People who love business tend to know it early. They are the kind of young people who take every opportunity to run a lemonade stand, make money doing yard work for neighbors, or even start their own small business. As a high school sophomore looking to study business in college, you may have already done some — or even all — of this. And if you have business cards, a LinkedIn, or a personal website with a digital resume, that wouldn’t surprise us.

If you recently received a rejection from Tufts in the Early Decision round, we know that it can be a punch to your stomach. Tufts is one of those interesting schools that has had a rapidly shrinking acceptance rate that mirrors the plummeting percentages at Ivies. As a result, Tufts, which was once a great target or even safety school for strong students with high scores and well-expressed passions has become a reach — even in the ED round — for many of the best and brightest. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was only . 

If you recently received a rejection from the University of Pennsylvania Early Decision, you are not alone. Penn has experienced a historic uptick in Early Decision applications in recent years, with over students applying ED in the winter of 2024. This has coincided with a dramatic decrease in acceptance rate, which has been experienced across the Ivy League and other top-tier universities.

One of the most confusing applications of the coveted top-tier schools is the University of Chicago. If you tackled their application, you’ve experienced this already. They expect a combination of academic excellence and quirky creativity that can feel intimidating to many applicants, and simply confounding to others.

We know this wasn’t the decision you were hoping to see. You applied ED to Vanderbilt with a clear commitment, and now you’ve landed in the frustrating in-between zone of deferral. It’s not a rejection, but it’s not the early celebration you were ready for either. If you’re feeling deflated or even a little angry, you’re allowed to feel that way. Take a second. Then let’s figure out your next move.

Receiving an early rejection from Yale can feel like a punch in the gut. Even if you hadn’t thought that getting in would be smooth sailing, you hoped that the hard work you’ve put in through high school would be recognized and honored with an acceptance.

You submitted your UVA application with high hopes, maybe even imagining yourself walking The Lawn next fall. And now, you’re stuck in the waiting game. We know it sucks, you wanted a yes, but they gave you a “not yet.” However, if you're feeling disappointed or frustrated, you're not alone. Take a moment. Breathe. Then let’s talk strategy.

A student who is a math major is like the humanities major of STEM. Math is as much cerebral and conceptual as it is tactile, and it is a lot less ‘career oriented’ than, say, a major in mechanical engineering, computer science, or biology. Please note, we are not at all saying that students who major in math do not have a strong career future. It’s just a little harder to differentiate yourself from other applicants with straight-As and strong SATs. But that is why we are here.