This is the time of year when students and their parents are nervously waiting by their incoming email box for admission decisions.  Students worry that not being admitted to their first choice college may limit their future. But nothing could be further from the truth.  The truth is that extensive research on that very topic has shown that college major is much more important to career success than the college the student attends. 

 

It is important to be admitted to a properly accredited program that helps students advance their skills in areas in which they are naturally gifted. End of story. The rest is a matter of cost, prestige, taste, geography (often in relation to home and the beach), amenities and options.

 

Families need to remember that not being admitted to a specific college can be a good thing.  Colleges try to admit students likely to be successful in their programs.  They have longitudinal research that backs up their decisions.  Better not to be admitted than to be admitted and not be successful.