Has anyone else been rejected everywhere they applied?

[GummyPegasus]

Who else was rejected to every grad program they applied to? What did you end up doing after? (Work, reapply, give up, etc.) 

[_angua]

I got all rejects in my first round applying last year. I was not really surprised though because I was still so burned out from undergrad and didn't put as much effort into preparing applications as I could have.

I took a year off and was lucky to get a really good one-year contract working at a nonprofit. I also kept doing some research so that I ended up having a publication and some presentation experience by the time I reapplied. I am also in a much better situation personally and financially so that I feel ready to move and start the program, so it was all for the best.

Even if you decide not to apply again, that might not be a bad thing. Take some time to reflect on why you are doing this, and be kind to yourself!

[ZeChocMoose]

On 5/13/2019 at 8:17 PM, GummyPegasus said:

Who else was rejected to every grad program they applied to? What did you end up doing after? (Work, reapply, give up, etc.) 

Yes, the first time I applied for PhD programs.  I applied to 8 programs in cognitive psychology and was rejected by all.  It was not really that surprising as I didn't have a lot of research experience in the field. Instead, I ended up getting an entry-level job as a research analyst in educ research and I loved it!  I worked there for 2 years before I decided to try to apply to PhD programs - this time in higher ed.  I got into a couple programs and finished my PhD last year.

I have to say that I am super thankful that I got rejected that first time around.  Cognitive psychology won't have been the best fit for me long-term and I got some solid work experience that has helped a lot when I was on the job market post-PhD.  I was also able to save a good amount of money while I was working full-time to help buffer my budget when I was living on my research assistantship wages.

So I would say sometimes the world works in mysterious ways and getting rejected can allow for some pretty cool opportunities to come your way.

Edited May 16, 2019 by ZeChocMoose