Admissions 101: Trading tips with Jay Mathews on winning at college admissions.

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What are your favorite rejection letters?

Admissions 101 veteran discussant and teacher Patrick Mattimore did a terrific piece four years ago about Worst College Rejection Letters. He had a very healthy exercise for his seniors. They brought their rejection letters to class and got prizes for most rejections, or worst rejection letter. A rejection letter from Harvard, for instance, received the prize for being both obequious and insincere, dragging out the torture by saying it had three wishes--it wished it was writing about a different decision, that it had space for all and that the rejected will accept its best wishes. I know few of us keep our rejection letters, but we remember them. Do you have any favorites you would like to share?

--Jay Mathews

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