Unfortunately, sometimes a student isn’t going to get into their first choice school. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing! It IS possible to fall in love with your second or third choice – and many students actually do! Here are some tips to join that group of students who end up love attending a college that wasn’t your first choice.
Take Another Look at Your Choices
Whether you didn’t get accepted or you didn’t receive the financial aid necessary to attend, there are plenty of ways to spin attending a different school into a positive.
The first thing is to take a look at the schools that you can attend. You picked these for a reason! It’s time to re-explore those reasons and find the positive side in the situation. Some of these schools will have pros over your first choice college and a second look could help you identify the perfect college for you. You may even find it was a better option over your dream school!
Read Other Students’ Experiences
Using social media and other platforms, you can find other students, current and former, talking about their experiences at your second choice school, probably in your intended major. They mostly likely have good things to say about the school and may have some positives they experienced that you didn’t think of.
You can also reach out to students and ask their opinions on the college they’re attending. You may want to tell them your story. They could have a similar story that helps you make the best decision for your education.
Start Planning
One of the best ways to get excited about your new school (and to fall in love) is to simply start planning. Start with your classes. Check out which are available to you as a freshman. Choose ones that are necessary for your general requirements, but also that you find interesting. You may want to take at least one elective that just speaks to you that you can really look forward to!
You can also start planning your first few weeks and thinking about
- Activities to do in the local area
- Dorm room design
- Clubs to join
- The facilities on campus
- Sports games you want to attend
- Orientation activities
and more!
Falling in Love with a College That Wasn’t Your First Choice
This is an exciting time in your life and not getting into your first choice can put a damper on your experience. However, it only needs to be a bad thing if you let it. Reframing your mindset about your second choice can prove beneficial to your summer and also your entire education. And if, after attending your freshman year, you don’t fall in love with your second choice, you can always try to reapply to your first choice or another college.
- Curious about your chosen school? Check out the specs with College Raptor!
