Enrolling in college should mean the end of rejection letters. However, for some freshmen, that doesn’t mean rejection stops. The class of 2016 is quickly discovering that being good at something in high school doesn’t necessarily mean being good at the same thing in college. Fall sports and clubs tryouts have come and gone and they’ve left a good amount of freshmen behind. These rejections cause confusion, sadness, and frustration, but there are ways to look at it as a good thing.
I was recently rejected from the Big Red Dance Team. I was on my high school varsity dance team for four years and I was captain my senior year: I was not used to being rejected from dance. The thing was, I didn’t really enjoy dance team in high school, I did it to fill my time. So when I got to Denison, I thought I would join the dance team to keep me busy, not because I really wanted to. My first reaction to the rejection email was shock. I was good at dance, how could I have possibly not made it? It took me a few days to realize this email was a good thing. I shouldn’t continue my old habits of doing things I don’t love just to fill time. I took this rejection as a good opportunity to join clubs or groups that I’m actually excited about. I started going to several different club meetings and seeing what I liked. I went to some that I thought were weird, but I also went to some that I really liked and want to join.
Rejection is hard to hear, but sometimes rejection can open new doors. Getting cut from the tennis team or an acappella group, or for me the dance team, doesn’t mean that there is nothing else to do. There are so many groups and clubs at every school that suit a variety of interests, it just takes willingness to look and find the ones that are appealing. Rejection doesn’t only open new doors, but it also gives freshmen the experience of being turned down. When 2016 rolls around and our freshmen class is thrown into the real world, we’ll be turned down at several job interviews before we score one. Having the experience of what rejection feels like and knowing that it can bring us something better will prepare us for the real world.
Thinking about it know, the dance team did me a favor. If I had made the team, it would have been time consuming, and I would have never gotten to experience something new. Now, I’m exploring all my options. It’s scary not having the comfort of knowing what I’m doing but it’s also exciting and I can’t wait to see what I end up joining. Rejection gave me the opportunity to try new things, and really that’s what college is all about.