{"id":2582,"date":"2019-05-15T12:23:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T12:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T06:35:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:35:18","slug":"maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things","title":{"rendered":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things"},"content":{"rendered":"

After you receive the rejection email from a grad school program you applied to, the questions always come. What could I have done differently? Was I removed from the \u2018Maybe pile\u2019 quickly, or was my file extensively debated? Was it stupid applying to this program in the first place?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I know that last year, each rejection left me angry, upset, and confused. This year, I don\u2019t feel any of that. There\u2019s a measure of sadness in this re-application cycle, but also the sensation that the rejections happened for a purpose. What could I have done to \u201cguarantee\u201d the success of all my PhD applications? As an international applicant to the USA \u2013 nothing. I would have had to go back in time and get myself into the top undergraduate Chemistry program in the country. I would have had to go back in time to clear many extra months for test prep. I would have had to go back in time to court and woo a different set of referees.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t go back in time. In the 12 months I had to re-apply, I could only move the clock forward.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I did all that I could.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting more deeply, I look at the best things that have happened to me: Edinburgh, Philadelphia, and London. These things would never have happened to me if I hadn\u2019t gotten things wrong or failed at something prior.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My interview at the University of Oxford was unsuccessful\u2026 so, I did Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. Oxford doesn\u2019t have a \u201cyear in industry\u201d option in their science courses.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I applied for a year in industry placements from November to February. The global economy tanked, and the countless applications emailed out, went unanswered. I was interviewed for two British-based placements and had no success. I was only one application away from giving up finding a placement\u2026 and that was for the US-based placement outside of Philadelphia.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The intention was hopping from Basel to the USA in summer 2012\u2026 instead, I headed to London. To date, it was my favourite research project that I worked upon, whilst there. My whole perception of the UK was shifted by getting to know London properly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Dr. Claire Jarvis (@StAndrewsLynx<\/a><\/u>) is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. This story was published on February 6, 2013, on Dr. Jarvis\u2019 blog, St Andrews Lynx\u2019s Blog<\/a> (available here<\/a>), and has been republished her with her permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After you receive the rejection email from a grad school program you applied to, the questions always come. What could I have done differently? Was I removed from the \u2018Maybe pile\u2019 quickly, or was my file extensively debated? Was it stupid applying to this program in the first place? I know that last year, each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1448,"featured_media":33313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2414],"tags":[2454,2669],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-researcher-stories","tag-researcher-stories","tag-stories-of-struggle"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Editage Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things-Resized.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"656\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Jarvis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Editage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Editage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Jarvis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Claire Jarvis\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/14368ab9a9b206685ccb28d058bc0f3e\"},\"headline\":\"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things\"},\"wordCount\":438,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Researcher Stories\",\"Stories of Struggle\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Researchers and Their Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/\",\"name\":\"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"width\":656,\"height\":336},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\",\"name\":\"Editage Insights\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Editage Insights\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":324,\"caption\":\"Editage Insights\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Editage\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/14368ab9a9b206685ccb28d058bc0f3e\",\"name\":\"Claire Jarvis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07ec47acf39bb8af26165c51a993bb6d7a720790c90c1d12d913414b1c7a5f0f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07ec47acf39bb8af26165c51a993bb6d7a720790c90c1d12d913414b1c7a5f0f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Claire Jarvis\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/claire-jarvis\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things","description":"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things","og_description":"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.","og_url":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/","og_site_name":"Editage Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage","article_published_time":"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":656,"height":394,"url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things-Resized.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Claire Jarvis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Editage","twitter_site":"@Editage","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire Jarvis","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things"},"author":{"name":"Claire Jarvis","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/14368ab9a9b206685ccb28d058bc0f3e"},"headline":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things","datePublished":"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things"},"wordCount":438,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","keywords":["Researcher Stories","Stories of Struggle"],"articleSection":["Researchers and Their Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/maybe-rejection-is-just-a-way-of-clearing-your-path-for-better-things","url":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/","name":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","datePublished":"2019-05-15T12:23:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T06:35:18+00:00","description":"Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Science and Medical Writer at Covance. In this story, she argues that perhaps, a rejection is just a way of clearing the path for the better things that are coming along for you.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","width":656,"height":336},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/standrewslynx.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/06\/rejections-restlessness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maybe rejection is just a way of clearing your path for better things"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/","name":"Editage Insights","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization","name":"Editage Insights","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":324,"caption":"Editage Insights"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage","https:\/\/x.com\/Editage"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/14368ab9a9b206685ccb28d058bc0f3e","name":"Claire Jarvis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07ec47acf39bb8af26165c51a993bb6d7a720790c90c1d12d913414b1c7a5f0f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07ec47acf39bb8af26165c51a993bb6d7a720790c90c1d12d913414b1c7a5f0f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Claire Jarvis"},"url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/claire-jarvis"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"new_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/new_categories?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"new_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/new_tags?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=2582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}