Why didn't they want me?

As I begin my latest Zoom meeting on this dreary April afternoon, I pause and take a breath. I am feeling the angst of another conversation with a senior who is disappointed in the application decisions she has received. To be clear, I am not dreading spending time with my student or discussing the fantastic opportunities she has; I am dreading hearing another young person question their self-worth. 
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As college decisions role in, educational consultants, school counselors, and those in higher education are witnessing historically low acceptance rates, and it is now our job to pick up the pieces. With dozens of colleges and universities reporting single-digit acceptance rates, we are left with students reeling from reality.

So, as your children start hearing back from their dream schools, waiting patiently to get off of the waitlist, and question why they were not enough, be patient and ensure them that they did all they could do, and the declines and waitlists are more about the school than about them.

Why is it so challenging to predict acceptances into college, and why is admissions so volatile? There are many factors to consider.

1. Class diversity: Remember, schools are creating a class; therefore, when accepting students, they are not just looking at the individual but how each student will fit into the class as a whole and what that student will bring to the class. This is where things like gender, ethnicity, and region come into play. Colleges are looking to diversify, molding the class with equal balance. Don’t take it personally; you see your child as an individual, colleges and universities see how all these individuals will create a whole. 
2. Protecting the yield: As tricky as it is for us to predict whether a child will be accepted into specific colleges, it is equally difficult for colleges to predict whether a student will take their spot in the class. Colleges and universities need to protect their yield, and their admissions decision is often based on how likely they believe your student will enroll. Their worst nightmare is empty beds, for obvious reasons, or equally as daunting is over enrollment. This is why early decision application acceptances have increased tremendously over the past few years; it takes the guesswork out of enrollment.
3. Finance: Schools are businesses, and they need to make sure they have more money coming in than going out. Therefore, full-pay students will get the nod at some institutions. It probably seems unfair to many that their child is on the losing end because they need financial assistance. However, most schools have to look at the financial health of an application when accepting. Some schools are need-blind or need-aware, but many schools are not.
4. Major choices: Sometimes, the major an applicant has designated on their applications can determine an acceptance or not. For example, a student may be a good choice for the school, but due to the limited spots in the nursing major, they may not be accepted. If they had selected chemistry, perhaps they would have received a different decision. So, is it a strategy to choose a more obscure major? Maybe a better answer would be that it depends on the school and major. Take the nursing student, for example; if the program is direct entry into nursing, if you get accepted into the school as a chemistry major, you cannot go to school and ask to be transferred into nursing. So please make sure it is possible to change majors if you try this strategy.

This is just a sampling of the various priorities that colleges and universities are looking at when creating a class. Many of these things your student does not have control over. So, we need to encourage our children to do the best they can, work hard, nurture their interests, enjoy their experiences, and let the chips fall. More importantly, reassure them, that they are enough, just the way they are!

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