In this season of summer internship applications, rejections abound. I feel like scientists are always applying for something or another; whether it is grants, internships, jobs, or scholarships. And although we often have to deal with rejection, it never seems to get any easier. So here are my tips for dealing with rejection! (They’re sort of slanted toward dealing with summer internship rejection, but I think they could be adapted for almost anything)
1) Give yourself a little time to wallow. Getting rejected sucks, and sometimes there is nothing you can do for the moment to make yourself feel better. So let it out! Cry if you need to. It’s okay to be sad or angry.
2) Indulge. Give yourself a homework break for the night (unless there is something urgent!). Curl up with a funny movie, hot chocolate, and popcorn (or whatever snacks you fancy). Read web comics (Science-y ones are the best. I recommend XKCD and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal). Watch funny videos on youtube. Look at cute pictures of animals.
How can you be sad looking at a kitten wearing a frog hat?
3) Remember that whatever program you got rejected from isn’t the only program in the world. Maybe you didn’t get into the Super Awesome Program Of Your Dreams, but there will be other opportunities for you to succeed. There may be advantages to not getting into the Super Awesome Program Of Your Dreams. And who knows? Maybe you will get into the Even More Awesome Program Of Your Dreams.
4) Make a list of all the reasons why you make a good candidate. Usually, there’s no way of knowing why a program didn’t take you. But getting rejected doesn’t mean you don’t have good qualities. Remind yourself that they will miss out on your awesomeness, but that you will find another opportunity.
5) Try again! The more times you try, the more likely you are to get an acceptance. Learn from your rejections. Is there anything you could have done better on your application? Identify these things, and fix them the next time around. Trying will undoubtedly come with rejections, but every rejection brings you closer to an acceptance!
And remember this:
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston Churchill
