It takes an admissions committee four to eight weeks to make a decision on your college application.
Unfortunately, you can never be certain about the outcome of their decision-making strategy. The officer may approve your application and send you an official letter for confirmation. Or they may reject you altogether.
We understand that nothing is more depressing than waiting in suspense for a period that long just to get a rejection letter from a school you’ve always wanted to attend. But can you ask a college why you were denied in the first place?
Nothing should stop you from inquiring why an institution rejected your application. So in addition to asking why you had your application rejected, ask about what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance in future.
The problem with this approach is that you may get a generic response from the admissions committee or no reply at all. So in this guide, we’ll look at why it’s a bad idea to inquire why you got a rejection letter and why it’s better to learn from the rejection and apply to another college that offers a similar course that you’d like to take.
Why You Shouldn’t Ask A College Why They Rejected Your Application
Failure to satisfy academic criteria and a lack of a strong application are the two main reasons why colleges often reject admission applications. For example, a mistake or two in your application can prevent you from receiving an acceptance letter from the institution in which you would like to study. This is especially true if you possess an exceptional academic and extracurricular profile. Take it in stride, though, since you are not the only one who has been declined an invitation to attend.
Some applicants don’t get an approval cause there are no additional spaces available for them in an institution albeit their outstanding application documents.
For example, institutions such as Harvard University and Dartmouth College reject up to 90% of applicants for either of the reasons we’ve mentioned above. Sending an inquiry letter to such prestigious and famous institutions to find out why your application didn’t go through is a complete waste of time.
Take their rejection letter to mean that it’s self-evident that your academic credentials are not as competitive as those of the students they often admit.
Additionally, it is a total waste of scarce resources for the admissions officials, whose decision you are contesting, to politely read and respond to your letter requesting an explanation for your denial. And it is precisely for this reason that you are unlikely to receive a response from them. If you’re lucky enough to receive a response, there’s a high chance what you get is a cookie-cutter answer that won’t help you improve your future application.
Can You Inform a College of Your Desire to Reapply?
Following a rejection letter, you may write to a college or university expressing your intention to reapply. This avoids vexing admissions staff and informs the institution of your genuine interest in enrolling in a course you wish to explore further.
While attempting to demonstrate interest and devotion, you may wish to consider the following: what you could do differently the next time you apply to boost your chances of getting an approval.
Don’t hesitate to inquire about what you can do to improve your chances of getting an admission the next time you apply. However, do so in a way that keeps the school’s admission officers from forming an impression that you think you know more about them.
Just so that you don’t receive negative reactions or repercussions, it is a lot better to abandon your attempt to get an explanation entirely.
Keep in mind that the college may or may not respond to your inquiry. If you do not receive a response, carefully review the school’s Common Data Set (CDS), particularly the section indicating the relative relevance of various academic and non-academic admissions considerations, to determine the answer for yourself.
Moreover, not all competitive institutions value shown interest. You may take as many campus visits as you like and apply as early as possible to demonstrate your commitment to attending just that institution. However, if proven interest is not a consideration in the school’s admissions process, it won’t matter how many times you reapply.
What’s the Best Approach to Reapply to the Same College?
When the time comes to reapply to the same college that rejected you, ensure every component of your application, from your test score to your college admissions essays to your personal experiences, is significantly stronger than it was previously.
As an example, make sure your college essay doesn’t have any error. You can have someone else proofread it for you to make sure you’ve written it according to the expected standards before submission.
So when is the best time to reapply to the same college that previously rejected your application?
The majority of schools retain applications for a period of one year. So if you reapply the following semester, admissions authorities can view your original application and reject you yet again. It holds then that you should enroll in another institution first and then apply as a transferee to your school of choice.
Final Thoughts
You are simply doing your job as a college-bound high school student by compiling a college list and applying to each institution. However, keep in mind that admissions staff are only performing their jobs when they issue an acceptance or rejection letter (or postpone an application) following an applicant’s evaluation.
While it’s natural to feel wounded and undesired after receiving a rejection letter from a school of your choice, it’s important to recognize that the admissions process is not personal.
Nobody can prevent you from writing to the institution and requesting an explanation about why you didn’t get an admission as a freshman student. But to be abundantly clear, the institution’s admissions staff retains the right to determine whether they should respond to your inquiry or not say anything at all.