• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Student Life / Rejection In College Is A Good Thing, I Promise You

Rejection In College Is A Good Thing, I Promise You

December 16, 2020 //  by Eshaan Sarup

Shares10FacebookTweet

Let me guess. You think that getting rejected is a personal failure, and that everyone who did better than you is superior in every way. Maybe you even wonder how everyone seems so much smarter, more attractive and more athletic than you. You handle rejection all wrong when you think less of yourself. I’m here to tell you that being rejected was one of the best things that ever happened to me, because I guarantee you that you will face at least one major rejection in college.

And no, I’m not talking about a girl. I’m talking about everything else.

student on phone
unsplash.com

The extremely competitive culture at the University of Virginia unfortunately extends past just academics. All of the “good” clubs, the clubs where people announce their involvement five seconds after meeting you, involved an extremely rigorous application with resume drops and multiple rounds of interviews.

I really wanted to join UGuides, a particularly prestigious club at UVA that gives tours to prospective students.  My own tour played a large role in convincing me to commit to UVA. To my surprise, the audition involved giving a 10-minute tour. I thought we would learn these things in the club! I needed to know these things already? Still, I studied up on the history of UVA, practiced a few good jokes and made sure I knew the layout by heart (and that I could walk backwards for the tour). Still, after all that practice, UGuides rejected me and offered constructive criticism on how to improve should I decide to audition next semester.

I started to notice a pattern. Everyone trying out for sports played varsity in high school. The business frat I rushed asked about my prior business experience… did working at Burger King last year count? The application for the University Programs Council, the club that planned university-wide events like concerts and carnivals, asked about prior-event planning experience. I always pictured college as a place where anything but rejection was possible, where you could reinvent yourself and do things you never even thought you were capable of.

I promise you that you don’t need to join some exclusive group to have a good time in college.

friends laughing
unsplash.com

Plenty of cultural organizations, lifestyle groups and generally inclusive clubs exist. As long as you make an effort to socialize, get to know people and take risks, you won’t find yourself all alone. Besides, those pretentious clubs became the butt of every joke with my friends… although maybe it was because we were all rejected.

More importantly, you can keep trying new things and reinventing yourself. It just won’t come as easy as my over-idealistic first year self envisioned. You either need some level of talent or a willingness to work really hard. After my first year, I finally joined a video journalism group. It allowed me to learn the basics of videography and editing and fell in love with the art of storytelling.

The following year, I became a humor columnist at the school newspaper, The Cav Daily. I now head the whole humor section. This allowed me to discover how to write on a schedule, start my own blog for short stories and dare to dream of being an author one day. I also got pretty involved with volunteering, and discovered the joy of helping people less fortunate than me. It is something that anyone can do!

Oh, and remember when I told you this didn’t involve a girl? Well, I lied.

couple sitting by a sunset
unsplash.com

This situation is a little different. You can’t will someone into being attracted to you and you can’t try really hard to make someone like you by changing yourself. As hard as it is, this is the sort of rejection you should not take personally, or even see as a loss. Why would you want a relationship with someone who doesn’t appreciate you for you? Being alone is better than being with the wrong person.

You might not look back at college as the best four years of your life, but it is definitely a memorable time. You will make new friends, try new things, fail, succeed, laugh and cry. Just don’t let yourself cry over some pretentious club that works for the university for free, or for some girl who thinks hating everyone is a personality trait.

And hey, at least you get a good laugh out of it!

Shares10FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Advice Student Life

About Eshaan Sarup

Eshaan Sarup is a third year at the University at Virginia majoring in public policy and economics. He's incredibly passionate about writing and enjoys writing and is currently working on his very first Sci-fi novel. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, spending time with his two dogs, and eating any and all types of foods.

You May Also Like

climate change protest

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

food buffet

Top 10 Colleges with the Most Delicious On and Off Campus Food Options

Why Pixar’s “Soul” is Groundbreaking: Lessons for 2020 and Beyond

fireworks

10 Resolutions to Reinvent Yourself for a Glorious 2021

CM’s Top 10 Colleges with the Best Dining Options

girl with book over her face

Rejection In College Is A Good Thing, I Promise You

College Expectations vs. Reality: International Student Edition

Breaking the Binary: My Journey into Identifying as Non-Binary

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

Fun From a Distance: Broward County COVID-19 Edition

One Girl and a Whole World: What I Learned from My International Friends

Top 10 DIY Gifts for Your BFF

a wrapped christmas gift for your boyfriend gifts for college guys

10 Gifts Your Boyfriend Actually Wants

things to do in Miami

The 305 Guide to Planning COVID-Safe Activities in Miami

Top 10 Colleges Deserving Recognition for their Response to COVID-19

Fight On: 8 Reasons Why USC is Better Than UCLA

10 Most-Loved Professors at the University of Florida

couple dressed as shaggy and Scooby

10 Crafty Halloween Costumes for You and Your “Boo”

10 COVID-19 Safe Road Trips from Drake University

bcu grad

College Magazine’s 10 HBCUs Changing the World in 2020

commons.wikimedia.org

Top 10 LGBTQ+ Friendly Colleges for 2020

10 Famous Alumni You Had No Idea Went to Harvard

“Where are you from?” — How to be from Nowhere

COVID-19

PSA: COVID-19 Isn’t Over — Reasons You Should Still Wear a Mask

Previous Post: «alpha phi girls posing How to Turn a Big School into a Small Community with Greek Life
Next Post: College Magazine’s Guide to Resume Styles for Landing the Job resume styles»

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

climate change protest
335

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

226

The 10 Best Organizations You Should Donate To in 2021

coffee w heart
11

A Barista’s Guide to Making Delicious Coffee Drinks at Home

6

5 Reasons Why You Should Become a Morning Person in 2021

2

Keeping Up with the Coronavirus: How is it Spread?

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.