Have you been waitlisted? Wondering what to do next? Should you bake cookies with your name spelled out in sprinkles? Should you write a poignant ballad detailing your immense desire to attend those hallowed halls? Should you just give up?  The Daily Beast’s blog post, “Dirty Secrets of College Waitlists” offers some sound advice from the professional decision-makers. There is even some advice from Pace Academy’s own Gavin Bradley!

Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Princeton send out most of their decision letters–mainly by e-mail–tomorrow at 5 p.m. If you are one of the many, many applicants to these or any other Ivy this year, stop your pacing and take a deep breath. Not only are you not alone in applying to such a prestigious school, but you will also not be alone if you don’t get the thick envelope. I don’t mean to be a doom-sayer, I just think that it is necessary to point out that these schools have seen a record increase in applicants this year. No surprise, they are also admitting fewer students. Dartmouth’s admittance rate is only 12-percent, a historic low, while Harvard is admitting only 7-percent of applicants–down a whole percentage point from last year.

Learn more by reading Tamar Lewis and Jacques Steinberg’s article in the New York Times: “For Top Colleges, Economy Has Not Reduced Interest (or Made Getting in Easier)“.

Please keep this in mind when you eagerly check your mail (electronic and otherwise) over the next few days. Perspective is needed in all things. Remember all hope is not lost; a better opportunity waits just around the corner.

Best of Luck!

The first thing you need to realize is that almost every college applicant receives at least one rejection letter, and a rejection letter is not a rejection of you as a person, but a rejection of you as a match for the school.

Remember that colleges are trying to get diverse populations. If they get twenty applications similar to yours, you can almost bet that eighteen other applicants will get that same rejection letter that you got. Not all who are good enough to get into a school are given acceptance letters.

Also, keep in mind that schools can only accept a certain number of students to each degree program. If the degree program to which you are applying is full, you will be out of luck.

The best thing you can do is embrace the schools who accept you; don’t get stuck on the “name” of a school that rejects you. College is about the experience, not the name. A year from now you’ll find that your choice is the right choice for you.

With colleges expecting a record number of applications this year, the importance of making a positive impression with admissions officers is becoming increasingly important. College admissions officers are visiting social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace on a more regular basis. Why is this important? A recent survey of admissions officers showed that of the officers that visited social networking sites to look up applicants, over a third found reasons to reject applicants.

Students should be mindful of their online personas. Make sure you are portraying yourself in the most positive light. Remove inappropriate photos and posts, and make sure you represent yourself as you would want an admissions officer to see you. Be cautious not to post anything that could hurt your chances in the college admissions process.

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