As the end of the school year approaches, many high school seniors are filled with excitement as the beginning of their college journey grows closer. However, for others, it can be a time of great disappointment. Instead of receiving the acceptance letter as they had hoped, many students received the dreaded rejection. Whether it be from your dream school or a shot-in-the-dark Ivy League, not getting into the school that you wanted can make you feel as if you are a failure. But, what if we were able to shift the mindset surrounding a rejection letter?
A rejection letter can feel like the end of the world, especially if it is from a top-choice college. It’s hard to know that a school that you worked so hard to get into won’t have a spot for you; however, it doesn’t mean that you are a failure.
Whether it be from jobs, colleges, or even internships, millions of people face rejection every single day. If every rejection were viewed as a failure, that would mean that the entire world is filled with failures. Seems crazy, right? Seeing it from this perspective can help you realize that rejection is a part of life. It doesn’t make you any less than another person. Remember, just because you didn’t get the outcome you wanted now, doesn’t mean you won’t later.
Ultimately, if a school doesn’t offer you a spot, it is wholeheartedly their loss. Every single person who doesn’t get accepted into a college, Ivy League or not, has ideas that are just as innovative as the students who did get accepted. Just because you didn’t meet the student profile that a college was looking for doesn’t mean that you don’t have any worthy contributions to bring to a university. Just like students attending Ivy Leagues, students rejected from top universities have made valuable impacts on society. The bonus of not being part of the Ivy League population is that you get the satisfaction of knowing that a high-ranking institution doesn’t get to take credit for playing a role in your success. Instead, you used the opportunities and resources available to you in order to achieve your goal. Perhaps one day an institution that rejected you previously will want to collaborate with you. In that case, you can fulfill your dream that was put on hold. Or, if you’re slightly petty like me, you will finally have the opportunity to serve them their rejection letter.
College is just the first step of the adventure of adulthood. Maybe you didn’t get accepted into your dream school, but you one day get your dream job. If you had to choose one, which would it be? I know for me, I’d take my dream job in a heartbeat. It can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel or even think about the future when a college rejection letter disrupts your plans; but, it’s important to remember that this is just the beginning of your journey. Though it may not seem like it now, your life will be filled with successes far greater than an acceptance letter to your dream school. When we shift our mindset, we can grow to allow rejection to push us into becoming the best version of ourselves, and suddenly, that rejection letter won’t feel like such a big deal after all.
