Accepting Rejection
Everyone is confronted with rejection at some point in their lives. I underwent the classic college rejection in late January, when I got rejected from the most competitive school of the four I applied to. My initial reaction was one of shock. I had maybe anticipated I would manage to get in, but maybe not qualify for the highly competitive program I applied to. A flat-out rejection stung.
I tried to forget about it, but I let it marinate over the weekend, and I would be lying if I said that self-doubt didn't cloud my brain. Was I not as good as I thought I was? What did they not like about me? Was it more about incompatibility or me being not qualified?
The best thing I ever did was not let it ruin my life. I thought little of it after that weekend. I had already gotten into my top choice school, and I didn't let the rejection determine what I could or couldn't do. I didn't need to reevaluate my career choices or question my academic merit because I didn't get into all the schools I applied to. After the initial drama, life goes on. You can either choose to open the healing wound or just swat it away like a pesky gnat.
Getting into college is like receiving a marriage proposal, only you never really get to meet the college. Instead, a college gets everything you could ask for (who are your parents? What are you grades? Test scores? What do teachers think about you? Write about yourself. Reveal your deepest fears, etc.), and they decide whether or not to propose. It's entirely subjective. An admissions committee sometimes just won't like you at all. That's not a reflection on you. It's their loss, not yours. You'll do great things no matter where you go.
I know your pain. It's hard not to feel like you failed. Cry about it. Talk to your parents. Talk to your friends. Don't talk to anybody. Laugh about it. Distract yourself from it. Do whatever it takes to get through it, because you will. But don't ever let that rejection dictate the kind of student you are going to be for the next four years of your life. I assure you: you will get through it.
I tried to forget about it, but I let it marinate over the weekend, and I would be lying if I said that self-doubt didn't cloud my brain. Was I not as good as I thought I was? What did they not like about me? Was it more about incompatibility or me being not qualified?
The best thing I ever did was not let it ruin my life. I thought little of it after that weekend. I had already gotten into my top choice school, and I didn't let the rejection determine what I could or couldn't do. I didn't need to reevaluate my career choices or question my academic merit because I didn't get into all the schools I applied to. After the initial drama, life goes on. You can either choose to open the healing wound or just swat it away like a pesky gnat.
Getting into college is like receiving a marriage proposal, only you never really get to meet the college. Instead, a college gets everything you could ask for (who are your parents? What are you grades? Test scores? What do teachers think about you? Write about yourself. Reveal your deepest fears, etc.), and they decide whether or not to propose. It's entirely subjective. An admissions committee sometimes just won't like you at all. That's not a reflection on you. It's their loss, not yours. You'll do great things no matter where you go.
I know your pain. It's hard not to feel like you failed. Cry about it. Talk to your parents. Talk to your friends. Don't talk to anybody. Laugh about it. Distract yourself from it. Do whatever it takes to get through it, because you will. But don't ever let that rejection dictate the kind of student you are going to be for the next four years of your life. I assure you: you will get through it.
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