Hey there, we know you just got rejected ED from Johns Hopkins, and we’re sure you feel pretty blah right now. You might be angry, sad, disappointed, or some secret fourth thing. We get it – and the wisdom we’ve gleaned from living a little longer than you and working in this industry tells us that you will absolutely still go to college, a great college, and that this rejection is not a reflection of you as a person.

It’s also important to remember that JHU is very hard to get into, ED or not, with an overall acceptance rate of 8% and an ED acceptance rate of 14%. That doesn’t mean you were twice as likely to get into JHU, it just put JHU in the category of “ultra hard to get into” instead of “mega ultra hard to get into.”

Let’s be real—getting rejected hurts. You’re probably feeling discouraged, and if you’re here, there’s a chance you’re still in panic mode. If we were the first thing you clicked on when you googled “What do I do if I was rejected from Johns Hopkins ED,” thank you so much for your trust, and we’re glad we can be here for you! Now, before you make any rushed decisions, take a breath and read through this post. We’ve put together a few action steps to help you regain some control and feel more secure as you move forward in the process.

Step One: Take a Little Break

“What?? There’s must be so much to do!” We get it, but hear us out. If you’re applying ED to a school like Johns Hopkins, you’re undoubtedly a dedicated, hardworking student who’s been fully immersed in the college process for months—maybe even years. Lovingly put, you’re probably a huge nerd who’s been eyeballs deep in medical research, or you invented some kind of new screw that you’ll sell to the military one day. This setback might feel like a hit to all that hard work, but we promise it’s not. Taking a day or two to recharge, process your feelings, and reset won’t just help—it might actually make all the difference before you panic yourself into oblivion. So, take a breath, feel what you need to feel, and come back ready to tackle those next steps. Deal?

Step Two: Strategize

The first step once you’ve gathered yourself is to review your college list. For our clients and longtime readers, this means double-checking that you have a balanced list of 8 to 10 schools, including a mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. If you already have a well-rounded list, you might only need to adjust one or two schools or focus on finding an ED2 option. There’s no need to scrap your entire list just because you didn’t get accepted ED to JHU—keeping a few reach schools is still a good strategy. We’ll cover ED2 options at the end of this section, so if you’re a balanced list queen (or king), then you can skip to that part. Rest of you, listen up.

We know that some of you only applied early decision to JHU or only have a few schools on your list. Maybe you had a list, but you didn’t work on anything outside of JHU. If that’s the case, you have some serious work ahead over the next two weeks, but don’t worry—it’s totally doable. Every year, we help students tackle 8-12 applications in this short window between ED results and RD deadlines, and we can help you, too.

Start by building a list of 8 to 12 schools, aiming for a balanced mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. To identify where you stand with each school, check out the middle 50% data for accepted students and compare it with your own GPA and test scores. Remember, even with perfect scores and GPA, schools with sub-10% acceptance rates will always be considered reaches, and many in the teens will be as well, depending on factors like your extracurricular rigor (think published research vs bio club president) or even more nebulous things like personality.

When adding schools to your college list, start with the most essential factor: academics. College isn’t just about the vibes, so make sure each school aligns with your academic goals. Once you’ve covered that, you can start weighing other factors like size, location, culture, and even climate. Reflect on what drew you to JHU, and look for schools with similar qualities that might offer the same appeal. We find that a lot of JHU hopefuls also like schools like Carnegie Mellon or Harvey Mudd, which brings us to the next part:

ED2! A lot of similar schools to JHU offer ED2 (like the two we just mentioned), and we strongly recommend applying ED2 if you can. Most colleges fill a significant portion of their class with early applicants (to provide an extreme example, Colorado College fills 97% of its class through ED, EA, and ED2 applications) because these schools love the commitment of ED and ED2. They care about their yield rates! While we always say that miracles can happen in RD, we’re also realists. So, pretty please, for us, apply ED2.

Step Three: Essays

If you haven’t started your RD applications yet, or you’ve had to put together a completely new college list, you have quite a bit of writing ahead of you. We have tons of guides on our blog to help you tackle various school-specific supplements, but there’s an even bigger priority to address first: the Common App essay.

Bad news first. There’s a strong chance you’ll need to rewrite your Common App essay—or at the very least, give it a significant overhaul. Don’t be upset! When students come to us during this two-week crunch, we review their Common App essays. They’re usually well-written, but they’re lackluster and the topics are overplayed. We see the same cliche topics: major accomplishments, significant hardships, or a heartfelt story about a grandparent. These essays do work for some kids, but they don’t set you apart from the crowd. Our approach to essays does, and clients have gotten notes back with their acceptances that the admissions team loved their essays. Yes, even the kids who wrote essays in this two-week period.

The Common App essay is ultimately an exercise in brainstorming, and we’re here to help you write something memorable and attention-grabbing. The key to this essay? Make yourself relatable and likable! There’s no need to boast or seek sympathy—those things can live in the activities section, your rec letters, or additional information. Instead, use this space to highlight the unique qualities and experiences that don’t come across through your stats. Your grades and test scores already show you’re hardworking, so let your essay reflect a different side of you—like your humor, a quirky hobby, a fun personal trait, or deeply held value that makes you stand out.

As you sit down to write your Common App essay, remember to focus on telling a story. Good stories are engaging and give admissions officers a real sense of who you are. And the story doesn’t need to be long or epic, we actually think small stories are best. Aim for a clear beginning, middle, and end, and bring the story to life with vivid details. Use sensory descriptions—sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes—to show rather than tell, placing the reader right smack-dab in the middle of your experience.

Step Four: Ask for Help

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, reach out to us ASAP. Our “It’s Going to Be Okay” package is here to guide you through the next two weeks, whether you need help building a new college list, crafting a fresh Common App essay, or tackling your supplements. Time is of the essence, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if need our help. Seriously, we’re here and able to help!

Rejected and don’t know what to do? Reach out to us ASAP.