Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University, was rejected by Harvard.
We regret to inform you that you did not make it into a prestigious institution.
His take on that?
‘Don’t let rejections control your life. To “allow other people’s assessment of you to determine your own self-assessment is a very big mistake.”’
Mr. Bollinger was quoted in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal to affirm the obvious:
A bright kid is going to be successful no matter what name is on the sheepskin when they graduate college.
After the rejection by Harvard, he attended the University of Oregon on a scholarship and look at where he is today.
At this time of the year, many high school seniors are experiencing the angst that comes with the college application process, and stories abound of overly stressed students.
And then there are the parents, who may be projecting their own anxiety on their children and creating most of the drama. (The issue of parental ambition is worthy of its own discussion).
Fear Of The Thin Envelope
The “thin envelope” is typically the rejection letter that no student wants to receive.
A degree of nervousness is normal, but let’s put things into perspective:
- Being one of several students from your high school who apply to the same selective college increases the probability of getting waitlisted.
- Each year in the United States, there are almost 300,000 students in the top ten percent of their respective high school classes.
- The “top 50″ (and we have our own opinion about this ranking) national liberal arts colleges and national universities are capable of enrolling only 50-60,000 students each year.
The message that students and parents can take away from these facts:
75% or more of the very best students enroll in quality institutions other than the “top 50” and have very happy and productive college experiences and prosperous lives thereafter.
It’s that simple. So take a break from the undue stress and understand that success in the undergraduate years is driven by the student.
And there is a host of high quality learning institutions outside of the “top 50″ that are ready to welcome a hard working and positive thinking student.
What you do in your academic work is more important than the name of the institution on the diploma.
Our approach?
Work with our clients to establish a plan that results in a selection of four or more schools that provide a “best fit” college environment for the student, and financially viable options for the family.
This can sometimes cut against the grain of the student and/or the parents, who may well be star struck by their “dream college”.
However, our experience tells us that while this successful approach doesn’t eliminate all the nervousness, it certainly reduces the stress.
