Is it possible to get rejected from community college

For example, in the fall semester of , all but one of New York City's community colleges stopped accepting applications much earlier than in previous years, causing surprise to some students who had thought they could enroll as late as a week before the start of classes. The problem is not limited to New York City. Across the country, students who planned to take community college courses required for transfer eligibility to four-year institutions often found themselves on waiting lists instead of in classrooms.

At De Anza, a community college in California's Silicon Valley in which 19, students were enrolled in Fall , more than 13, students were still on waiting lists for classes at the start of the Fall semester! Most of the waiting lists were for courses in English or mathematics, subjects that are often required for completion of an associate's degree or transfer credits to a four-year university.

Education experts and community college administrators are acutely aware of the problem, but budgetary constraints are preventing them from taking steps to ameliorate the situation. Matthew Goldstein, the chancellor of New York City's community college system, told the New York Times that he feels he faces a "moral dilemma. According to Inside Higher Ed , many community colleges, such as California's De Anza, are doing their best to address the current reality by cutting sections of "low-demand" courses, such as German and Italian, and increasing sections of high-demand courses such as English, math, and biology.

Again, though, this isn't that impressive to top-ranked schools. So what can you do to ensure that you have a better chance of getting into your top-choice school? Here are my top six tips. Most students probably know this, but you'll need a pretty high GPA to keep from getting rejected. Well, a high GPA proves that you're not only responsible and studious but also capable of performing consistently well in a variety of disciplines.

By excelling in several classes, you're providing direct evidence of your deep commitment to learning and academic success. So what constitutes a high GPA? The answer to this will depend on the school you're applying to. If you're applying to a top school such as Stanford, aim for a 4. If you're not sure how high of a GPA your school expects, try looking on the school's website for any information or data about the average GPA of admitted applicants.

That being said, getting a high GPA alone isn't as important as getting a good GPA and taking a challenging course load. Here's what I mean by this: when applying to top colleges, a 4. However, you'll be a much more competitive applicant if you have, say, a slightly lower 3.

This means that you could get mostly As and a couple of Bs in challenging AP courses and still have a higher chance of getting accepted over someone who got all As but took only easy classes. This is because colleges like to see that you're continuously challenging yourself.

For me, this was a critical point I didn't get at all in high school. I took a few AP and honors courses, but I didn't take nearly as many as I should have. Instead, I stuck mostly to classes I knew I'd get As in and refrained from truly challenging myself by taking harder ones.

This is probably part of the reason Stanford rejected me. Like the tip above, this is kind of a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how little I thought of it when I applied to college back in NOTE: As a result of the pandemic, nearly every school became test-optional for at least and , and some schools have decided to become permanently test optional.

This means that, if you're applying to one of these schools, you don't need to submit SAT or ACT scores, and your application won't be at a disadvantage. However, a high ACT or SAT score can still be a significant boost to your application, especially if you're on the bubble in other areas. These are the 75th percentile scores for admitted applicants to Harvard. Even if you got slightly lower than this—such as a on the SAT or a 34 on the ACT—you'd still be in relatively good shape.

The point, however, is that you want to shoot as high as possible so you can give yourself the best chance of admission. On the other hand, if you were applying to a less selective school like the University of Houston, you'd only need an SAT score around or an ACT score around Again, you could still get accepted with slightly lower scores than these, but aiming high ensures you'll have a great shot.

If you can hit or almost hit your top-choice school's 75th percentile score, you'll stand out and lower your chances of rejection. This piece of advice is essential for those applying to the Ivy League or Ivy League-level institutions and it's definitely something I wish I'd known back when I applied to Stanford.

And here's what it is: part of crafting an incredible college application is working on developing a spike. I briefly introduced this concept earlier, but now let's look at in detail. Your spike is what makes you stand out from other applicants. This is typically an ongoing passion for and commitment to some kind of academic or personal interest. For instance, perhaps you're a lover of writing who's published his own self-help ebook and tutors elementary school students in creative writing on weekends.

Or maybe you're a science whiz who's conducted numerous experiments and submitted her results to conventions. Get the picture here? Think of this spike as the opposite of being well rounded. I was a member of my school's honor society, ran on the cross country team for two years, and played the piano in my spare time.

All of this, I thought, made me a well-rounded, ideal candidate. In truth, colleges—particularly selective ones like Stanford— see tons of applicants like this. This is likely a big reason I got rejected: I wasn't unique enough!

Instead, I should have spent more time developing the hobbies I enjoyed most and participating in activities more strongly tied to my most passionate interests.

That's what I did wrong. Now, here's what you can do right. Below, I list some options you can try to help you further develop your spike:. All in all, don't rely on the trap of being well rounded, particularly if you're trying to get accepted to highly selective schools.

The only thing you want to be well rounded is the bubble you're blowing. This is why it's important to spend a lot of time crafting an impactful personal statement for your application. In general, a good personal statement will accomplish the following:. The statement is a great opportunity to explain what your spike is, how you got interested in it, and what kind of role you see it playing in your future.

For a detailed look at what makes for a powerful personal statement, check out our analysis of more than college essays. In addition, the personal statement lets you explain the context of your academic situation. For example, does your high school not offer any AP or honors courses? Or are you the first person in your family to attend college? It's important to answer questions like these in your essay so that the school can take into account your personal circumstances as well as how these might have influenced the quality of your application.

This way, you won't get rejected simply because you didn't take any AP courses even though none might have been available to you! Many schools stress the importance of considering each applicant's circumstances. For example, here's what Stanford says on its website :. By focusing on your achievements in context, we evaluate how you have excelled in your school environment and how you have taken advantage of what is available to you in your school and community.

And here's how Duke considers your background in applications for admission:. Evidently, the personal statement isn't just an opportunity to showcase your spike and strengths—it's also a chance to explain your personal situation. Do all of this, and you'll be far less likely to get rejected for something like a slightly lower SAT score. Want to write the perfect college application essay?

Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :. These deadlines are about a month or two earlier than most regular decision deadlines.

Data shows that those who apply early action or early decision typically have higher acceptance rates than those who apply regular decision. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll get accepted. I applied early action to Stanford and still got rejected. Nevertheless, an early application might give you a slight edge over other applicants, as it shows the school you're committed to it and really want to continue your education there.

Industries are dying left and right. Some of those who lose their jobs look for different jobs. Others go back to school. Many of those who choose to go back to school apply to community colleges.

Their goal is to earn degrees, diplomas, or certificates that can help improve their resumes. As a result of such, they can have better employment opportunities. Just like other colleges, the resources of community colleges are limited. For instance, they only have enough classrooms and teachers for a certain number of students per semester or school year. Earlier, we said that some students who are going to private schools tend to move to community colleges if they or their families can no longer pay for the steep tuition fees that tend to rise every year.

The reason for this is obvious: tuition fees at community colleges are cheaper. In some instances, they are even free of charge. We also talked about before that a lot of students assume that anyone can get admitted to community colleges.

They should also refrain from believing that any student who wants to move to a community college from a private school is going to be admitted without any problem. One of the reasons that may keep a student from being admitted to a community college is his or her failure to meet the minimum GPA requirement by a community college. There are some community colleges that require transfer students to have a GPA of not lower than 2. Fortunately, for a student with a bad GPA, there are certain steps that he or she may try to get to the community college that he or she prefers.

For instance, the student may visit the admissions office to talk about his or her situation. One of the things that could happen is that the student will be admitted as a freshman student, thus starting college all over again.

This is provided that he or she was able to pass a few courses. Understanding this reason for rejection can help students and their families better handle their disappointment. Pat Rambo, a former college and career counselor at Springfield High School in Pennsylvania, says that when students realize that decisions are based predominantly on numbers during a particularly competitive year, and not necessarily on the merits of the application, it depersonalizes the decision, which helps them feel better.

Margo McCoy Howe, a school counselor specialist formerly with the College Board's National Office for School Counselor Advocacy, suggests the following ways to help students handle a college rejection:. While it's extremely rare for a college to overturn its decision, you may recommend that rejected students write a letter of appeal explaining why they deserve to be reconsidered. This action will give students the peace of mind of knowing that they have done everything possible to make a strong case.

Remind students that they can try to transfer to the desired college from another college after a year or two, and explain that there are steps that can be taken now to make this easier. Advise them to:. Let parents know that it's okay for them to feel disappointment, too, but that they should keep their emotions in check. However, she adds, "[They] need to swing into being supportive parents rather than going into the depths of despair with [their] son or daughter.

Education Professionals. How to help students handle disappointments Students who have been wait-listed or rejected by a college rely on you for insight and direction on how to proceed with their college enrollment plans.

Advising wait-listed students The handful of seniors who discover that they have been wait-listed — neither accepted nor rejected — may present the biggest challenge. What you can do Once your students have had a chance to come to terms with being wait-listed, take the following actions: Guide your students to focus on the real choices: the places that have sent acceptance letters.