I ended up going to my second-choice university because I was rejected from my first choice.
「第一希望」は、one's first choice、「第二希望」は one's second choice で表現できます。
「第一希望の〜」「第二希望の〜」と言いたい時には、後ろに of ~ を付けて、one's first choice of ~ や one's second choice of ~ とするか、もしくは、ハイフンを付けて、one's first-choice ~ や one's second-choice ~ とします。
例えば、「私の第一希望の大学」では、次のようなバリエーションが考えられます。
my first choice of university/college
my first-choice university/college
「進学した」は went to でも表現できますが、過去形で表現することになりますので、その大学に通うこと自体が過去になっている場合には適切です。
今もその大学に通っている場合には、「結局〜になる」の end up ~ing を用いて、「結局、第二希望に進学することになった」(ended up going to my second choice)にするのが良いかと思います。
「落ちた」は、be rejected from ~ （〜から不合格にされる）を用いて表現しました。
お役に立てれば幸いです。
1. This was my second choice college as my first choice college did not fully appreciate my talents!
2. I'm so pleased I got into my second choice college! My qualification set didn't match my first choice college very well.
It may be seen as a 'kick in the teeth' by some - meaning a setback - that you were not accepted by your first choice college. However it is incredible how fast we recover from such knocks! As a joke you could say,"my first choice college did not fully appreciate my talents!" which is a humorous euphemism for saying that you were not accepted. Alternatively you could 'turn a negative into a positive' by rationalizing that your skill set in your existing qualifications, on reflection, were not quite a good match for the college which was your first choice. This again, is slightly humorous.
第一志望に受からないことは'kick in the teeth' と表現されることもあります。
しかしながら、そんな辛さからどれだけ早く立ち直るのかが人のすごさを表すものだと思います。ジョークっぽく言うのなら、,"my first choice college did not fully appreciate my talents!" 第一志望には俺の才能をわかって貰えなかったんだ。受からなかったことに対するちょっとした自虐です。
同様に、'turn a negative into a positive' と自分のスキルが第一希望とはあわなかったということを合理的にいうこともできますね。これもやっぱり少しユーモアのある表現です。
I will have to attend my 2nd choice college; I was not accepted at my first choice!
The competition for college places " is very fierce" indeed....and many students
will find themselves having "to settle for" their 2nd choice college.
This is "not the end of the world" (idiom) And we can "make the most" of the
Opportunity ( deal with it:-))
" Looks like my second choice, just became my only option!".
大学に入るための競争はとても激しいです。
たくさんの生徒が第二志望の大学で我慢しなければなりません。
これは
“not the end of the world”(世界の終わりではない。)（イディオムです）
そして、たくさんのチャンスを作ることができます。
“Looks like my second choice, just became my only option!”
(私の第二志望しか選択がないようです！)
I had to go to another college because I was not accepted at the college that I wanted to go to.
>I had to go to another college because I was not accepted at the college that I wanted to go to.
This is explaining that you had to go to a different college as to what you have intended to go to. And you also giving the reason why you had to go.
Other sentences
# I was not accepted at the 1st college so I ended up going to to the 2nd college.
# I was unsuccessful at the 1st college so I am going to a different college now.
I had to go to another college because I was not accepted at the college that I wanted to go to.
志望校とは別の大学にいかなければならなかったことを意味する表現です。
さらに、その大学にいかなければならなかった理由を示しています。
他の例文です。
I was not accepted at the 1st college so I ended up going to to the 2nd college.
第一志望の大学に受からなかったので、第二志望の大学にいかなければなりませんでした。
#I was unsuccessful at the 1st college so I am going to a different college now."
第一志望の大学に落ちたので、違う大学にいかなければなりませんでした。
I wasn't accepted in my first choice of university so I took the second offer.
I chose my second offer, I didn't get in to my first choice.
I accepted the second university placement as I didn't get into my first choice.
examples
"I accepted the second university placement as I didn't get into my first choice."
or
"I chose my second offer, I didn't get into my first choice."
or
"I wasn't accepted in my first choice of university so I took the second offer."
"I accepted the second university placement as I didn't get into my first choice."
第一志望の大学に入ることができなかったので、第二志望の大学にしました。
"I chose my second offer, I didn't get into my first choice."
第一志望の大学に入ることができなかったので、第二志望の大学にしました。
"I wasn't accepted in my first choice of university so I took the second offer."
第一志望の大学に入ることができなかったので、第二志望の大学にしました。
アメリカ合衆国 
日本 
イギリス 
南アフリカ 
