For a comprehensive overview of all possible admission outcomes, including acceptance, waitlist placement, conditional admission, and alternate pathways, see our complete guide to admission decisions and their common outcomes.

Why Did I Get Rejected from College Even Though I Had Good Grades and Test Scores?

This is often the first and most painful question students ask. The honest answer may be difficult to hear: at most highly selective colleges, the majority of applicants are academically qualified for admission. When nearly everyone applying has strong credentials, admissions officers must make decisions based on factors that extend far beyond your GPA and SAT scores.

Veteran college admissions expert Jamie Berger explains what admissions officers are actually looking for: “They’re sculpting a class. They have all your data. They don’t want to hear more about your data or your accomplishments. They want to get a little feel for who you actually are.”

Your rejection likely reflects one or more institutional priorities that had nothing to do with your potential:

• Major and program balancing — Your intended field of study might have been oversubscribed
• Institutional financial needs — Full-pay students sometimes receive preference, particularly at schools without need-blind policies
• Class composition — Admissions teams balance athletes, artists, legacy students, first-generation students, and dozens of other categories

The decision reflects the college’s needs at that specific moment in time, not a judgment of your worth or your potential for success.

How Do I Deal with the Emotional Pain and Disappointment of College Rejection?

Rejection hurts. Whether it comes from the crush who didn’t accept your invitation to Homecoming, the coach whose team you didn’t make, or the college of your dreams, it creates genuine emotional pain that deserves acknowledgment.

Give yourself permission to feel disappointed. Suppressing your emotions won’t make them disappear—it will just delay the processing you need to do. Set aside time to be upset, but also set a boundary for when you’ll begin actively moving forward.

Recognize that this feels personal but isn’t about you. As one family in the Great College Advice community observed after their student’s rejection: the system can feel arbitrary because, at a certain level, it is. When colleges must choose between thousands of qualified applicants, the final decisions often come down to factors entirely outside your control.

The admissions experts at Great College Advice consider emotional support and expectation management essential parts of the counseling process. As they explain to families: “It’s a huge part of our job.”

Shift your perspective about “perfect” schools. The Great College Advice Family Handbook addresses this directly: “Instead of talking about ‘perfect fits’ and ‘dream schools,’ it is generally more helpful to talk about ‘compatibility’ and ‘preferences.'” There is no single college where you’re destined to thrive—there are many schools where you can build a meaningful, successful experience.

Many students ultimately discover that rejection from their early-choice school was a blessing in disguise, leading them to an institution that better suited their actual needs and personality.

What Practical Steps Should I Take Immediately After Receiving a College Rejection?

Once you’ve given yourself time to process the initial disappointment, it’s time for strategic action.

1. Review Your Remaining College List

If you were rejected from a highly selective institution, examine whether your list includes enough “target” and “likely” schools. Students sometimes underestimate how competitive certain schools are, and a rejection may signal that you need to add applications to ensure you have solid options.

As the Great College Advice team advises: “If you were rejected from this school, it is possible that you may not be admitted to schools with a similar profile.”

2. Protect the Quality of Your Remaining Applications

This is critical. The psychological impact of rejection can diminish the quality of applications you complete afterward—which is precisely why experienced counselors insist students finish all applications before receiving early decisions.

If a student is rejected by their first choice college, and maybe some second and third choices, too, the psychological energy needed to complete those subsequent RD applications is significant. That disappointment can have a negative impact on the quality of those RD applications.

If you still have applications to complete, approach them with fresh energy. Each school deserves your best work.

3. Avoid the Appeal Trap

Unless there was a genuine administrative error (like an incorrect transcript in your file), appeals are rarely successful and consume energy better directed elsewhere.

4. Begin Connecting with Schools That Want You

Start researching and emotionally investing in the institutions where you’ve been admitted or have applications pending. Visit if possible, engage with current students, and look for the specific opportunities that excite you about each school.

Should I Try to Appeal a College Rejection Decision?

In most cases, no. Schools rarely reverse admission decisions, and the circumstances under which they might reconsider are extremely limited, typically only when a documented error occurred during the review process.

However, if you’re absolutely committed to attending a specific institution, consider the transfer pathway instead of an appeal. Contact the transfer admissions counselor and ask targeted questions:

• What academic areas should I strengthen during my first year of college?
• Were test scores a significant concern in my application?
• Can I transfer for the spring term, or must I wait a full year?
• What does a competitive transfer applicant look like for your institution?

For some highly competitive schools, the transfer process actually offers better odds than first-year admission. This approach allows you to start strong at another institution while working toward your ultimate goal, and you may discover along the way that you’ve found the right fit after all.

Can I Still Have a Successful College Experience After Being Rejected from My Dream School?

Yes—and understanding why requires confronting one of the biggest myths in college admissions.

The media obsession with Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and other ultra-selective institutions creates a distorted picture of American higher education. Here’s the reality that often shocks families when they first hear it:

“The average acceptance rate at four-year colleges in the U.S. is over 70%. Most schools in the US accept most students.”

— Great College Advice

This means thousands of excellent colleges are eager to have qualified students like you on their campuses. 

Your college experience is shaped far more by what you do once you arrive than by the name on your diploma. The relationships you build, the professors who mentor you, the research opportunities you pursue, the leadership roles you take on, the challenges you embrace—these determine your trajectory, not an acceptance letter.

Students who keep their eyes on their long-term goals and refuse to let disappointment derail their focus consistently achieve success regardless of which college they attend.

How Do I Stay Motivated to Work on Remaining Applications After Getting Rejected?

This challenge is exactly why Great College Advice requires students to complete all applications before early decisions arrive. But if you’re facing this situation now, several strategies can help:

Reconnect with Your “Why”

Each school made it onto your list for specific reasons. Review your notes from campus visits or virtual tours. Revisit the programs, clubs, research opportunities, or campus culture elements that excited you. Let that enthusiasm fuel your writing.

Set a Grief Deadline

Give yourself permission to be upset, but set a firm time limit. After 24-48 hours of processing, commit to resuming your work with full effort.

Remember What Actually Matters in Applications

Jamie Berger’s advice to students applies here: “You have to figure out who you are going to be in college and if a college doesn’t want that person, they’re probably not the right school for you.”

The students who succeed in admissions are those who write authentically rather than trying to game the system. Berger observes that high-achieving students often fall into a gamifying mindset of figuring out what colleges want them to say in applications. This approach backfires at selective schools: “They’re getting thousands and thousands of applications from kids who have always done what they think the right thing to do is. And they fall into kind of a cookie cutter bunch of kids.”

Your remaining applications are opportunities to present your authentic self to schools that may be better fits than the one that rejected you.

Lean on Your Support System

Parents, counselors, and friends can provide perspective when you’re struggling. The college application process is inherently emotional—for students leaving familiar surroundings and parents watching their children prepare to launch. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

What’s the Difference Between Being Rejected, Deferred, and Waitlisted—and What Should I Do for Each?

Understanding these three outcomes is essential because each requires a different response.

Rejection

A rejection is typically a final decision. The college has determined they will not offer you admission, and this outcome rarely changes through appeals. Your energy is better spent focusing on schools that want you.

What to do: Process your emotions, then redirect your focus to schools where you’ve been admitted or have applications pending. If this was your absolute top choice, research the transfer pathway as a potential future option.

Deferral

A deferral means the college couldn’t make a final decision during the early round and will reconsider your application alongside Regular Decision applicants. You’re essentially being placed back into the general applicant pool.

What to do:

• Follow the deferral instructions provided in your portal: Most colleges will let you know what they want to see, if anything
• Submit updated senior year grades if they demonstrate improvement
• Send a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) expressing your ongoing enthusiasm and any meaningful updates since applying
• Continue demonstrating interest through appropriate channels
• Contact your regional admissions officer to ask why you were deferred (if the school allows this communication)
• Do not overdo it—avoid gimmicks like sending cookies or gifts, showing up unannounced, or flooding the admissions office with communications

As the Great College Advice team notes: “A deferral just means you will have to wait a bit longer. You will eventually receive a final decision on your application.”

Waitlist

Being waitlisted means you’re qualified for admission, but the college needs to manage its enrollment numbers before potentially extending an offer. This is perhaps the most emotionally challenging status because it keeps you in limbo.

What to do:

• Write to express continued interest in the school
• Consider visiting campus if feasible
• Be prepared to pay full tuition if admitted—colleges often prioritize full-pay students when going to their waitlist
• Importantly: commit emotionally and financially to a school that accepted you outright by the May 1 deadline

The hardest truth about waitlists comes from the Great College Advice blog: “You’ll be taking this state of being betwixt and between quite personally: you’re not good enough to accept and not bad enough to reject. But the game at this point is not at all personal. It’s not about you. It’s about them. They are trying to manage their budgets and their statistics.”

Moving Forward: Your Next Chapter Awaits

College rejection stings, but it doesn’t define your future. The most successful students—and adults—are those who treat setbacks as redirections rather than dead ends.

Remember:

• Most colleges accept most students. The highly selective schools dominating media coverage represent a tiny fraction of excellent educational opportunities.
• Fit matters more than prestige. Finding a school where you can thrive authentically leads to better outcomes than forcing yourself into an environment that wasn’t meant for you.
• The college experience is what you make it. Your initiative, engagement, and openness to growth will shape your trajectory far more than any admissions decision.

For students navigating the full range of admission outcomes—from acceptance to rejection and everything in between—our comprehensive guide to admission decisions and outcomes provides additional context and next steps.

Need Support Navigating the College Application Process?

You don’t have to face this alone. The team at Great College Advice has deep experience guiding students through every stage of the college journey—including the emotional challenges of rejection, deferral, and waitlist decisions. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help students find the right path forward and achieve their college dreams.

Since 2007, our expert college admissions consultants have provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries worldwide. Whether you need help reassessing your college list, strengthening remaining applications, or simply want a supportive expert in your corner during a difficult time, we’re here to help.

Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how we can support your family through the admissions process. Or call us directly at 720.279.7577—we’d be happy to chat with you.

The post How to Face College Rejection first appeared on Great College Advice.

 Many families wisely turn to advisors even later in the process. As Sarah Myers, Senior Admissions Consultant at Great College Advice, explains: “It is never too late. There’s almost never a time when you can’t send an application.” This comprehensive guide will walk you through exactly what options remain and how to make the most of them. For a complete overview of the college application process, see our guide on how to get into college.

What are the actual deadlines for colleges that still accept January applications?

The assumption that “all the deadlines have passed” simply isn’t accurate. Many excellent colleges maintain Regular Decision deadlines extending well into January, February, and even March.

Sarah Myers confirms: “Many colleges have regular application deadlines that aren’t until mid-January or even February—even in March. And there are other colleges that have a rolling admission deadline where they’ll even take applications late into the summer.”

Colleges with February 1st deadlines include:

Auburn University, DePaul, DePauw, Gonzaga, Indiana University, Miami University of Ohio, University of Michigan,  Rollins College, TCU, Trinity University (Texas), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Colleges with February 15th deadlines include:

Allegheny College, Baylor, College of Charleston, Pace University, University of Kentucky, and the College of Wooster.

The practical takeaway: your student still has meaningful options. The question isn’t whether opportunities exist—it’s identifying which schools are the right fit.

Are colleges with later deadlines less prestigious or competitive?

Many families worry that later-deadline schools are somehow “less than.” This concern is unfounded.

While the most hyper-selective institutions (Harvard, Stanford, and similar schools with sub-5% acceptance rates) have earlier deadlines, many highly respected universities maintain January and February deadlines. The University of Michigan and numerous other excellent institutions fall into this category.

Sarah Myers shares an important insight: “There are some schools that will actually go fishing for students later in the game as well. For example, last year Syracuse University was accepting applications pretty late, and they even came back to some students that they had rejected and asked them if they wanted to come back.”

For families focused on educational value and return on investment rather than prestige rankings, later-deadline schools often represent exceptional opportunities. These institutions may offer stronger merit aid packages as they work to fill their incoming class, and they frequently provide excellent educational outcomes that translate into career success.

How do rolling admissions colleges work and which ones are worth considering?

Rolling admissions represents a fundamentally different approach to college applications. Rather than evaluating all applications after a fixed deadline, these schools review submissions as they arrive and make decisions on an ongoing basis.

Sarah Myers explains the mechanics: “There are colleges that have what’s called rolling admission, so that they’re filling slots continually. Your chance of getting in is not going to be as good [later in the cycle], but they may still want a student—especially if you have a special skill or you’re playing a certain sport they’re looking for, or a certain musical instrument that they want.”

Key advantages of rolling admissions:

• Faster decision timelines—often within weeks rather than months
• Flexibility in application timing
• Opportunity to apply while refining applications for other schools

College websites clearly indicate whether they use rolling admissions, making it straightforward to identify these opportunities during your research.

Can hiring a college counselor in the fall or winter of senior year still make a difference?

The short answer: absolutely. The value of professional guidance may actually increase when time is limited.

Sarah Myers addresses this directly: “It’s not too late, and it’s most important that you do a good job on your application. So if you’re hustling at the end and feeling like there’s a crunch, it’s really a good chance to reach out to an advisor. Many advisors will work on an hourly basis if you need a little bit of help, but also if you do want that full experience and full help, even in January we can make that happen.”

A skilled counselor brings two critical elements to late-stage applications:

Strategic guidance: Experienced counselors understand which schools are realistic targets given your student’s profile, which late-deadline schools offer the best fit, and how to allocate limited time across applications.

Tactical expertise: From essay strategy to application mechanics, counselors help avoid costly mistakes that waste precious time. As veteran admissions expert Jamie Berger notes, his team of six counselors brings “well over 100 years of experience in college admissions” and meets weekly to discuss clients and share expertise across different regions and school types.

Learn more about when to hire a college counselor and why professional guidance matters.

How should we prioritize and build a realistic college list at this late stage?

Building a college list under time constraints requires focus and realism. The goal is identifying schools where your student has genuine chances of admission and would genuinely be happy attending.

Great College Advice structures lists into three categories: “reach,” “target,” and “likely” schools. Jamie Berger emphasizes a crucial point that many families overlook: “Having happy likelies will lead to a happy outcome regardless.”

He elaborates: “In this day and age when Duke’s admissions rate last year was 4.8%… when Northeastern is in single digits—yes, it’s as important [to find likely schools you love]. And I will work so hard to get you into those top choices, but I will really push you. If you don’t like Stony Brook (even though it’s a great school), there are hundreds of colleges out there. We’ll find you one you like that you’ll get into.”

Practical list-building priorities:

• Focus on schools with remaining deadlines that match your student’s academic profile
• Consider location preferences, intended major, and campus culture
• Evaluate financial parameters—some later-deadline schools offer substantial merit aid
• Work as diligently on “likely” schools as on “reaches”

For guidance on the right number of applications, see our article on how many colleges you should apply to.

What’s the strategy for writing quality application essays under time pressure?

Essay quality matters far more than quantity, and the principles of effective essay writing don’t change under time pressure—if anything, they become more important.

Jamie Berger’s core advice is straightforward: “Be authentic and answer the question.”

He warns against a common mistake: “The essay that writes a resume that duplicates their activities list is the worst possible essay. Imagine being an admissions officer reading 40 things a day and you come to one that’s just a reiteration of all that stuff that’s right there on paper already. You don’t get to know the kid at all.”

For supplemental essays specifically, Jamie emphasizes precision: “When they’re asking supplemental questions, they’re asking very specific questions that they want you to answer in very few words. So you can’t veer off and give an anecdote about the discovery you made in a job if it doesn’t answer the question.”

Time-constrained essay strategy:

• For your main personal statement, be genuinely self-reflective—this is where admissions officers learn who you are beyond your grades
• For supplementals, answer exactly what’s asked—don’t try to squeeze in more about your achievements
• Match your tone to the school’s culture (formal for serious “why this major” questions, playful for creative prompts)
• Prioritize your best effort on schools where you have the strongest admission chances

Learn more about the essay process in our guide on what college admissions officers look for in an essay.

Will applying late affect my child’s financial aid opportunities?

Financial aid considerations add complexity to late applications, but opportunities remain for families who understand how the system works.

Key financial aid realities:

Schools with fixed Regular Decision deadlines (January 15, February 1, February 15) typically maintain full financial aid pools for all applicants meeting their deadlines. If you submit by the published deadline, you’re competing on equal footing for institutional aid.

Rolling admissions schools present a different dynamic. As Sarah Myers notes, admission chances can decrease as the cycle progresses—and the same applies to financial aid. Earlier applicants may receive priority for limited scholarship funds.

Critical action item: File the FAFSA immediately if you haven’t already. Over 70% of college applicants apply for financial aid, and missing FAFSA deadlines can be more costly than missing application deadlines. Some private colleges require the CSS Profile for need-based aid as well.

Great College Advice’s Family Handbook emphasizes: “Even if you won’t qualify for aid, filing for financial aid establishes a benchmark of your family’s financial situation at the outset of the student’s college career—which gives the college a reference point if something should happen that changes your situation.”

If merit scholarships are a priority for your family, research schools known for strong merit programs and verify that your student’s profile matches their typical award recipients. A counselor experienced with financial aid strategy can help identify schools likely to offer the best packages for your specific situation.

Your Next Steps in College Admissions

If you’ve reached January without completed applications, here’s your practical action plan:

1. Assess what’s actually due. Research deadlines carefully—you likely have more options than you realize.
2. Build a balanced, realistic list. Include reaches, targets, and likely schools where your student would be genuinely happy.
3. Consider professional support. Even a few hours with an experienced counselor can dramatically improve application quality and strategy.
4. File the FAFSA now. Don’t let financial aid deadlines pass while focusing on applications.
5. Prioritize essay quality over application quantity. Better to submit strong applications to 8-10 well-chosen schools than mediocre applications to 20.

Turn to a Professional Admissions Advisor

The college application process can be stressful, but families who approach it with clear strategy and realistic expectations consistently find good outcomes. As Sarah Myers puts it: “Where you end up is not who you’re going to be for the rest of your life.”

For personalized guidance on your specific situation, contact Great College Advice to schedule a consultation. Our team of experienced counselors has helped families navigate every stage of the application process—including many who started later than they’d planned.

The post Why It’s Not Too Late to Apply to College in January first appeared on Great College Advice.

Today a client and I had a long conversation about how to report her intended college major on her applications. Was choosing a major necessary when she is only 16 years old? She has been stressing out about it. She has many, many interests and an equal number of talents. And she just can’t decide what to be when she grows up.

I told her to join the club.

First, let’s take a look at the philosophical implications of choosing a major. In the grand scheme of things, a major isn’t all that important. Even career advisers say so. The fact is that beyond your first job out of college, your major won’t matter.  You’ll learn new skills on the job, and your career will mutate and morph as the economy evolves, and (more important) as your own understanding of where your interests and talents lie.

To give you more insight, you might want to take a look at a guest post in which a recent college grad recounts his own experience in choosing a major and making career choices right out of college. His conclusion is that what’s important is that you love what you are learning and that you build experiences, contacts, and skills that will help you pursue the jobs that most interest you.

It’s Not Necessary to Choose a Major Before You Get to College

The fact is, your job–and your career–will likely change many times before you retire. An article from the New York Times also admonishes parents (and college counselors) that it’s sort of unrealistic to expect that an 18 or 22 year-old can or should make career decisions as if they are making a decision that is lifelong and permanent. We all have the option of changing our priorities, of chasing new careers, of refashioning our professional selves at many different points throughout our lives.

So from a counseling point of view, I tell most of my students not to stress out about college majors and career choices. If a student has interests in engineering or business or other specialized fields it does make sense to understand the requirements necessary to enter those fields. For example, if there is a possibility that a student wants to go to medical school then she should know what the prerequisites are and thus be careful to complete them.

Or a prospective engineer may have to major in engineering from the get-go (but he may change his mind down the road as he learns more about engineering and about himself). Undecided does not mean “without decisions.” It’s smart to know what the options are and how to keep options open for as long as possible.

Sometimes It Make Sense to Choose a Major Early

However, with regard to completing college applications, there are times when it makes sense to declare a major. Why? Because admissions officer are also social engineers. They are looking for people to populate certain departments. Especially those hard-to-fill ones like art history, anthropology, music (at some schools), geology, geography, and others. So if you have a passion or skill that you plan to share on campus. It certainly doesn’t hurt to express that focus by announcing your intention to major in that subject.

Similarly, if a college has a particular strength or reputation in a certain issue, it makes sense to tell the admissions folks that one of the reasons that you are applying to that school is the excellence of that department–you are showing that you have thought about what makes that school a good fit for you.

Still, the majority of students heading to college are undecided. It’s okay in America to be undecided. Most of us are still undecided. We’re exploring, discovering, and learning. And isn’t that what it’s all about, anyway?

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post Choosing a Major for College first appeared on Great College Advice.

Sadly, there is very little research to indicate how much you could expect to earn after gaining a degree from this, that, or the other college. We do have statistics reports of averages. This one at Payscale.com is an example. But an average is not a prediction of what your son or daughter will make upon graduation. About half the kids make more than that. And half make less. Which will be your child? Above or below the average?

Even with salary averages by college, educational ROI would not be predictive for an individual student. An average is an average, after all, and how could we predict that Susie would earn above the average and that Sam would earn below that average? (Unless, of course, Susie were from Lake Wobegon…where all the children are above average…).

Plus there are kids at cheaper schools that make way more than the averages for those expensive private schools. Who made the better bet: the kid who paid less for college, or the one who paid more?

The fact is that aggregate data is unhelpful in providing clear guidance to individual high school graduates. Would you buy a Harvard degree if you were destined to earn below the salary average for that institution? What crystal ball will tell us where we will end up five, ten, or twenty-five years after graduation?

The reason for the dearth of the sort of solid research for which we all pine is that it cannot be done. Solid, scientific, and predictive research requires double-blind experiments with variables that can be controlled. When it comes to educational ROI, such controlled experiments would be impossible.

Why? Because human beings are darned complex, and too many uncontrollable variables enter the equation. What are the variables that have an impact on one’s financial success in life (other than the name of the university on one’s diploma)?

Let’s start a list.

• Educational background prior to entering college (e.g., Philips Exeter vs PS 142)
• Socio-economic status prior to entering college (e.g., New England blueblood vs. first-generation Sudanese)
• Grades earned in college (e.g., a studious 3.5 GPA or a slacker 2.4
• Major in college (e.g., engineering vs. education)
• Location a person chooses to live in after college (e.g., Santa Barbara vs. Omaha)
• The type of profession one seeks (e.g., teacher vs. neurosurgeon)
• Other skills a student develops beyond the major (e.g., the philosophy major who also studies organic chemistry)
• Jobs or internships the student might have had during college (e.g., dishing ice cream on Cape Cod vs. doing an accounting gig with PriceWaterhouseCoopers)
• Absence or presence of well-connected family members (e.g., a mom who CEO of Acme Technology and raised gobs of dough for a presidential campaign vs. a dad who drives a cab in Brooklyn)

Get the picture? Controlling for all these variables so that we could develop a scientific study that gave us meaningful comparisons to help us predict educational ROI for a particular student is virtually impossible. No aspiring academic with an understanding of research methodology would take this on.

But the biggest problem is that we can never compare a single kid who had two lives one in which he went to a high-priced college and one in which he went to a community college and later transferred to the state school.

Or the student who majored in business in his first life and then majored in English in his second.

Or the student who earned good grades in his first life, and then floated by with a C-average in his second.

Now, if we could clone people and set the clones off in two different directions that would be really cool. And conclusive. We could see which genetically identical person earned the most after having attended this school or the other. As long as those genetically identical individuals had lived identical lives in the same household to the age of 18 (if, however, the clones were “separated at birth,” we’d see our research devolve into the nature vs. nurture morass).

The fact is, folks, that we all want to be able to scientifically tote up the numbers to come up with a predictive return on our educational investment.

Can’t be done.

So we’re left with a silly, vapid argument between those who say “spend the money” and those who say “save your money.” Both are right.  Both are wrong. The argument gets us nowhere.

Fundamental principles we can consider in making the decision

Still, might there be some fundamental principles we can consider in making the decision about whether to spend tons of money on a college education? Let’s see if we can’t come up with some.

1.  How big an investment is the price tag, relative to current family income? Some can easily afford a quarter of a million dollars for an education. Some cannot. So if you have the money, it’s worth it. If you don’t have it, it’s not worth it. (Remember Aesop’s fable of the “Fox and the Grapes”?). Hmmm…this is not a very satisfying fundamental principle. Next!

2.  Will you have to go into debt to finance this expensive degree? The bigger the debt burden, the less likely the return on the investment will cancel out that debt. Then again, it depends on what you end up doing after that degree. If you’re a brain surgeon or a successful venture capitalist, then who cares? You’ll be able to pay off that debt in the blink of an eye. But if you become a teacher or an unsuccessful venture capitalist, then clearly the investment wasn’t worth it. But notice: you can’t know whether the investment was worth it until AFTER you have a successful–or unsuccessful career! This is getting frustrating, isn’t it?

3.  Speaking of which, your professional aspirations do play a role. If you plan to be a kindergarten teacher or an orchestral musician, then spending a quarter of a million bucks for an education isn’t worth it. However, if you want to be a brain surgeon, you have no choice but to go to college…and then go into debt for medical school. But here’s a contrarian thought: do you have to go to college to be a successful business executive?

Not necessarily, of course (we all know the story of Bill Gates, for whom Harvard “wasn’t worth it”). To go a step further, do you really have to go to college at all to make a lot of money? I have a cousin who went to school to learn how to do auto body work. He can now buy and sell me several times over, sends his kids to elite private schools, drives a brand new Mercedes, and has a vacation home in Vermont. Where did I go wrong….?

4.  Savvy shoppers for educational services should do some price comparisons. But the fact is that very few students pay the actual tuition sticker price. You see, because of the way financial aid (both merit-based and need-based) is allocated, each individual pays a different price for that education–especially at the colleges with heavy price tags.

So here again we have another variable for which we much provide some scientific control in our research: we need to compare students who paid full price or students who received a full scholarship. Or half a scholarship. Or something. (Oh my:  not another variable for which we need a control!)

5.  There are aspects of education that do not boil down to dollars and cents. For some, education is not merely about preparing for a profession. For some, it’s also about intellectual inquiry–pushing your capacities to the limit. There is a spiritual element to education that transcends a “market price.” This is all well and good: but it certainly doesn’t get us any closer to calculating our educational ROI. To do a calculation, we need numbers, and these folks who find an intrinsic value in education just aren’t numbers people.

The fact is that the argument as to whether or not an expensive private education is “worth it” simply cannot be won. The argument isn’t really an argument: it all boils down to one’s personal values and preferences.

Can people who go to state universities have satisfying, successful careers?

You bet. Can Ivy League graduates end up earning less than $40k per year for the past 25 years? You bet (I have a Dartmouth friend who is a respected ornithologist who lives in the Amazon, has discovered many new species, and has never made more than $40k in a year: was his Ivy League investment “worth it”?).

Advice on the worth of an expensive private college education

So in the absence of research, we need a crystal ball. Or we need good, solid, personalized advice from someone who can help a family identify their priorities. Perhaps a professional guidance counselor who can help a student explore his or her academic strengths and weaknesses.

Who can discuss “educational philosophy” with a family to find out whether the educational priority is on “getting a job” or on “leading the examined life.” What it all amounts to is “different strokes for different folks.” My job is not to win an argument. My job is to figure out which stroke you’re swimming and help keep you moving in your chosen direction.

Great College Advice

The post Is Private College Worth the Money? first appeared on Great College Advice.

A client of mine is a budding architect. He is taking an independent study in architecture at his high school. He has become very enthusiastic about the possibility of turning his interest into a career. But he is unsure about what road to take as an undergraduate. Should he look for universities that offer a Bachelors degree in architecture. Or should he opt for a liberal arts degree. What classes should he take to be an architect? Then, head for graduate school to get his Masters in Architecture and his license to practice?

Not being an architect myself, I asked a college classmate, Cary Bernstein, who has her own successful architecture practice in San Francisco, if she would mind fielding a few questions from my student. She agreed. She also agreed to let me share her answers with our readers. So here is her case for why the liberal arts provide excellent preparation for a career in architecture.  (I’ve reproduced it here in a “Q&A” format to make it more readable).

Question 1: What Should I Study to Be an Architect?

I am extremely interested in pursuing architecture as a profession. But, I don’t want to commit to something that I may later realize I don’t want to do halfway through college. What would you recommend I study in college so that I can study architecture but I can still make changes if I decide that I want to take a different direction?

Response: You should study things that interest you. You are more likely to do well at subjects that keep you engaged.  It is important to develop your writing, research and analytical skills. You can do that in almost any subject within the humanities or social sciences.  You should take as many drawing or shop (i.e. wood shop, metal shop) classes as possible, but you do not need to major in art. 

I majored in Philosophy and have found it to be extremely useful for understanding theory, intellectual history, interpreting text and constructing positions in (unfortunately) adversarial situations.  But mostly, I just love Philosophy.  You should have some basic computer skills because so much work is done on the computer and the programs keep changing all the time.

Question 2: Which Is More Important, Design or Engineering?

If I were to go straight into architecture, what classes would you advise to someone who is much more interested in the design aspects of a structure instead of the engineering that goes into it?

Response:  Take as much painting, drawing and other studio art as possible.  But also take as many humanities  – where you will have to write papers and do research – as possible.  The people who do poorly in the profession are those whose verbal skills are weak – you need to be able to talk about your project as well as design it.  You would think this is just about design, but architectural practice requires verbal as well as visual skills – which is what makes architecture the coolest profession ever.

Question 3: What Has Made You a Successful Architect?

Being a professional architect, what did you gain the most out of your college studies and what classes were the most valuable to your future in architecture?

Response:  I never worried about how my undergraduate classes would be directly “useful” in graduate school.  In college, in addition to Philosophy, I studied languages (Russian, Italian and French). They have been useful in so many ways (how to think about different systems of communication, different cultures, exposure to other parts of the world) and have led to an interesting life.  Philosophy, as mentioned above, has been incredibly useful. But it’s a dense subject so if you don’t like it don’t study it. 

I wish I took more courses in History and Literature but there just wasn’t any more room in my schedule.  Architecture is the “mother of the arts” – it encompasses everything (art, science, history, economics, psychology). So most subjects feed it well but I would steer you towards history, literature and language studies first and foremost.  The more time you can spend making things and drawing things the better. But you’ll get plenty of this in a graduate program.  Classes in art/architectural history are also helpful – you should know the history within these subjects.

Question 4: How Can I Decide Whether to Study Architecture?

What would be the best way for me to discover if I really want to pursue architecture? I am already in an architecture class but I feel I could be doing more to truly know if this is what I want to do.

Response:  There are summer classes, such as the Harvard Career Discovery Program (also known as “Career Disco”) which many people find helpful.  I believe Columbia University also has one.  You should also try to get an internship in an architecture firm (do anything). Or, if you can get a job in construction spend the summer building something.  Work for Habitat for Humanity or other community groups that build things.  I hope this is helpful.  Architecture is an incredible pursuit – I wish you the very best for your future.
 
Clearly, Cary Bernstein is very content with her educational trajectory. What is your educational trajectory? How can I help you choose the college–and major–that fits you best?

Great College Advice

The post Want To Be An Architect? Study the Liberal Arts! first appeared on Great College Advice.

If you need help with your college essay, you might want to work with a professional…to help you avoid becoming a “forest-enabling loser.”

Learn more about how to write a great college essay:

Frequently Asked Questions

Should controversial topics be avoided in application essays?

Generally, no. University classrooms are places where controversy and debate are valued. Admissions officers truly are looking for students who espouse diverse opinions and points of view. The key to handling controversial topics is for the student to present them with maturity, analytical depth, and personal conviction.

What if I have an idea for a topic but my student will not listen to me?

Share your idea with your student’s counselor. A skilled advisor can assess the idea independently and sometimes “replant the seed” with the student if the suggestion is particularly helpful. Sometimes the discussion itself — even if the student initially rejects the idea — leads to an entirely new direction.

My student does not seem to be making any progress. What should I do?

Remember that the essay process is the most organic part of the application. It cannot be rushed. Students often prefer to work out ideas with their counselor before sharing with parents, and there may be more progress than is visible at home. Do not hesitate to contact your student’s advisor for an update.

Do you have examples of successful essays?

While successful essay examples exist, sharing them can sometimes backfire. Students often feel discouraged when they see a polished finished product, not realizing the messy, organic work that went into it. The brainstorming sessions, the sloppy first drafts, the successive rounds of edits — none of that is visible in a finished essay. It is often more productive to focus on your own story than to try to replicate someone else’s.

How much does the essay actually matter in admissions?

At selective colleges, the essay can be a deciding factor. Admissions officers are sculpting a class — they already have your data and accomplishments. The essay is the primary way they get a feel for who you actually are as a person. At less selective institutions, the essay may carry less individual weight, but it still represents an opportunity to distinguish yourself.

Can I reuse my Common App essay for other applications?

Your Common App personal statement goes to every college you apply to through the Common App. For other platforms (like the University of California), you will need to write different essays. Some students strategically repurpose portions of their writing across applications, but be careful: always double-check that you have not accidentally left another college’s name in an essay. This is a common and embarrassing mistake.

Need Help with Your Common App Essay?

Our team of expert counselors provides personalized brainstorming, structuring, and editing support for the Common App personal statement and supplemental essays. With over 100 combined years of experience, we help students find their authentic voice and craft essays that stand out.

Schedule a Free Consultation

The post How To Write A College Essay first appeared on Great College Advice.

I reviewed a question the other day on LinkedIn. The question was this:  what can you do with a major in philosophy? I thought I would share my response with you.

Here’s the question:

Is philosophy a good major?  Why?  Just wondering what you can get with a philosophy major or if it’s worth the time and money.

And here is my response:

Good question. I get this sort of question a lot in my line of work.

The answer to your question does not lie in the opinions of others. It must come from within yourself.

What can you do with a liberal arts major?

Let’s be philosophical. Some value college as training for a profession. Others, who tend to pursue degrees at liberal arts institutions, see college as a process of training the mind. As you may have experienced, most folks who hear this question. Immediately begin thinking about the economic value of a philosophy degree–immediately upon graduation. But what they don’t know, is that plenty of philosophy majors at liberal arts institutions go on to very successful careers.

Did you know, for example, that statistically one of the best majors with the highest percentages of acceptance to medical school is (drum roll….) philosophy? Medical schools like people who have thought deeply about what it means to be human, to appreciate beauty, and to have thought theoretically. Medicine has plenty of technicians, but not an awful lot of deep thinkers. And medical schools value deep thinkers.

Furthermore, in a liberal arts context, I firmly believe that it matters little what you major in. What matters more is what you can do–the skills you acquire (a second language, computer programming skills, strong economics, scientific research skills). You can acquire some of these skills even as you complete a philosophy major. Or you may acquire them in graduate school or in the working world after graduation.

It’s possible that you can prepare for several careers (as you are statistically apt to have at least seven before you retire) simply by training your mind to be flexible, creative, analytical, and quick. If you read Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. For example, you may be convinced that philosophy actually is much better training for careers of the 21st century than accounting or marketing or biology, even.

Finally, you ask whether the degree is “worth” the time and money. Well, be philosophical: define “worth.” Certainly a philosophy major does not have immediate, tangible value that is easily calculated in “return on investment” (ROI) terms. Such a calculation is easier with a professional degree (MBA, JD, Engineering) or with a licensing program (e.g. teaching/education).

But if you define “worth” more broadly, you might agree with Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” So maybe you want to examine human nature, appreciate the concept of beauty, think about what constitutes the “good life.”

While I respect the opinions of those who pooh-pooh the value of a philosophy major, I wonder how many of them have actually ever taken a philosophy course. How many of them know successful people in business, the arts, the law, journalism, medicine, and other professions who pursued a liberal arts degree and majored in philosophy?

So what can you do with a major in philosophy?

So to reiterate by returning to your question: “what can you get” with a philosophy degree? On the one hand, absolutely nothing. On the other, everything.

People who major in philosophy can work in artificial intelligence, science policy, medicine, law, banking, and just about any business you can imagine. Philosophy majors work in high tech. They work in government. They run organizations.

The skills of analysis, logic, and problem solving are relevant to any profession.

In the end, doesn’t the answer to your question depend on many variables well beyond your choice of major?

As was inscribed above the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi: “Know Thyself.” Start there, and the answer to your question will be come, well, self-evident.

What if I can’t decide my major?

Most young people have a difficult time settling on a major. Despite the Oracle at Delphi, most teens are just getting to know themselves and figure out what is important to them. If your family has a teen who is struggling to make this sort of decision–and struggling to create a solid college plan, give us a call at Great College Advice. We helps students wade through these tough decisions and create an action plan.

Mapping College Journeys. It’s what we do.

The post The Value of a Philosophy Major first appeared on Great College Advice.

The post Get Help from an Admissions Insider first appeared on Great College Advice.

TRANSCRIPT:

So today I’m on the campus of Fordham University in New York City. It’s located in the Bronx, one of those five boroughs of the City of New York, and absolutely gorgeous campus. This park-like environment with trees and a big, huge quad, beautiful buildings, including the new business school building. Division I sports, there are about 5,800 or so students on this campus. And then Fordham also maintains a campus in Lincoln Center downtown in the city. Only about a 20 minute or so subway ride away.

The Best of Fordham

This has a fantastic business school, it’s a liberal arts university with the Jesuit tradition. So the Jesuit schools include, for example, Boston College, Georgetown, the Loyolas, Regis University in Colorado, Seattle University, Gonzaga, just a ton of them in the area, all over the United States. But the interesting thing about Fordham is that you’ve got the best of both worlds in some ways. You’ve got this park-like, bubble campus that’s really beautiful. So you feel like you’re away from everything.

You could be in Vermont, for gosh sakes, in some ways. But you’re right next to the city. You can just get on the subway, walk out the gate, be on the subway and be in Manhattan in just a few minutes. So students have the access to the city. And the internships and the possibilities of the city. And yet they can have this really traditional campus environment.

The Lincoln Center campus has about 1,700 students. It has only four programs, all of which are related to business. Also it tends to be a more diverse campus, it also has — about 50% of the students there are commuters. It also tends to be a more international campus. So it has what critics, if you read the guidebooks, anyway, critics of this campus talk about is that it lacks diversity here at the Rose Hill campus, but with the university overall, it has great diversity and great possibilities for a student who wants to go to school in New York City.
 
Great College Advice

The post College Expert on Fordham University first appeared on Great College Advice.

TRANSCRIPT:

Cornell University

Right now I’m on the campus of Cornell University. And a visit to Ithaca, New York is the easiest way to see the variety within the Ivy League. There are eight universities within the Ivy League. And the only thing that really unites them is the fact that they play sports against one another. There are some academic similarities in terms of the competitiveness of the schools. But in terms of the undergraduate experience, there’s a huge breadth of experience that a student might have.

Here at Cornell, there’s a school of architecture, and art and planning. There’s an engineering school, there is the hotel management school, there’s the human ecology or something, I forget exactly what they call it, the human ecology school, and the labor relations school. All of these are professional tracks for an undergraduate that are quite apart from the traditional liberal arts where you might major in sociology, biology, chemistry, classics, English literature, etc.

Dartmouth University

At Dartmouth, for example, with only 4,000 undergraduates. Versus Cornell with over 14,000 undergraduates, it’s a huge research university. A beautiful campus but much more eclectic. Much more a mix of old buildings and traditional architecture with very modern square buildings.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this really is a university with big graduate programs. It’s also a university that allows you to not only major in the liberal arts, like at Princeton, or at Dartmouth, or at Yale. Which is the only thing that you can major in as an undergraduate.

University of Pennsylvania

So this is one of the Ivy Leagues that is more similar to the University of Pennsylvania than it is to, say, Princeton. That doesn’t mean that it’s bad, that doesn’t mean that it’s good. I think that it’s important to remember that the Ivy League, while it does denote a certain amount of competitiveness in the admissions process, that these institutions are quite different in their structure. In the organization of the curriculum, and in the offerings, the academic offerings that you could pursue here.

So don’t be fooled by the title or the label of “Ivy League.” Remind yourself that it’s important to decide, do you want a great big university like this with 14,000 or 15,000 undergraduates, or do you want something more compact and more of a residential community like a Dartmouth, a Yale, or a Princeton? And on that residential piece, only 55% of undergraduates live on campus in Cornell, whereas virtually everyone at Dartmouth lives on campus.

So again, you have this variety. You need to think about what’s important to you. And then choose the school that matches your preferences. Don’t just pick the label “Ivy League,” pick the school that suits you the best.
 

Great College Advice

The post Admissions Counelor on the Ivy League first appeared on Great College Advice.