How to get rejected from private school
Even with the most talented and dedicated students, there are still plenty of ways to get rejected from your dream school. Here are some of the reasons that we see students getting rejected.
Only applying to the most competitive schools
If a school is well-known and highly regarded, that generally means that it will be extremely difficult to get into. Just because a school ranks itself on the top lists of private schools (check out our 2017 list here!), doesn’t mean that it will necessarily be the best fit for every student who applies.
When you’re doing your research, consider which schools will be the best fit as a whole, rather than only focusing attention on the most prestigious or hardest to get into.
Sharing too much in a personal essay
It’s a true story – the student who wrote her application essay about her experiences shoplifting ended up getting rejected from every school that she applied to (regardless of the fact that she had test scores in the 90th percentiles).
Keep in mind that the schools you’re applying to don’t know you as a person, and likely will not want to accept someone who mentions illegal behavior in their essay, even if you know you’ve turned things around since then.
Bad luck
Some private schools receive so many applications that they don’t even look at applications below a certain cutoff for test scores.
Ultra-competitive schools like this look for different types of candidates every year for diversity, so even if you are a internationally ranked field hockey champion, the quota for internationally ranked field hockey champions may have already been met that year. Oftentimes it just comes down to luck.
Not giving yourself enough time
Most admissions officials recommend starting the research process at least one year prior to application dates – that’s two years before your actually plan to enroll in the school. There are many parts of the application process, so its important to start early to give yourself the best chance.
In terms of standardized testing, it is recommended to start with a full-length practice test at least 6 months prior to your test date. That means if you are reading this in the spring or summer, you should start now.
Last thoughts:
Remember that getting rejected from a school is not a reflection of who you are, or whether or not you have the skills to succeed. Additionally, if your heart is set there is always the possibility of wait lists or applying again next year.
You can make sure that test scores don’t hold you back in your application by starting your test prep today.
