May Relief!

May is the month where we can finally breathe a sigh of relief because as of May 1st each student has committed to a university. This is a time of celebration and enjoying planning ahead for the future (can anyone say dorm room shopping?). At the same time, even when we are thrilled about the colleges we’re attending, we are also left wondering - why didn’t that one school let me in? No matter how many times I remind students that colleges admit or deny students based on a multitude of behind-the-scenes factors, rejection always stings and makes us wonder what we did wrong and why we weren’t chosen. This year, more students than ever were feeling that familiar sting as applications to certain colleges skyrocketed and record numbers of qualified were turned away. While official data sets from 2018 have yet to be released (for the most part) we can learn a lot from 2017’s stats.

he UC system offers some of the best and most cost effective options for California residents, but this option is becoming less feasible for students each year as admitted students decreased from 23.5% in 2007 to 16% in 2017 due to the whopping 119,626 Freshman hopefuls who applied to the UC system last year. While these numbers reflect the UC system as a whole, UCs that were formerly the least popular are now seeing huge increases in applicants as the top choice UCs become unattainable goals for even straight A students. UC Riverside, for instance saw an increase in application of 12.4% from 2016-2017. So, what do all these scary numbers mean? Everyone has a friend or cousin who was admitted to CAL or UCLA, so how do they do it when the odds are stacked against them? The truth is - nobody (besides the admissions team) knows for sure why one student with similar credentials to dozens of others gets in. That’s why we at Bound4College try to encourage our students at every turn to “go where the love is”. The admissions teams know their schools and who they think belongs on their campus - if they look at a student’s application and say “Yes! This is who we want to enhance our college”, trust them and make the very best of your college experience. If you did not get into the college of your dreams, it is important to work on letting go of the idea of what might have been and focus on being present for the amazing future being offered to you. Congratulations to the class of 2018 - we are so proud of each of you and can’t wait for your next adventure to begin.