You’re Not Alone in Your Disappointment

This time of year always incites many different feelings for me. As I scroll through Instagram, students sharing their accomplishments floods my explore page. They received admission into multiple ivy leagues, graduated summa cum laude, or received a 4.0 this semester. Joy and pride for these people fills within me when I first see these posts, but a twinge of disappointment lies in the back of my mind. I think about all the things I’ve tried to accomplish in the past couple of years, and the rejections and disappointments I’ve faced.

All of the programs I’ve applied to and were rejected from. The many scholarships I didn’t receive. The grades I didn’t get in the classes I fell short in. Since I got to college, there have been a lot of times where I’ve put in an immense amount of work to get something, and I didn’t even come close to it. Countless times this school year, I’ve tried to put myself into spaces I thought I belonged in. Slowly, but surely those doors have pretty much all closed on me, or what felt like slammed on me. 

People always say that when one door closes, another door opens. Now, I do believe this, but I’m not here to harp on that in this post. I wanted to tell you that you’re not alone in the disappointment or inadequacy you feel. So often on social media we only see the highlights and grand achievements. We see them so often that we think they’re the norm. We think it’s normal for a student to graduate with a perfect 4.0 or to get into every school they applied to, or to get their dream job right out of college. 

To the people that have accomplished these things, I’m so proud of all the work and effort you’ve put in to achieve things. Congrats to you. To all of the people that haven’t done these things, I’m right there with you. Including my dream school, I was not admitted into any of the Ivies I applied to. I haven’t managed a 4.0 semester gpa so far in college. It feels like every goal I’ve ever had is slowly slipping from my fingers. 

No one talks enough about the initial heartbreak and disappointment we feel when we don’t achieve something we wanted. Everyone kind of skips to the hopeful pep talk about coming back stronger and keeping one’s head up. You’re not alone in feeling rejected, so please stop thinking that you’re behind the curve or need to catch up. You’ll eventually get to where you need to be with time. The heartbreak will pass, but not as quickly as you may want. You will feel able again because you are able to do anything you want. Tha’s a fact. 

Thank you all for reading this week’s post. I hope you enjoyed it, and found some solidarity in it. Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new posts. Stay sharp 😉