more than test scores; they are looking for students with interests, initiative, etc. They want students who will make their campus more interesting. This young man has apparently not had the chance to develop that due to family choices or circumstances. If this is due to parental decisions/philosophy, as opposed to his decisions, it's part of the consequences of those decisions. Some homeschool families do choose these values of keeping kids very much in the family cluster and limiting outside contacts, but unless there is a strong case to be made for what he did at home (e.g. a parent had cancer and he took on family responsibilities), then on paper, he looks like an unmotivated student. (I'm not making a judgment on him, just saying what it will look like.) It may be that he and his family had unrealistic expectations--the school accepts everyone--and therefore weren't prepared to put his best foot forward.

 

The private college may accept him if his ACT scores go up. It might also help if the young man himself made an appointment with the admissions office for an interview, to talk about his family situation, share his passions, etc.

 

If he has really been restricted to the point where he has no passions, interests, etc. that he's developed and he really wants to go to that school, then I'd suggest reapplying next year after a year of a job at a restaurant, volunteer work, and some classes at a community college or the junior college. However, that would mean that he would be spending a lot of time each day outside the family. Would they be willing to let him do that in order for him to achieve his dreams?

[Julie in MN]

I think this information puts new light on the issue. It's more than just ACT scores. The school has no way at all of knowing this young man.

 

Additionally, colleges are looking for more than test scores; they are looking for students with interests, initiative, etc. They want students who will make their campus more interesting. This young man has apparently not had the chance to develop that due to family choices or circumstances. If this is due to parental decisions/philosophy, as opposed to his decisions, it's part of the consequences of those decisions. Some homeschool families do choose these values of keeping kids very much in the family cluster and limiting outside contacts, but unless there is a strong case to be made for what he did at home (e.g. a parent had cancer and he took on family responsibilities), then on paper, he looks like an unmotivated student. (I'm not making a judgment on him, just saying what it will look like.) It may be that he and his family had unrealistic expectations--the school accepts everyone--and therefore weren't prepared to put his best foot forward.

 

The private college may accept him if his ACT scores go up. It might also help if the young man himself made an appointment with the admissions office for an interview, to talk about his family situation, share his passions, etc.

 

If he has really been restricted to the point where he has no passions, interests, etc. that he's developed and he really wants to go to that school, then I'd suggest reapplying next year after a year of a job at a restaurant, volunteer work, and some classes at a community college or the junior college. However, that would mean that he would be spending a lot of time each day outside the family. Would they be willing to let him do that in order for him to achieve his dreams?

 

I agree with Laurie. My oldest went to an engineering school and even they wanted to see more than a bookworm. They wanted someone who would contribute to the campus and someone who would get along well in a campus environment as well as the working world.

 

You can, though, re-think exactly what he has done. My son dredged up everything he'd ever been involved in, and looked at ways to include or group things together so they looked good. Something like helping at home could look lame or could look like an accomplishment, depending on what he did & how he worded it. I don't mean making things up or exaggerating, but just guiding the admissions folks to look at things in a better light.

 

Julie

[Janet in WA]

1 private (the one that turned him down), 1 public (really too large for him... he'd hate it, though that's where my friend says he should go since he didn't get into the private school)

You know, even though we can be SURE, and our dc can be SURE which college will suit them, we can be very wrong. Our middle son was SURE (as were we) that he wanted a smaller, more intimate school. So that's what he chose for his freshman year. But it wasn't long before he found it too limited academically, and he transferred to a large state university and has never looked back. Our younger son was SURE he wanted the big school experience. Wasn't long (one year) before he was happily transferred to a small, intimate college to finish his education. Your friend's son may just be very happy with the larger public college, despite what he thinks now. Just something else to think about.