I did not get accepted, what’s next?

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Lamentations 3:25-27 (NIV).

Your application has been reviewed, and we regret to inform you that…

Thank you for your interest in our program but, at this time there are limited…. 

These responses are email excerpts from some of my failed attempts at something. They were from my application into graduate school some years back. At some point in life, you will likely get something like this, if you have not, I recommend you try things more. Praise God for those who had a breakthrough in different capacities! LinkedIn has tons of positive reports from students who are pleased to inform others about their acceptance into various programs, wonderful! However, there are others who got the opposite and are dealing with rejection of all sorts. What has been on my mind is those who won’t be resuming the semester they anticipated.

The year 2016 was a trying one for me. My family was in the middle of an unprecedented event which grossly impacted us, I was far away from them and dealing with personal issues too. Amidst the struggles, God reached to me through a book, and in there was a scripture; Lamentations 3:25-33. It became an anchor bible verse for me in trying times and the words quickly come to mind when I need to encourage someone especially a youth like me. Life is a whole package with both sides of the coin. We can never predict what happens but in Christ, we have a source of stability regardless of the seasons of life we are in. You’ve tried your best and put in all your effort. You’ve fulfilled the requirements for admission, got the letters of recommendation and wrote a great essay yet, got rejected.

What went wrong? What do you do? What is next?

Try again

Great things happen to those who try. If you are convinced about God’s promise to you concerning the application, don’t give up yet. I say try again. There is no harm in picking yourself up and mustering strength to start all over. You may want to appraise your steps to see where you can improve. Seek help and guidance from people who has gone through the process.

Embrace the process

A recent devotion was about waiting. The writer narrated how he broke down in the middle of a song-writing session when these four words came up in a line” Sometimes miracles take time”. One of your worst nightmares is the truth that you may have to wait to get some answers to prayers. No one likes that. But, one of the greatest blessing is the lessons and character you get to build in the process of waiting—some things aren’t learnt easily. Don’t take the shortcut, follow through the process.

Tips:

1. Go over your options of schools and carefully select schools with requirements that you can work with. Many students has sabotaged their admission potential by pursuing schools that were not well thought out. Have a portfolio with a range of high to low competitive schools. Be practical yet honest with your candidate schools.

2. For those in the STEM fields who would be interested in a funded research, start emailing professors as early as possible for an open position in their labs. Getting into a lab before completing your application increases your chance of admission.

To be continued..

HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE A PERIOD OF DISAPPOINTMENT?

Special note: Would you give your life to Jesus Christ? He is the way, the truth and the life. If yes, please pray the prayers below:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your death and resurrection for the salvation of my soul. Please forgive all my sins. I choose you today to follow and to obey. May your love and the holy spirit lead and guide my purpose for your glory. Thank you, my Lord and savior. Amen!

Grace and blessings,

Olushola.