Disapproval: What I've Learned from Rejection

Art by Tracy Jackson | VOX Staff

By Tracy Jackson | VOX Staff

I hope I got the letter from the magnet program I thought excitedly as I headed down the short sloped driveway. I opened my mailbox, and there it was – the letter I’d been waiting for.
I couldn’t help but think about how my eagerness helped me to study hard for the entrance exam. I spent hours practicing math problems each day to assure that I understood the concepts for the test, because I only had one week to study. When I opened the pale envelope, my excitement blew into thin air, as the words read: “... Sorry, you did not meet the standards …”
I was crushed. I grasped the letter tightly and reread as if it were a mistake. When I got back inside, I went to my bedroom and threw the letter into the trash can. I was frustrated because I worked really hard to get into the magnet program.
As painful as this rejection was, I soon found that what I thought was a huge deal was not the end of the world after all. We all will likely face rejection at different points in our lives. My experience taught me to be prepared, and my frustrations pushed me to do better.
Two years later, I became a straight-A student. My teachers recommended me for Honors and AP classes, and I was one of just a few students selected for the Beta Club, which recognizes academic achievement and encourages students to be leaders. So what, rejection!
I could have avoided rejection altogether by never applying to the magnet program, but stretching myself and coming up short gave me a better start to high school than not trying at all.

Magnet Matters
One day during the final weeks of my 8th grade year, I overheard my classmates talking about the magnet program, like the extra activities and how the program will make a great impression on college applications. The program at Westlake High focuses on math and science, with science fair projects, robotics and field trips. I thought that this program would be a great opportunity because I enjoy learning science, and I would get a chance at hands-on experience in robotics. I was excited to apply.
To be get in, first I had to get all of my teachers’ consent. The easy part was getting their signatures. The hard part was preparing for the test in just one week. It was going to be a challenge because math is one of my weakest subjects, and I knew it was going to take me longer than a week to learn the higher-level math concepts. Soon I received a letter in the mail for scheduled test dates, and I asked my parents to take me to the high school to take the test.
When I went to take the test I was trembling. All I could think at the time was I hope the test is not hard. But it was. As soon as I received the exam, everything I studied went away. The questions looked so different, and they were all hard.
It sucked! When the rejection letter came a few weeks later, there were still questions rambling in my head. I wanted to know why I was turned down for the advantages the magnet program offers. I felt as if I was one of the three little pigs, and no matter what I tried to build, something was trying to blow me down.

Friendly Advice
I told two of my friends about the rejection letter. Verreck, who was in the same grade as me, had applied for the same program and was also rejected. We both thought not being accepted into the program was unfair because we only had a short time to cram in all of the new material. It was good to know that Verreck felt the same way, and that I was not the only one who was rejected. But I was still upset, so I told another friend, Nicole. She said that she’d applied to Harvard and Dartmouth but, sadly, was only accepted to Dartmouth, another Ivy League college. Nicole had been in the magnet program at Westlake, but she told me the program wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She told me I can learn the same things on my own, which made me feel better. Nicole’s comment gave me the confidence to be more ambitious and to make for myself the same opportunities offered by the magnet program.

Rejection Helps
After the summer, I became more confident. Verreck and Nicole’s advice helped me recognize that I can be better than the best academically, in order to accomplish my goals. A few weeks into 9th grade, I knew both of my friends were right. It’s OK to be rejected. I could participate in other programs to get ahead and do some of the same things the students in the magnet program were doing. I put my mind to it and found ways to expose myself to other opportunities.
My change in perspective helped me because I knew that being rejected was God’s will. When one door closes, another door opens, and it is my choice to take the better route. When I first received the letter I thought that I wasn’t good enough. But I was wrong. I can do anything that I put my mind to, as long as I strive to achieve it. There are many teens who deal with rejection, but there is always a way overcome it.