The bright side (?) of rejections

[C_e_D]

I was writing a response in another thread and found myself describing my experience of being rejected last year and thought that while it didn't fit in that thread very well, it might still serve some purpose in being shared.

Last year, I was rejected from the only school that I applied to. It sucked to hear that and I was really bummed and wished that I had applied to more. I don't want to pretend that at the time I saw being rejected as a good thing, and I don't want to try to convince anyone that they should be happy that they didn't get into their choice of schools. I do want to offer the perspective of a year's hindsight in hopes that my reflections can offer starting places for your own thoughts.

Like I said, I was really unhappy about the rejection and what felt like a door closing to the future that I wanted. No amount of knowing how things would work out in the end would have made that feel better. Looking back, though, I can see the good that came out of it. I decided to take a break from thinking about grad school until the end of the summer and to reevaluate then if I wanted to apply again. During the summer, I did other work and let myself consider not going back to school.

My undergraduate advisor had told me years earlier that I shouldn't go to grad school unless I couldn't not go. After a few years out of school, jobs in several fields, a failed application, and a summer of not thinking about it, August came and that was the question I asked myself. Could I let myself not go to grad school? I decided that I couldn't not go. (Though, that certainly wasn't, and won't be, the last time I ask myself that question, I'm sure.)

With that confidence I started looking into programs again and contacted a Geography professor from undergrad to ask for advice. I had been a Physics major and took only two Geography courses, so he barely knew me, but he ended up taking an interest in my plans and helped me look into what I wanted and where my interests fit into the divisions and currents of the Geography community. Through my conversations with him I started to nail down the sort of work I wanted to do and started to look for departments and faculty that were doing that work. I looked at many websites, visited a few schools that I was especially interested in, and spoke with professors at each school who represented the various sub-sub-fields that I was looking at. By mid-September I knew what I wanted, had three schools that would offer it to me, and a short list of professors whom I was interested in working with.

It was with that confidence that I went to my friend's cabin for several days of solitude and writing. I wrote some fifteen or so major revisions of my Statement of Purpose, adapted it to each of the three schools (mentioning the specific faculty members of interest), and sent it to my former professor and a good friend for remarks and revisions. A month and ten more major revisions later, I was satisfied that I had said everything that needed said and nothing more (word limits =) and sent them off to the schools. That was October. GRE scores, transcripts, and faculty recommendations would follow.

I've been accepted to one school and I'm awaiting news from the other two.

I tell my story partly to hear it myself, and partly in the hopes that if you don't get in this year (God forbid), that it will help you as you decide what to do with the frustration. It sucks to be rejected and I'm sure this won't make it feel any better, but maybe after the disappointment ebbs you too will be able to take advantage of your new situation.

Cheers and good luck!

-clint

Edited February 4, 2011 by C_e_D