You may have heard from a friend of a friend that they were rejected from Harvard University even though they had a perfect application! Or you heard from a 2nd cousin on the other side of the family that their cousin was rejected from a school with a 50% acceptance rate simply because they were far and above other students. In other words, overqualified. But does this really happen? Do colleges reject overqualified students? The answer seems to be no – and no school has admitted to doing so.
Do Colleges Reject Overqualified Students?
The answer to this question seems to be a resounding, “no.” There is no evidence that colleges or universities reject overqualified students from their schools. Even if the individual had a 4.0, extracurricular activities, clubs, athletics, and volunteer work, they’re not going to be rejected from a community college with a 99% acceptance rate simply because they are overqualified for the school!
In fact, colleges would love to have students that are overqualified. These students are likely to succeed in education and after graduation, and, in turn, make the school look great when they do!
But Someone Told Me…
But you heard that story from a friend of a friend or 2nd cousin’s cousin that they were rejected because they were overqualified? Or maybe you read a story on Reddit that seemed to back up this idea.
Most of these stories and “examples” are anecdotal. They aren’t necessarily reliable since they come from personal accounts, and are likely just rumors. There is no evidence schools do this – and there’s no reason they would.
Are There Any Exceptions to This?
Now, it’s important to note here that there is one possibility that is somewhat debated. Some believe that schools will decline overqualified students to project their yield rate. Every school has an acceptance rate. The yield rate is the number of students from that acceptance rate that decide to attend the specific college.
The higher the acceptance rate and the lower the yield rate, the less attractive a school may look to competitive students.
Overqualified students may be applying to these colleges as safety schools and therefore are unlikely to attend if they are accepted into their dream college or second choice. The theory is that colleges, therefore, will reject these overqualified individuals to protect those yield rates.
However, there is also no real concrete evidence of this. While it sounds like a good theory, the number of overqualified students rejected or accepted to affect that yield rate would need to be quite high!
Why Might a College Reject an “Overqualified” Student?
However, sometimes it may seem like a college is rejecting an “overqualified” student, but that is most likely not the case. There’s more to an application (and a student) than grades. Here are a few likely reasons that a friend of a friend or a distant relative might not have gotten into their schools.
Application Was Lacking
A 4.0 GPA is an amazing achievement. However, that’s not enough to get you into those highly competitive colleges in most cases. Schools are looking for an applicant’s character beyond their grade. For schools that accept less than 10%, students need to be at the top of the top.
You could feel overqualified, too, but if your application isn’t showing that, you could receive a rejection letter.
Applications need to have:
- Evidence of participation in extracurriculars, clubs, and/or sports
- Evidence of volunteer work, internships, and/or work
- Strong letters of recommendation
- A strong essay
- Good grades
- Evidence of leadership and/or other qualities
- Evidence of giving back to the community
- A strong interview (if one is given)
- High SAT/ACT scores (if applicable)
The Student Didn’t Show Enough Interest
Another thing colleges are looking for from their students is interest in attending. If you skip that “optional” interview, for example, you’re telling the school you really don’t care about them. Even if you have a stellar application, but you skipped that interview, your spot may go to someone who did go even if their application isn’t as impressive as yours – simply because they expressed interest in attending. A good example would be an audition for a part in a play. You’re not likely to receive the leading role if you never attend auditions.
And even if you go to that interview, if you don’t clearly express your interest, you could be skipped over.
Many schools don’t offer interviews, however. In these cases, students need to demonstrate their interest in other ways. They could express their desire to attend in the essay or other parts of the application where it’s appropriate. Or they could choose to apply under Early Decision or Early Action as it has been shown to increase acceptance chances!
Not a Good Culture Fit
Just like jobs and employers, colleges are on the lookout for students that fit the culture. If your application and/or interview tells the school that you won’t fit into the culture, you may receive a rejection letter, even if the application is phenomenal on paper.
A few different examples that could lead a school to reach this conclusion include:
- The school has a religious affiliation and requires a contract to abide by certain requirements, such as no drinking. Others may ask for an application essay on faith. If the student isn’t religious, they could receive a rejection letter.
- The student was rude, aggressive, or arrogant during the application essay and/or college interview.
- The student was rude during a college tour to employees and/or current students.
- The student wrote or talked about qualities of their personality in the essay or interview that doesn’t fit into the school’s culture or environment.
- The student’s social media pages show values, actions, or behavior that doesn’t fit with the school’s culture.
While a student may feel they were rejected from a school because they were “overqualified,” this is rarely, if ever, the case. Examples and stories of this happening are all anecdotal. Colleges have never admitted to doing it, so there really is no clear evidence of schools rejecting them because they’re overqualified. In most cases, another reason can be found for the rejection letter.
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