Read on Twitter
Rejections: Are they GOOD or BAD in Scholarship Applications???
To all prospective graduate students, I know some of you have received one or more rejection letters in the past days and probably tired of the whole thing. I have something for you.
#A Thread
To all prospective graduate students, I know some of you have received one or more rejection letters in the past days and probably tired of the whole thing. I have something for you.
#A Thread
As I always say, getting scholarships/top funding spots come with its challenges and you need to be prepared for it. Let’s start with my story, I have secured fully funded scholarships for my MSc and PhD (Canada and USA) but didn’t happen without rejections or down moments
2/n
2/n
For my MSc, I applied for more than 20 scholarships with several rejections which got me tired and almost gave up (but I didn’t). I later got a Yes from the prestigious @MastercardFdn which changed my story for life. Not to scare you but got rejections when I was pursuing
3/n
3/n
my MSc @ubcforestry (external funding)- might be frustrating but you need to learn from mistakes in the applications and move on. I started applying for PhD when I was a First Year Grad Student @UBC and thought getting funding should not be difficult based on my profile
4/n
4/n
but I was wrong. I got several PhD interviews, prepared so hard and lost most of the spots. Of a particular note was the interview for a PhD in Denmark (the rejection almost broke me because I thought I met all the requirements).
5/n
5/n
You didn’t get funding because there was a better candidate or something was not right in the applications (few exception sometimes anyway). I tried to work very hard on my applications while learning from past mistakes in my applications, which got me a YES @msstate and
6/n
6/n
that was it. Only one “YES” is enough to forget all the heartbreak from rejection letters. Do not be tired of applying and giving up is never an option. If you stick to it long enough, it will stick.
7/n
7/n
Why is this important? In Grad School, you will be faced with several challenges (academics, funding opportunities, relationships) that will need high level stamina (emotionally, mental and physically)- hence the need to start developing it now. As some of my bosses say here
8/n
8/n
the process of being a scholar will change your perspective about life completely and I hope you keep learning from the process. Keep applying, your good news is on the way and reach out if you need any help. Wish you the best in your pursuits.
