By now, your students are beginning to receive, or anticipate receiving, those important acceptance letters. They might be giddy with excitement or nervous with anxiety each day as they check the mailbox. For some, the letter will arrive in a thick packet that includes housing and financial aid information. Others will receive a thin envelope, concealing a single sheet of paper that shuts the door to that school.

High school counselors are privileged enough to experience both the victories and defeats of students. The college application process is an opportunity to share both ends of the spectrum. But a college rejection letter does not have to be the final say. There is always room for students to appeal a rejection letter.

According to a study by the Wall Street Journal, most colleges only reverse their rulings in limited amounts. For instance, USC accepted only 32 of 500 appeals last year. Similarly, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill took only three out of 75. But for those persistent students who tried and were accepted, the extra work paid off in the end.

While appealing a rejection letter is not a guarantee that a student will convince the school to overturn the rejection, it is worth a shot if the school is the student’s top choice. High school counselors can help students through the appeals process by providing additional letters of recommendation. These can come from more teachers, coaches, tutors or any other person who has helped the student. Students can also include information about any changes in family circumstances, health or academic performance that will help give admissions staff a greater understanding of the student’s life and abilities.

Consider the story of Kevin Hua, 18, who was rejected by the University of California – Davis.

Fighting for his chance, Hua spent a week working on an appeals letter, writing four drafts and consulting academic advisers. He noted that his grades had soared in his senior year. Hua also explained he chose Davis partly because he wanted to stay near his autistic brother. He said that his parents were immigrants and needed guidance in finding help. Because of his brother’s experiences, Hua said he was drawn to a Davis institute that focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism. “I truly believe UC Davis will in the near future make breakthrough discoveries in the study of autism,” he wrote. “I want to be a part of this organization.” For the next eight weeks, Hua waited and hoped. Then came the word: he’d been accepted. It was a lot of work, he says. But he recommends the appeals process to determined students “if you really want to go.”