The Lighter Side of Rejection

This afternoon I have experienced my first taste of rejection in this whole Let's Get Into College process. I wasn't rejected from the college; instead, from a very prestigious scholarship program within the college that would have taken care of all the costs the HOPE wouldn't have covered (the HOPE covers tuition only, not room/board/fees/books). I was offered a lesser scholarship that doesn't come with any of the prestige or nice travel offerings that are found in the prestigious one. Not much of a consolation prize, though, in comparison.

I was a little shocked, though, to be truthful; I have an academic average of over 100, I'm ranked 5th in my class of 365, and I have only one B on my otherwise all-A transcript--and it's an 89. (In a freshman drama class, for crying out loud!) My mom helped me write excellent essays and I asked a teacher and a friend who think very highly of me to write my recommendations. I have a huge list of summer activities, community service projects, and awards to my name. What more could they want??

I'm not going to waste time wondering about that, though. When I first read the letter about receiving the Charter Scholarship instead of the Foundation Fellows, I was shocked, but not quite appalled and not upset enough to cry or anything like that. I read that only 73 out of over 800 applicants could be offered the Ramsey, much less the Foundation Fellows! That makes me feel a little better, but all the same...

You might say that I've been used to high academic achievement and the receipt of accolades for this achievement my entire life. I've never been on anything but the Super Honor Roll, I always get the Legion of Scholars award at the end of the year, and I've been offered so many great things--including this nice position I'm in as a National Merit Semifinalist, soon Finalist hopefully--as a result of all my good grades, high test scores, and hard work. But for one of the first times of my life, something/someone decided I wasn't good enough. This is new, and different, for me. I'm going to use it as an opportunity for growth.

When something is a disappointment for you, there are feelings of shock, shame, confusion, and wondering. It is unhealthy, however, to dwell on what could possibly have gone wrong. I refuse to waste time wondering just what aspect of my application made me less qualified than someone else to be part of the Foundation Fellows. I have other things to do, and other scholarship invitations from other universities! Sometimes things in life just don't make sense, and while I'm all for expressing how you feel, eventually there's a point when you accept that rejection or that disappointment, and use it to help you get on with your life. I refuse to be troubled for more than a day about this, and will be marching on again very soon. (And on the lighter side, I hadn't really wanted to go to UGA anyway, so now I have all the more of a reason NOT to, and to go somewhere out of state instead! Happy day! ^_^)