Can you "appeal" a denial from college?

[Quiksilvr]

Before reading this thread I had no idea that one could appeal a denial of admission to an academic institution. There's a part of me that supports the idea because sometimes schools make legitimate mistakes, and then the other part of me thinks this is one of those things that exists because of angry helicopter parents ("what? how dare you say my baby isn't good enough for your college?" etc.).


If the school will take another look and your daughter doesn't have other palatable options, then by all means have her give it a shot. I concur with the other posters who say that it should come from the applicant and not the applicant's parents.

And by the way, there's no shame in starting out at a community college. I did some coursework at a JC and went on to a good college and a top law school, and now I work at a big law firm making a big law firm salary. Granted, most of my colleagues did not take the circuitous route that I did, but I'm not ashamed of it. We all ended up at the same place.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I never knew you could do something like this! My nephew had his heart set on MIT. He didn't get in and is upset. He made it into Northeastern, NYU, and about 5 other really great schools. Is it worth it for him to try to appeal the MIT denial? He is in the top of his senior class, has a near perfect GPA, etc..

In my high school we used to joke that MIT is not really a university, it's just an office somewhere in Mass that they send rejection letters from.

I'm sure your DN is all those wonderful things you said, but so are 95% of the people who bother applying to MIT. The question is not whether it's worth appealing, but whether he'll be happy someplace else. Despite my joke above, I do actually know two people who went to MIT. One left after a year because she hated it. One who attends as a grad student loves it, but it ruined his marriage. It's not for everyone. If he were my DN, I'd probably suggest trying someplace else for a year, if he still wants MIT, he can re-apply. I'd be willing to bet he'd be happy at another top tier school.

 

[tiggger1]

Suggest he go to Worcester Poly Tech for his undergrad and then go to MIT for graduate school. Worcester students end up with just as good if not better education than MIT.

I second that! I know a ton of people who did this and they have all ended up with better jobs than the MIT grads..

 

[ZeitgeistDuck]

I used to work in the admissions office of a very competative Big 10 univeristy (Go Blue!). I second Disney Doll. At our unviersity there was a point value assigned to every aspect of the student's application, from the essay and recommendations to the student's geographical location and the high school the student attended. The students were admitted based on thier total score, of which grades and ACTs scores were just a part. My university got sued about thier admissions process so I know its changed since then -specifically related to how race is weighted - but I suspect that an appeal might be fruitless.

I would attend community college for a semester and reapply for the second semester. Admissions are FAR less competative for the winter semester and its much easier to get accepted with iffy gpa and test scores.

 

[golfgal]

In my high school we used to joke that MIT is not really a university, it's just an office somewhere in Mass that they send rejection letters from.

I'm sure your DN is all those wonderful things you said, but so are 95% of the people who bother applying to MIT. The question is not whether it's worth appealing, but whether he'll be happy someplace else. Despite my joke above, I do actually know two people who went to MIT. One left after a year because she hated it. One who attends as a grad student loves it, but it ruined his marriage. It's not for everyone. If he were my DN, I'd probably suggest trying someplace else for a year, if he still wants MIT, he can re-apply. I'd be willing to bet he'd be happy at another top tier school.

DS has a classmate going to MIT-they called HIM though-is is a complete math genius-he's been taking specialized math programming at the U of M for 4 years-he is a normal kid otherwise.

The U of Minnesota has a IT school, similar to MIT, just not nearly as prominent. We have several friends who's very bright, top of the class students have flunked out of that school because it is a different kind of "smart" for kids to do well there--like doing Calculus in your head smart. My cousin graduated #1 in his class from one of the best high schools in MN, 33 on his ACT and STILL couldn't cut it at the U of M IT school.

 

[liamsaunt]

It is definitely worth having her inquire with the admissions office. They can probably tell you the median GPA and SATs for the students they admitted.

Community college might be a good option for her freshman year. She could take core classes that would transfer. If she does very well, she might even qualify for some financial aid/scholarship support when she transfers to the university she really wants to be at in her sophmore year.

 

[punkin]

My DH's entire family went to MIT either undergrad or grad school so it really does exist.

DH was a huge disappointment to them. His degree is not even in a "real" science.

...but really MIT is so competitive that an appeal there is probably useless. OP's DD is in a different position. I would have her appeal on the off chance. Just don't count on it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

In my high school we used to joke that MIT is not really a university, it's just an office somewhere in Mass that they send rejection letters from.

I'm sure your DN is all those wonderful things you said, but so are 95% of the people who bother applying to MIT. The question is not whether it's worth appealing, but whether he'll be happy someplace else. Despite my joke above, I do actually know two people who went to MIT. One left after a year because she hated it. One who attends as a grad student loves it, but it ruined his marriage. It's not for everyone. If he were my DN, I'd probably suggest trying someplace else for a year, if he still wants MIT, he can re-apply. I'd be willing to bet he'd be happy at another top tier school.

My dd has a friend that got into MIT. And it is a girl and this is from a no nothing MO HS. Of course she did math competitions and probably blew it away on her SATs, she was a math genuis.

From what dd told me, the girl thought she was not going to get in and then at the last moment she got her acceptance.

I will have to ask her if she has contact with her.

 

[asta]

While it is always possible to appeal, I am on the side of looking at other options if they exist. Four years ago my oldest daughter went through a very tough rejection. This was a top 20 university and, while her scores/GPA were within the range they admitted, she wasn't offered admission. She ended up attending another university and has loved everything about that school. Flash forward four years - she has been accepted into a phd program at the school that rejected her four years ago. Full scholarship plus stipend. She will end up with a graduate degree that not only will not cost anything, she will be paid while pursuing her degree.

As much as it hurts to be rejected, I think that it is wise to rely on the admissions people. I am sure they work very hard at putting together a class that will fit at their school. They can't know everyone but to the extent that they do they are selecting students that will thrive in their environment.

I have also heard good stories about students who were able to transfer into first choice schools after finishing a semester or year at another school. If your daughter tries another school and still wants her first choice, I would encourage her to do this.

 

[Took]

I fence sitting on this one. Sometimes, it is better to accept the rejection and apply to a school more eager to admit the candidate. I don't mean to be discouraging but your daughter's SAT scores don't seem terribly competitive. It could be that she earned high marks in school because she wasn't being pushed as hard as she needed to be for a competitive college admission. In fact, this is one reason why some schools will look more closely at SAT scores than GPA's. The colleges often have no idea whether the student's 4.0 in high school really reflected "excellent" work.

Even if she were to be admitted, she might be under-prepared for that college. If she went to a college where her SAT scores were more competitive, she might be happier.

At the same time, I hate to sell a student short. Perhaps, a talk with the admissions officer at the university would be helpful.

 

[ccgirl]

I may be way off base here but I thought SAT's in the 400's were not good??? Mind you...I graduated a LONG time ago so things may have changed. If anything needs to be done; have her do it though.

 

[Callie]

I may be way off base here but I thought SAT's in the 400's were not good??? Mind you...I graduated a LONG time ago so things may have changed. If anything needs to be done; have her do it though.

With the new SAT system, a 400 isn't very strong. I took mine last year (i'm in college now) and had just around an 1800, which was just about average. It depends on what they are looking for also I guess.

 

[disykat]

I may be way off base here but I thought SAT's in the 400's were not good??? Mind you...I graduated a LONG time ago so things may have changed. If anything needs to be done; have her do it though.

I don't think the OP has any illusions that they are good scores since she identified the SAT scores as the probable reason she didn't get accepted.

 

[laurafergie]

Another thing to consider - was the OP's DD a "well rounded" student? Did she do extra curricular activities, did she volunteer? Did she have an Academic Diploma or a General? Were any AP or Dual enrollment classes taken?

Frankly, with a 3.1 GPA and her SAT scores are average. If her college choice is competitive at all - there are her reasons she didn't get in. Go ahead and try an appeal - you never know - but I agree with all the other PPs, I would go to the local community college and transfer in later. It is MUCH easier to transfer in, than to start in freshman year.

 

[ccgirl]

Sorry, I missed that in her post. I probably wouldn't bother appealing then myself. I would wait for the letter and if you agree with what is in it then no need to appeal. However, if you disagree, or feel you have met every qualification, I would appeal.

 

[Christine]

Acklander - I totall agree, this should come from my daughter and it will.

Sorry, I didnt mention the reason why she was denied because I'm not sure yet. I learned of the denial from the university's website where you can check the status of the application. We still haven't received the letter yet. She called admissions, but was told she'd have to wait for the letter. This was Monday and we're still waiting.

I think her SAT may the reason though and I'm not sure how to read them, but they were (writing 480, math 410 and reading 470).

Her GPA I think is 3.1 and she had an excellent recommendation and xtra cirricular activities and a great essay.

Lori,

I missed this post!!

It is the combo of her GPA and SATs. My DD's SATs were in the 500-ish range for each section (she had one of the lowest scores of her peer group). Her cumulative GPA was about 3.0 but her semester GPA was at 2.3 or something like that at one point. Uuuggghh, it was just bad. I can tell you that for most of the Virginia public universities, even the ones that used to be for "everybody", anything under a 3.2 has been the cutoff for the last 3 years according to my DD's guidance counselor in high school. It sounds like this is what your DD is facing here. Her guidance counselor told her that about 5 years ago she would have walked into several of the state universities but with the population size of the class of 2009 and higher (up through 2018 I believe) there was a pretty big baby boom so the competition is much higher for these kids.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

I posted this on the college board hoping for some advice.

DD was denied admission to our local university and is really crushed. She wants to write to them and ask for interview, but I'm not sure the letter will help. I wish they'd reconsider too for her.

Has anyone had experience with this? what was the outcome? who do you write to at the university?

thanks.

Acklander - I totall agree, this should come from my daughter and it will.

Sorry, I didnt mention the reason why she was denied because I'm not sure yet. I learned of the denial from the university's website where you can check the status of the application. We still haven't received the letter yet. She called admissions, but was told she'd have to wait for the letter. This was Monday and we're still waiting.

I think her SAT may the reason though and I'm not sure how to read them, but they were (writing 480, math 410 and reading 470).

Her GPA I think is 3.1 and she had an excellent recommendation and extra cirricular activities and a great essay.

Both local universities in our state suggest a minimum gpa of 3.25 and minimum SAT scores in the low 500's. At the one my son goes to, (the slightly harder one to get into) Critical Reading needs to be a minimum of 550 for Arts and Sciences, 580 for the school of business and 590 for engineering.

We do have a local 4 year college that has easier admission criteria, but even they want a minimum combined SAT score of 1550.

Although they do accept some kids with lower GPA's and SAT scores, their other credentials have to be outstanding, such as a ton of volunteer work. Volunteer work seems to be almost as important as GPA in all the schools DS applied to.

Before you appeal, go to the University's web page and really study the admittance requirements. Does she meet the minimum requirements? Did she take all the required classes in high school needed for acceptance. Were these core classes required by the university some of her higher grades? If you take the GPA from just the required Core classes, is it higher than 3.1?

For instance, at our local university, the minimum core classes that have to be completed in high school for admission are 4 years of high school English with 2 being composition classes, 4 years of math including 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry and one year of college prep such as trig or analytic geometry, 3 years of science with 2 having to be lab sciences and one has to be either chemistry or physics, 3 years of social science, including US history, World history and geography, and 3 years of a single foreign language.

It doesn't matter if you have a 4.0, if you don't meet these minimum high school academics, you will be rejected and will need to spend some time at a community college taking the necessary required classes.

Make absolutely sure your daughter meets all the requirements and she is prepared to argue her position. She needs to have explanations and reasons for each and every criteria the University feels she didn't meet for acceptance.

Don't have her go in and just ask "please review again." She needs to be very specific and have researched rebuttals for every criteria that may not have made the cut.

 

[librarygal]

Chart with SAT percentiles of test takers

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-2009.pdf

 

[Christine]

Both local universities in our state suggest a minimum gpa of 3.25 and minimum SAT scores in the low 500's. At the one my son goes to, (the slightly harder one to get into) Critical Reading needs to be a minimum of 550 for Arts and Sciences, 580 for the school of business and 590 for engineering.

Although they do accept some kids with lower GPA's and SAT scores, their other credentials have to be outstanding, such as a ton of volunteer work. Volunteer work seems to be almost as important as GPA in all the schools DS applied to.

Before you appeal, go to the University's web page and really study the admittance requirements. Does she meet the minimum requirements? Did she take all the required classes in high school needed for acceptance. Were these core classes required by the university some of her higher grades? If you take the GPA from just the required Core classes, is it higher than 3.1?

For instance, at our local university, the minimum academic preparation standards state that you need 4 years of high school English with 2 being composition classes, 4 years of math including 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry and one year of college prep such as trig or analytic geometry, 3 years of science with 2 having to be lab sciences and one has to be either chemistry or physics, 3 years of social science, including US history, World history and geography, and 3 years of a single foreign language.

It doesn't matter if you have a 4.0, if you don't meet these minimum high school academics, you will be rejected and will need to spend some time at a community college taking the necessary required classes.

Make absolutely sure your daughter meets all the requirements and she is prepared to argue her position. She needs to have explanations and reasons for each and every criteria the University feels she didn't meet for acceptance.

Don't have her go in and just ask "please review again." She needs to be very specific and have researched rebuttals for every criteria that may not have made the cut.

This is great advice. When my DD was denied to all her schools, I knew it was because her SATs were below the average they accepted plus her GPA was less than stellar. She had a ton of volunteer work but that didn't seem to matter much.

The ONE school we did appeal (with the help of a friend) had a minimum GPA of 2.5 and her ACT scores were well within the accepted value. What happened was that my DD had attended a different school for freshman year and her current high school did not roll that GPA into their cumulative calculation. They sent them and left it up to the admissions offer to view them side by side. Well the admissions officer didn't take into account her freshman GPA (which was a 3.5) and only took into account her private school GPA which was about 2.5 with her last semester being a 2.3. Or something like that. Bottom line was that with the two transcripts being averaged together she was above the minimum requirement. When she pointed that out to them, they agreed to take another look. They agreed with her calculation and admitted her.

So, I do think that if your daughter is going to appeal, she has to make sure that she has at least met the minimum requirement that the school states for GPA and SATs. I'm sure she did meet it for GPA but the SATs look dicey.

A friend of ours had a decent GPA but didn't do well on the SATs. She was denied admission. She did go back and appeal the decision and they did decide to let her in. She did something along the lines of showing that she was historically a poor test taker but I don't know all the details of that.

 

[cats mom]

When my friend's DD did not get into her university of choice she hopped in her car, drove 500 miles, and was at the admission office next morning.


The first person she saw told her admission decisions were final, she was very foolish, and she should just go home. But she somehow made a connection with the next person she saw, and he did eventually help her get admitted.

She's a jr and she is doing fine now, but she spent a huge chunk of her freshman year on the phone crying to her mom because she was so overwhelmed. This was a kid who was a big shot in high school, but she was average at best at a college filled with high school big shots. It was a huge adjustment for her. In retrospect I think both she and her parents wish she had stayed home and gone the community college route for a year or two and then tried to get in. Something to consider.