• About
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Residential halls experience maintenance issues
      Residential halls experience maintenance issues
    • Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
      Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
    • Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
      Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
    • News in Brief
    • Senate Report
  • Features
    • ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
      ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
    • Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
      Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • Alumnae Spotlight
    • Faculty Focus
  • Opinions
    • Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
      Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
    • Trans people are not your culture war
      Trans people are not your culture war
    • The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
      The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Arts
    • Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
      Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
      “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
    • What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
      What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
    • What video games can teach us about self-care
      What video games can teach us about self-care
    • Athlete of the Month
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Miss Me With That Gay Shit
      Miss Me With That Gay Shit
    • Tower House Prez Emails
      Tower House Prez Emails
    • Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
      Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
By Meher Vohra OpinionsOctober 21, 2015

Rejection instills resilience

Wellesley students scrolling through Yik Yak on any given day can easily run across posts about rejection from an org, society, play or scholarship. At Wellesley, a yes or no from one of these exclusive groups is considered by some to be a harbinger of achievements and failures to come, or an indisputable measure of one’s worth as an individual. It’s a zero-sum measure of winner or loser.

Yet, rejection isn’t a signal of failure! Sure, rejection from a group can dent self-confidence. It makes you scared to try again. It hurts. Rather, rejection is never really personal and is an important part of growth. There is so much rejection does for Wellesley students.

Rejection is a valuable lesson. The most important part of being rejected from a group is that it helps you become better the next time around. What is the rejection trying to tell you? It forces you to consider if you made any obvious mistakes while applying, think about how you came across, and look honestly at how you can improve. Rejection is a tool that enables you to use constructive feedback. This valuable knowledge and experience will be beneficial for “teaing” with another society next year, or auditioning for that all-too coveted play. And next time, the chances of success will be higher because of this new insight from rejection! Ultimately, the more rejections you face, the more helpful this will be in the long run.

Rejection shows that the group is not for you. You tried your best. If you performed to the very best of your ability and know there was nothing you could’ve possibly improved upon while interviewing or applying, then you know that group was not for you. Albeit that justification isn’t very satisfying and sounds almost as comforting as “it’s not you, it’s me” at the end of a relationship. But it’s likely that if you joined that group you wouldn’t be happy. In this case, rejection could serve as a wake-up call for you, eradicate your tunnel vision and shift your thinking from being romantic to rational.

Rejection prepares us for the “real world.” Everyone experiences rejection; it’s an inevitable part of life. Unfortunately, more than 40 percent of recent college graduates are unemployed. Rejection at Wellesley will help its students to be more resilient to the possible news of rejection from jobs after college. Or it will help you be ready when it comes to dealing with personal relationships. Experiencing it prematurely in Wellesley means that you will become more confident with dealing with the turbulent nature of rejection in the real world—so that it is easier and less painful, and just a little bump in the road.

Rejection improves your outlook. It has a unique ability to show you that you shouldn’t take anything for granted, and makes you more humble. It leads you to be more determined to fight for any group you want, to work hard, and to become more patient. The sting of rejection is bound to make you a stronger individual. It’s what doesn’t kill you that makes you stronger right? It is a clear sign that you are trying, and pushing yourself to your limit.

Let’s face it, despite how important rejection is for individual growth, no Wellesley student revels in it. However, keep in mind that J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishers before the thirteenth one agreed to publish Harry Potter. That speaks volumes and shows that rejection is never the kiss of death. It could be the motivator to your success.     

Photo courtesy of Litrejections

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articlePope Francis bridges the Church and state gap in U.S. politics
Next articleGetting it right: conservatives should support Obama’s trade initiative

You may also like

Sidechat and YikYak's logos on a teal background

Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley

Chalk art on Wellesley's Academic Quad Reading "Not Just Acceptance, Liberation"

Trans people are not your culture war

The letters SVB in red are crumbling to pieces

The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top