A mailbox full of rejections doesn't end college search

It's the nightmare of every college-bound senior — a mailbox full of thin envelopes. In college-speak, a thin envelope indicates a denial letter; when colleges offer a letter of acceptance, they often include other printed documentation for admitted students such as housing, financial aid or summer orientation program information that would fatten the envelope. A letter of denial is usually a single, thin page.

It's rare, but I have heard of students who were denied acceptance at every college to which they applied. Few students are admitted to all colleges on their list, so most will deal with some disappointment, but I can scarcely imagine the shock and pain of denials from all colleges.

After four years of hard work in high school, and months of essay and application writing, students are eager to face their academic future. So how does one deal with, well, I hate to use the word — rejection?

I'll start by borrowing a few well-worn cliches: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When one door closes, another opens. Adversity builds character.

And if those don't assuage the pain, this one provides a plan: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. If you are denied admission to every college, you'll need to get going quickly, and you'll need a multitiered approach.

Your first step should be to check that there were no major errors in your application or supporting documentation. Verify with your high school that your transcripts were mailed and that they were correct, especially if there is another student at your high school with a similar name. Double-check that all test scores and letters of recommendation (if applicable) were sent, too.

If you've applied to any public colleges or universities, you might be able to appeal. The denial letter might outline appeal procedures; otherwise, the admissions Web site should have a link.

In general, an appeal is a letter to the admissions office that should explain any extenuating circumstances and include supporting evidence such as recent awards or achievements, or higher test scores obtained since the original application was submitted.

Because an appeal can take several weeks to process, it should be the first plan of attack. Bear in mind that public colleges grant only a very small number of appeals each year.