Early college admission decisions are around the corner; for some, you may have already heard back. College decisions are consistently more confusing, and acceptance rates continue to become more competitive. With the timing of the holidays, we understand this time of year can be a season of mixed emotions as decisions start to roll out. Perhaps you had your heart set on an Early Decision school or a top Early Action. When the news isn’t great, it’s easy to spiral into a negative vortex. So here are some of our key reminders for students feeling the pain of college admissions decisions this time of year.

• Remember that you applied to a balanced list for a reason. Reach schools are just that- schools where your chances of being denied are better than accepted. Hopefully, you were realistic with yourself and applied to a handful of targets and safeties as well.
• Remember all the factors you can’t control: who reads your application, where you fall among all the other applicants, what the college needs that particular year, how many students from your high school applied, etc. 
• Remember that many qualified candidates are rejected from top colleges. Some colleges are notorious for reporting that they could implement a freshman class from the rejection pool with the same stats as the acceptance pool. That means the rejected students are just as bright, capable, and amazing as the accepted students.
• Remember that being deferred or waitlisted does not mean you’re out. There are things you can do in these situations, which your Campus Bound counselor is happy to help you with. 
• Remember that you will probably never know why you weren’t admitted to a particular college. You can analyze it all you want, but it will be a fruitless effort. Life goes on, and the things that don’t work out sometimes happen for a reason.
• Remember that everyone feels things differently. It’s okay to take time to process, but then it’s important to move on and celebrate your hard-earned acceptances. It’s also important to ask for help with coping if you need it. Parents, school counselors, and college counselors are all here for you.

It’s sometimes easier said than done to look at the bright side, but there are many colleges that would love to have a student like you! You have applied yourself to the best of your ability. Try to celebrate the wins and quickly let go of the losses.