I'm a College Reject and I'm Grateful for It by Jillian

I'm a College Reject and I'm Grateful for It by Jillian - July 2023 Scholarship Essay

In 2021, I applied to my dream school UCLA and five other universities. I sent in my college applications and eagerly waited to hear back. A couple months later I was rejected from most universities, including my dream school UCLA, and enrolled in my local city college which was a major blow to my confidence and self image. I was a very competitive and serious student in high school, who was groomed to believe that I was a perfect student, and arrogantly never anticipated rejection. This attitude was reflected in my personal essays as I was earnest in my pretentiousness, a lethal combination. I had put community college as my “backup plan”, as I fell victim to community college stigma in which I privately believed that community college was “beneath me”.

This assumption quickly corrected my first semester and after, I greatly enjoyed my experience and I am still proud to have attended city college. No longer trapped in a toxic and competitive mindset from high school, I was able to pursue education for the sake of personal and professional development. Alongside my full academic schedule, I was able to engage with my local community through volunteering and interning at a local non-profit organization aimed at providing resources to the LGBT community. Not only did I continue to flourish as a student, I was able to mature over my two years and reapplied to three universities including UCLA and was accepted into every one. The college admission process is a mysterious one, but what I believe made a difference between my high school and city college applications was my growth reflected in my personal essays. I was able to speak more authentically about myself, and recognize that I am still improving as a student and as a person.

When I first opened my rejection letters I felt like a choice had been taken away from me. Looking back now, I can confidently say that rejection opened a door for me at community college. I was clearly not ready or mature enough to attend such a prestigious university like UCLA if I believed that I had already peaked in my teens. Rejection taught me to reevaluate myself in order to come back as a better person.