Ding, ding, ding! A new email has just appeared in your inbox. The subject, “Fellowship Decision.” You had dedicated the summer to work on the application materials and submitted it in the fall.
Now, it is spring. The palms of your hands start to sweat, your adrenaline kicks in. You gather the courage and click the email open.
You read the words: “This year we were pleased to receive a number of exceptional scholarly works, which made it difficult for us to arrive at a decision. However, we regret to inform you that you have not been chosen as a recipient.”
You have just been rejected.
You shut your laptop and the feeling of inadequacy settles over you like a dark cloud of failure.
Rejection is all too familiar in academia. We get rejected from fellowships, grants, academic journals and tenure-track jobs. At times, we do not even receive a rejection letter or email and are left to our own thoughts in the abyss of silence.
With each rejection, we begin the process of asking, “Am I not good enough?” or “What could I have done better?”
