@danielledesireexoxo

have you ever watched your peers win the scholarships you've also applied to (and get rejected in) and feel just... really worthless? especially if you put in a lot of effort. Sometimes it's discouraging to think there's always someone out there that's much smarter than you. You don't have to reply, I just felt like venting haha.

Good evening, anonymous! Thanks for the ask!

I’ve been in similar situations many times, and it’s Not A Great Feeling.  Although you asked about scholarship applications, I hope you don’t mind if I talk about application rejections more generally.

First off, some of my more recent rejection experiences include…

During my first wave of graduate school applications, I was rejected unanimously. It was extremely discouraging. (Contrast this with my second wave of graduate school applications a year later, wherein I was unanimously accepted and received several amazing financial offers.)

Because my subfield is financially-limited, there’s a lot of people applying for a very finite pool of money. Of course, my research group needs funding if it’s going to keep doing science, meaning rejection is an expected part of the process.

I’ve been rejected many times over by certain research-relevant summer schools that my colleagues have attended.

And so, with these experiences in mind, I’d like to provide some…

~Advice For When Your Application Gets Rejected~

Rejection in general can be extremely painful, disappointing, and discouraging. Then add the pressure of that rejection impacting your future? Cue heartbreak.

Here are several facts that help me maintain my spirits through repeated rejections. For instance, when it comes to the persons who evaluate applications, I keep in mind that…

They survey a TON of people. As a result, they end up with a larger number of qualified applicants than they have available spots. Being rejected doesn’t mean you weren’t qualified. I know plenty of hyper-qualified individuals who get rejected simply because of the luck of the draw.

They observe only a FRACTION of you. Applications are necessarily finite, so reviewers don’t get to evaluate the whole of you. Rejection of your application is not a rejection of you. You are so so SO much more than an application.

Furthermore,

An application rejected by certain reviewers might be accepted by others, and vice-versa. Consequently, if you get a rejection and someone else gets an acceptance that does NOT mean they’re better than you. An application can’t enable judgments of that complexity.

You are growing and changing every day: the pieces of you that go into an application can be improved upon or reworked for future applications. Rejection can inform you what areas you might try to focus on in the future. 

Finally, my most IMPORTANT piece of advice is to keep in mind that…

~even the strongest applicant will receive rejections~

There’s an element of luck whenever you apply for anything. That’s the nature of these systems and it’s not your fault.

Remember:

Success isn’t a matter of always succeeding, but persevering until you do.

Best wishes, my anonymous friend.

Weird Circus by  Sergii Golotovskiy

Corinthian capital of the Severan Basilica, with a winged griffin above (Leptis Magna, Libya).

hey, i was wondering if you had any book recommendations for someone who loved trc? it doesn't have to be similar but any of your faves 💜

hi!! i tried to think of books similar to trc but tbh i can’t come up with anything that’s exactly like it buuut i managed to think of some faves with a similar vibe, either mystery like or a little magical (does this even make sense..) (in the end they probably have nothing in common with trc and it’s just me that somehow sees them with a similar vibe)

the night circus 10/10 on the magic side + such a great story & characters!! (and the cover alone already makes it worth it)on the jellicoe road 10/10 on the tears, a wonderful book, great squads, feels magical even if there’s no actual magica darker shade of magic (first book of the shades of magic trilogy) a+++ magic & a wonderful world buildingi’ll give you the sun super magical writing + art is magic so you got that… great tears but also so sweetwe were liars a book that totally destroys u and you won’t stop thinking about it, it’s a tragic mysteryaristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe the magic is in how good and poetic this book isthe secret series which i haven’t read in years but i miss it so much it was mystery af and fun and i just remember loving it as a kid and the characters had a cool squad thing going on toodaughter of smoke and bone i have only just bought this one so i haven’t actually read it but i’ve heard many good things about it & i feel like it would belong in this category

Watercolour magic

Wow! That's some intense stuff going on, sending good wishes your way! It's totally fine that you are taking a break (not like you need my validation or anything like that) it's nice that you gave us readers a heads up - loving the story BTW! Also, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Your mum sounds cool ☆

Keep reading

This is so lovely!

~fionahsieh

詰め by ｽﾐ on pixiv

posted with artist’s permission.

Thank you for writing this @slatestarscratchpad.

so these are all of my snails’n’slugs paintings by now. better quality is coming soon!