You've spent all this time preparing your application. You've mailed everything off on time, and your application was complete. You have full confidence in your abilities, and you are ready to move to a new area, a college town that you've single handedly scoped out and explored. All you're waiting for is that large envelope with your acceptance materials. You keep checking the mail, day in and day out, hoping that each new day will be the day that brings the good news.

Finally, you receive a reply. The letter looks small. In a very polite and well-written manner, you are told that the school you have chosen appreciates your application, but unfortunately, you have not been accepted.

So what are you supposed to do now? Your heart and mind have already made a commitment to this school that doesn't want you. Your spirits are broken and you have no clue how to proceed but there's hope. College rejection isn't fun, but it also isn't the end of the world.

When faced with rejection, your first instinct should be to refuse to give up. Do you think that there must have been a mistake, an oversight of some kind? Was your essay as good as it could have been? Do you genuinely feel that you met (and exceeded) the minimum requirements of the school in question? Are you absolutely sure that you are more than qualified to attend this particular university? Are there extraneous circumstances surrounding your application that you feel need extra clarification? If so, then you need to appeal the decision.

Here's a case study to consider: Jim Kelly is a 30 year old applicant who applied to UC Berkeley as a transfer student. After receiving his first rejection letter, Jim was very discouraged, but he did not give up hope. Jim applied again the following year, and his application was once again turned down. He discovered that there where measures he could take to appeal the decision. Jim wrote a letter to the admissions department, and his appeal was reviewed by a committee.

Jim made the case for his admission. Dedication, determination and tenacity are qualities that admissions officers love, and Jim highlighted those traits in his appeal letter. After only one appeal (you can appeal multiple times if you like), Jim was in. He didn't let a little thing like two years of rejection thwart his goal of becoming a Berkeley student.

If the appeals process doesn't work, that's okay too. You applied to multiple schools, so you still have options. You can always try to transfer to your school of choice after two years. You can also choose to take your general education requirements at a community college. This way you can stay at home, save money, build up your college credits, polish your transcript and transfer to the school that was initially your top choice.

Rejection isn't fatal. You can appeal, postpone, reapply or transfer. Don't get discouraged if your top college says no thanks. There are plenty of ways that you can rebound from rejection, and end up exactly where you want to be.