Dealing with College Rejection and Acceptance
College application season is a difficult time for both high school seniors and their parents.
Your youngster is undoubtedly under pressure: he may believe that his entire future is hanging on his acceptance or rejection from the schools of his choice. At the same time, you don’t want your child to be crushed by rejection.
The greatest method to deal with college rejection and acceptance is to plan ahead of time how you’ll assist your child in dealing with either decision. Here are a few ideas to get you started!
Use Caution
First, assist your child in making sound judgments during the application process. This can help reduce the likelihood of rejection—or, at the very least, the number of rejection letters.
Make certain that your child examines the statistics for admitted students at each of the institutions he is considering. On college websites, you may find out what percentage of students are accepted and what their typical GPA and SAT scores are.
If your child is significantly below this range, the school is out of reach. This isn’t to say your child shouldn’t apply, but he should have realistic expectations. It also means he’ll have to apply to other colleges that are a better fit for him.
Most experts advise applying to at least two or three safety schools. These are schools that will almost certainly accept your child. You don’t have to label them safety schools because that may make them appear unpleasant to your child, but make sure he applies to numerous schools that are likely to accept him. In this manner, he may aim for the moon while still having a backup plan.
Reduce the Pressure
Your attitude toward college admissions will likewise be passed on to your child. Don’t put too much pressure on your youngster to attend an Ivy League or your alma university.
Even if you’re worried about the results of your children’s applications, try not to show it. In this situation, you must be a strong, supportive figure. Remind your child that there are numerous excellent schools available. Perhaps the best school for him is one that he hasn’t even considered. There’s no reason to base all of his (or your) hopes and goals on a single school.
Another approach to alleviating stress is to avoid informing friends and family members of your child’s application location. Many students choose to keep their college plans a secret until they receive acceptance letters. You don’t want your child to be embarrassed or ashamed if you tell everyone he’s going to Stanford, and then Stanford rejects him.
Concentrate on the Positive
Your youngster will almost certainly receive a few rejection letters; it’s all part of the process. Assist him in focusing on the positive aspects of the colleges that do admit him.
Celebrate regardless of which schools send acceptance letters! Buy some school-colored clothing, take your child on a tour and be excited and enthusiastic, and investigate all of the fantastic perks of the school. Find classes, organizations, or extracurricular activities that your child will enjoy.
You can also tell your youngster that only roughly 66% of high school graduates move on to college. College isn’t a given, but it’s great that he’ll be able to attend one in the near future.
Conclusion
As you assist your child in applying to universities, ensure that he does his homework and is selective about where he sends his applications. Encourage your child not to focus solely on one school and instead discuss the advantages of all the schools to which he has applied.
Keep as much pressure off your child as possible, and assist him in celebrating and becoming excited about his options once acceptance letters begin to arrive.
Rejection is unpleasant, but you may assist your child in embracing the positive.