~Advice For When Your Application Gets Rejected~

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.

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moola-of-hula

4 years ago

Details, Version II : Dancing Fairies, 1866, By August Malmström. Can You Hear Them Whisper?

Details, version II : Dancing Fairies, 1866, by August Malmström. Can you hear them whisper?

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moola-of-hula

7 years ago

20+ TED Talks by Women in Computer Science

Here’s a YouTube playlist of 20+ TED talks by women in computer science.

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moola-of-hula

7 years ago

“Lady who has a Bible Verse for every situation.”

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moola-of-hula

6 years ago

Pauline’s book recs : a MASTERPOST

It’s time for a summer cleaning, so I thought I would organise my book recs once and for all. I’ll try to update this post once in a while and I also added it to my info page so that you can access all those links super easily. HAVE FUN.

CLASSICAL LITERATURE (ANTIQUITY) Where should I start? The fundamental works Where should I start? The mythology-oriented works Where should I start? The translation edition A very touristic overview of Ancient Greek literature Different texts for Antigone Different texts for Elektra Different texts and translations for The Odyssey

CLASSIC BOOKS (ALL ERAS) First things first : a few favourites Where should I start? My first classics A very touristic overview of literature reading Modern classics Reading women : a few favourites Where should I start? English and US literature Where should I start? Modern Italian literature Where should I start? German and Austrian literature Where should I start? Russian literature Where should I start? Renaissance literature Where should I start? French Medieval literature Where should I start? Victorian literature Reading classics to children Children literature for adults Short-length classics Short stories One last thing: books I don’t want to check out

POETRY First things first : a few favourites Second things second : a bunch of recs Where should I start? Poetry Learning French? Easy French poetry Narrative poems Mystic poems Poems about separation Poems about love Poems about happiness Poems about exile

DRAMA First things first : a few favourites

NON-FICTION First things first : a few favourites On feminism On translation On literary analysis and adaptation On biographies and diaries On writing theory On art history On reader-response theory On Sufism Literary interviews Essays

YEARLY SUMMARY Best of 2015 : Fiction Best of 2015 : Poetry 2015 - 2016 awaited releases 2016 Summer reading list Best of 2016 : Fiction Best of 2016 : Poetry

THEMATIC LISTS By character Works featuring Persephone Works featuring Kassandra Works featuring mermaids Works featuring the femme fatale archetype Works featuring female villains Works with Nature as a character Works with introspective characters Works with narcissistic characters Trope : Star-crossed lovers Trope : Friends to lovers Trope : Villainous love Trope : Toxic mother figure By theme Rewriting Greek and Roman myths LGBTQ (a terribly lacking list) Introspection and self-discovery Melancholy and sadness Happiness and hope Symbolism and atmosphere Moral corruption Spiritual decadence Sex politics and philosophy The female rage World War I Southern Gothic Great love stories Unusual love stories Dystopias Crime novels Medieval historical fiction Beach reading Travel reading By book Books similar to The Secret History Books similar to Wuthering Heights Books similar to A Grief Observed Books similar to The Brothers Karamazov Recommended editions of Romeo and Juliet Recommended editions of Shakespeare’s Sonnets Recommended translations of Tristan and Yseult Books adapted to the screen (1) Books adapted to the screen (2) By author Favourite French writers Favourite Contemporary writers What to read? By Women French writers What to read? By Anne Carson (And some prep reading for Anne Carson) What to read? By Richard Siken What to read? By Roland Barthes What to read? By Agatha Christie What to read? By E. A. Poe What to read? By Priya Sarukkai Chabria If you love Angela Carter If you love Louise Glück If you love Virginia Woolf If you love Sylvia Plath If you love Marguerite Duras If you love Emile Zola

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