B-School And Rejections

Next was the summer internship process. I had heard tales of people coming out of interview rooms with tears in their eyes. Many of us are not used to being rejected so many times, especially within two days! Luckily, for me, the SIP process ended shortly as somehow I got through to the second company I sat for. But there were many, whom I saw struggle during the process.

In such situations, I feel past experiences give you the strength and composure to deal with rejections. Learning from rejections is key to moving forward. If I had allowed my rejections to define me, I don’t think I would have made it this far. It is okay to cry, feel sad, or be emotional in such situations but it is more important to channelize rejections into a stepping stone to something bigger and better.

For those aspirants who have faced rejections once or twice already, it is an added pressure to perform well. It is important to use the pressure to your own advantage. The experience gained in the past attempts is something that others don’t have and it is important to make it count this time. Failed attempts expose the faults in your test-taking strategies and this should be corrected in the subsequent attempts. Mock tests and failed attempts are the best way to get insights into your test-taking strategies.

I know a lot of rejections lie in the journey forward for each one of us. But dealing with them teaches a lot. The following dialogue from ‘Batman Begins’ gives me the direction every time –

Bruce – “I failed.”

Alfred – “Why do we fall, sir?”

Bruce – …

Alfred – “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up!”