The muggle world has always been fascinated by the Harry Potter series ever since its first book – “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” – was published. The fantasy world of Hogwarts with its intriguing houses and unexpected twists has kept the reader glued to the book till its last page.
How many of you know that the first book of the series was rejected 12 times before Bloomsbury agreed to publish it? Had J K Rowling considered every rejection as a failure and not a stepping stone, we would have missed the magic of such a fantastic series.
Was I not good enough?
What made them reject my application?
Throw away these inhibitions! Rejection is an opportunity in itself. Maybe, there is a better opportunity waiting for you out there. So keep up the good work you have been doing so far and keep going!
Read on to find out the top 5 ways your scholarship rejection can help you in refining your approach and strategy:
You become strong
Rejections are hard to accept, especially when you tried your best for it. Nevertheless, it gives you the strength to overcome failures and move on. You will cry, you will get mad, but it’s fine. Let out all the bottled up feelings and bounce back with even more confidence.
After all, when life gives you lemons make lemonade! So the next time you apply for a scholarship, you will become stable and confident enough to face any kind of adversity.
You will not repeat the same mistake twice
Your scholarship might get rejected due to umpteen reasons:
You forgot to fix the typos
Scholarship applications often involve painstaking effort from your part to complete them. From making a resume to writing an essay, every step in the application process is a time consuming one. You would have completed the application perfectly but chances are that you would have overlooked any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in it. So the next time you fill out an application form, use Grammarly to avoid such mistakes.
You forgot to add a cover letter
A cover letter is nothing but a letter of introduction to your resume. It validates your resume and helps you to catch the interest of whoever is reviewing your application. So next time an application form asks you to add a cover letter, do not forget to add one.
You didn’t ask for a letter of recommendation
A letter of recommendation enhances the quality of your application. It adds a lot more value than you think. The steps involved in this process are fairly simple. You formally approach a professor who teaches you and ask for a letter of recommendation. The professor gives you the LoR based on your statement of purpose. Since it is directly obtained from the person who analyzes your academic performance, it is given a lot of importance when your scholarship application is evaluated. So the next time you apply for a scholarship, make sure that you add a letter of recommendation along with the application form.
You provided the incorrect email-id or contact number
Sometimes, the silly mistakes that we make can contribute to our scholarship rejection. If you provide an incorrect email id or contact number, the important information sent by the scholarship committee may never reach you.
Imagine a situation where you happen to get selected for a scholarship but you provided an incorrect email id, chances are that the selection mail will never reach you. If you want to avoid such instances in the future, make it a point to verify the details that you provided.
You miss out on the deadline date
In the midst of applying to several scholarships, chances are that you would miss out on the deadlines. There is no point in putting too much effort and time into filling out a scholarship application only to miss out on submitting it at the end. So always keep a track of the important dates and deadlines in a tracking sheet.
Your answers to the essays do not match with what the reader is looking for
An essay happens to be the most important part of the scholarship application.
Why do you want to apply for this scholarship?
What makes you a better candidate than the rest?
Such questions help you in proving your worth. It helps the review committee to get an insight into your thought process and assess you based on the answers that you provide. Hence it is of utmost importance that you keep your essays genuine and to the point.
Here is a list of pointers that you have to keep in mind while writing the essays:
- Make sure that your essay does not deviate from the main point.
- Do not copy from the internet. Plagiarism can lead to immediate disqualification.
- Check for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.
- Stick to the word limit.
You did not tailor your resume according to the scholarship requirements
Your chances of getting selected for the scholarship is proportional to how well you tailor your resume. There is no use in bragging about your management skills if you are applying for a tech scholarship. So the next time you apply for a scholarship, from the master resume, take out only the relevant information and then submit the customized one.
You did not check the scholarship criteria properly
Did you ever read through the eligibility criteria before applying?
Before blindly jumping in and submitting the application form, make it a point to read through the scholarship criteria. See if it fits you and then start the application process.
The application process itself is a learning experience. Learn from it and try not to repeat the same mistakes again.
It gives you the time to think
Rejection gives you a much-needed break. It allows you to pause your busy life and think back. When you sit back and reassess yourself, you will know where you went wrong.
Did you apply just for the sake of applying?
Did you put in the right amount of effort?
Did you try to align your interests according to the scholarship requirements?
Think along these lines and rectify any mistakes you made. Try to talk to past scholars and learn from their experiences. Read through blogs and search the internet for more information. If required, do more volunteering work and projects, engage with your peers, and network more. That way you would be better prepared when you apply for a scholarship the next time.
You analyze yourself
The choices that you make eventually decide your future. And those choices depend on your strengths and weaknesses. The faster you know about them, the better it will turn out to be. Rejection helps you to improve and analyze yourself. Try to find out what you are good at and play to your strengths.
You will have the confidence to keep applying
Rejections no longer matter now. You are strong enough to face it and you have gathered enough information throughout this process. This means that you have already done enough groundwork and all you need to do is to keep trying. The more you apply, the more are your chances to get selected. Hence, confidently apply to as many as you can.
Rejections are not the end of the road, instead, they are stumbling blocks that you have to overcome. For success to have some meaning, you will have to taste rejection first. It gives you the strength to endure and persist until you attain your dream. So try to see your scholarship rejection in a positive light and learn from it!
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