“Rejection is redirection” is a phrase we hear after we don’t get what we want. As college students, we face rejection so many times, whether it’s college decision rejections, internship rejections, or romantic rejections.
No matter what form it takes, rejection hurts. We tend to start spiraling by thinking of all the ways we might have gone wrong, which often causes us to feel bad about ourselves. As someone who has dealt with rejection multiple times this year, I want to give you some tips on how to grow from these experiences.
- It’s okay to feel bad about what happened.
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It’s okay to let your feelings marinate for a little while. It’s actually healthy to be upset about what went wrong. Let yourself mourn your losses for a couple days, but don’t let this part last too long.
- Think about what (possibly) Went wrong.
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Most of the time, it’s not something you did — sometimes, it’s just bad luck or bad timing. But it’s good to think about it from an objective standpoint. If you got rejected from an internship, think to yourself: did I put in my best effort? What could I have done differently in my interview? Do I need to include more experience in my resume?
When it comes to internships and colleges, most of the time, people face rejection because there simply is not enough space to take every potentially qualified person. But no matter what conclusion you come to, know it is not your fault.
- Maybe it is Just not meant to be (…Right now).
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Perhaps the version of you now is not ready or meant for this opportunity. Maybe you have to do a bit of growth before you can accept this opportunity, or maybe it is just not in the cards for you, and the universe is saving space for something better out there. Maybe this was just meant to be a learning experience for you.
- Think about what you want going forward.
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Whatever the opportunity or experience you got rejected from, brainstorm other options. Okay, so you didn’t get what you wanted. Maybe try something different for now. Grow and expand your hobbies to build your resume and find something new that makes you happy. It is all a part of self-growth. Maybe your new hobby will lead you down a different path that you would rather be on.
- Try again.
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If there is an opportunity to try again and you have learned that you don’t want to give up on this goal — go for it! Now that you have done some self-growth, this opportunity or experience might align with you more. And if not, perhaps it is not meant to be, and that is okay too.
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