Receiving an Early Decision rejection from Dartmouth is more than annoying. It can be disheartening, frustrating, and can even be confidence-crushing. But it doesn’t need to be.
There is a misconception in the world of Ivy League (and Ivy-caliber) admissions that Dartmouth is easy — or, rather, easier — to get into Early Decision because they have historically accepted such a large portion of their class ED. Let us dispel that notion for you. Dartmouth is wicked hard to get into, elevated ED acceptance rate or not. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was only 6%. Along with this, they have received a record number of ED applicants in recent years. Last year, they decided not to release their ED acceptance rate immediately. However, in previous years, for the Class of 2028 and the Class of 2027, the ED acceptance rate was just under 20%.
This also tells us that getting rejected from Dartmouth ED does not mean that your dream of a top-tier college acceptance is dead. You can still get into an exceptional and selective school. Making that happen, though, rides heavily on what you do next.
In this post, we’ll break down the four steps you need to be taking to turn an ED rejection from Dartmouth into an exceptional dream school acceptance in the Regular Decision (or EDII) cycle.
Every year, we help strong students bounce back from early rejection. Learn more.
Yes, you’ve been working hard on your college applications. You gave your all to Dartmouth, and it wasn’t enough to get an acceptance. This is wildly frustrating, but staying stuck in that feeling won’t move you forward. Instead, this is what you need to do:
Step One: Take a Break
The first step is more of an anti-step, but we’re not joking when we say that you need to chill out for a second, relax, and reset. You’ve been through the fire of the Early Decision process, and came out singed. That’s totally un-fun. But the college process doesn’t need to stay un-fun. No, we aren’t going to try to pitch you on the idea that applying to college can be a good time, but we think our students would agree that it absolutely does not need to be miserable. So, it’s time for a reset.
Fill a bowl with your favorite treat, binge watch an old season of your favorite show, lay in the park basking in the sunshine, or go for a ski. Whatever it is that recharges you this time of year, do it. When your cup is full, it’s time to get back to work.
Step Two: Strategize
You can’t know why Dartmouth rejected your ED application. It could be nearly anything, but it was likely actually a mix of things. Your grades weren’t at the very top, and your scores weren’t super impressive (95% of accepted ED applicants in 2024 had an SAT or ACT in the top 75% of test-takers at their school). Your essays didn’t make the readers fall in love with you, and your activities weren’t highly compelling.
It’s a pinch of this and a dose of that, which we know is very annoying because you can’t just blame one thing and (if possible) fix it. Instead, you need to address the whole package — and that means you need a whole new strategy.
Don’t start by throwing anything out, though. Start, instead, by looking at your college list. Unless you have an EA acceptance or two under your belt for a college that you would be thrilled to attend, you need to create a bullet-proof college list that ensures you have a home come time for orientation. This means balance. You need 3-4 true foundation schools that you are very unlikely to not get into. Then another 3-4 target schools that are a strong fit, but that you can’t take for granted.
Finally, the reaches. An ED rejection from Dartmouth does not mean that you cannot still get into an impressive, and highly selective, college or university — including another member of the Ivy League. If you don’t want to do more hard work and just want to be done with the admissions process, extending for a reach isn’t a real option. If you want that reach, it’s time to start writing.
Step Three: Essays
The one commonality we’ve seen in all applications rejected by Dartmouth is that the story didn’t work. Even with the best grades and perfect scores, an application without a strong story is a weak application. Sure, great grades and scores put you towards the top of their pile for consideration, but it doesn’t make them overlook a lack of story. If they don’t feel like they know you, you are easy to say ‘no’ to, no matter how impressive you are.
This brings us to the hard truth: you probably need to start over with your writing. So, you don’t just have supplements to do (or redo). You have to write a whole new college essay. This can be understandably overwhelming, especially if you agonized over your essay before applying to Dartmouth, but we find it to be easier to throw what you have in the fire and start over than to try to twist and force your existing essay into a newer, better package.
College essays come in all shapes and sizes. There is no formula to a perfect college essay. However, there is one thing that all college essays need to do: they need to make the reader like you. If the reader doesn’t feel connected to you, they are going to say no.
This means that a strong college essay is a personal story, not a list of accomplishments. It’s not about looking impressive, but about being someone they’d want to grab a coffee with. So, it’s time to reassess and — probably — to rewrite. Luckily, we can help.
Step Four: Ask For Help
Applying to college is personal, but the best work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Doing this all on your own will not result in your best work, and asking the wrong people to help may be even worse. Your friends, parents, and nosey family friends may have unique insights into who you are, and may even be fantastic writers, but that doesn’t mean that they understand the nuances of college admissions. Asking someone who truly knows college admissions for assistance is the best way to get your best results. That could be a school counselor, a beloved teacher, a mentor, or someone like us.
We give advice confidently because we live this process every day, and our results speak for themselves.
Getting into a dream school requires a strong strategy. Get yours.