Many students feel that if they get rejected from a university, it is usually of their academic scores, GRE/GMAT/SAT test scores or just plain luck. However, there is more to the story and it is important to understand how and what are things to focus and highlight in your application, besides your academic and test scores. Typically, the following are the likelier reasons why you didn’t get an offer from your choice of university. 

   1) Your Statement of Purpose or Personal Essay was forgettable.

The SOP/PE is a document where you need to express your aspirations, and motivations for applying to a particular program. This essay should also highlight what you plan to do after your degree and in your career. University counselors read thousands of these statements in a season and if you haven’t been able to interest, then the game is over. Writing a compelling and inspirational SOP is a work of art, and if you can, then you must take professional guidance. A few extra hours and few extra bucks for SOP guidance can go a long way in securing that dream admission.

   2) Your relationship building with the university representative was not good enough.

As much as your application is a direct representation of you on paper, it is equally important to let the university counselors know you through your voice and possibly in person. There are a lot of university representatives who live in India or travel through to various cities, visiting schools, colleges and meeting prospective students. It is very important to know the person and more importantly let them know you fully, highlighting your humane qualities and character.

   3) Your LORs were not detailed enough.

Proactiveness is the name of the game here! Once you have given your CV to your referee, it might be very easy to sit back and hope for the best. However, it is important to ensure that the referees are adding the details necessary to completely characterize who you are. This can only be done when you show yourself to the referee, talk to him/her, discuss why that particular university or that particular course, your fears and tribulations and your desires and aspirations. The more you tell them about yourself, the better the LORs are, and therefore the higher the chances to get to the dream college.

   4) You weren’t clear about your goals.

Vagueness shows disinterest, and no university wants a disinterested student. Every university wants to see, hear and feel the ‘potential to succeed’ in a student. They want to see the desire to actively pursue things in a student. They want to see the passion in your career goals. So, it is very important to reflect and delve deeper into why that particular goal and how the university or the course will help you attain those goals. Be clear, be precise! Additionally, your goals should be aligned with the program outcome as mentioned on the program website or by program alumni.

   5) You didn’t apply to the right university, the right program or the right scholarship/funding.

The key here is research! What typically we feel is difficult, we tend to leave it to do later. Usually, by the time application deadlines come around, we hurriedly apply to colleges that are in our immediate purview. This is absolutely the wrongest thing to do for college applications. It is very important to find the best-fit university for you, looking at your interests, character, CV and financial considerations, among many other things. Get help from the experts or counselors to shortlist your universities, if you are lost in the pile of information.

If would like to avoid these huge mistakes and know more on

• How to find the right bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programs? 
• How to find sustainable financial aid and scholarships?
• How to write a memorable statement of purpose (SOP)?
• How to help your teacher write an exhaustive LOR?
• How to be detailed about your career goals in your application?

Then you don’t need to figure all of this on your own. Join Inspirus Education’s counselling program for step-by-step guidance. The investment you make in yourself now could save lakhs in student loans and get accepted into your dream college.