Are you bummed because you didn’t get into the college of your dreams and are sitting on the waiting list? Have no fear, your world isn’t over! Here are some thoughts to consider while you – for lack of a better word – wait.

First off, remember you aren’t alone in this. There are thousands of students out there who make it onto these lists each year. The New York Times has complied a pretty extensive spreadsheet to break down the numbers for a few schools.

Instead of crying in your Cheerios, remember that you at least made the cut. If you were someone who didn’t have a chance, you wouldn’t have made it this far. Although it would have been way better to get an acceptance letter, you shouldn’t be discouraged that you are on the wait list. Could you imagine how awful you would have felt if you were just straight up rejected? Accentuate the positive.

Now that you’ve accepted the current situation, it’s time to act! Show interest in the school – email professors in the program you’re interested in and schedule appointments to meet them if you can. Tell them about your plight – and why you want to join their program specifically – and if things go well, you might just have an advocate on the inside. It’s much better to be a name with a face than just another number.

According to The New York Times, 34 percent of waitlisted students are eventually admitted. While this isn’t the biggest percentage in the world, it’s something.
If you aren’t lucky enough to be in that 34 percent, don’t freak out. Life will go on. You won’t get to go to your first-choice school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reapply or pick a different school. The odds are you’ll end up where you are meant to be – as cliche as it sounds, everything happens for a reason.

Want more advice? Check out this article from TIME.

— By Kara Apel, University of South Carolina